Elissa

In 1874 the writer's grandfather discovered , or perhaps he just imagined that he discovered, 250 Cathaginian tablets. The writer promises his grandfather he will decipher and translate the detailed inscriptions. It is the eighth centery BC. Elissa, who Virgil and Dante called 'the unfortunate Dido', is roaming the Mediterranean accompanied by ten ships, a hundred men and twenty-seven virgins. She has fled her home, Tyre, the Phoenician capital, to escape the tyrannical rule of her brother and the dark secret that unites them. She writes to her brother recounting her incredible journey and describing the people they have encountered. She would like journey to go on for ever but her companions demand that she give it an end and a meaning. She is the obstinate queen of a people destined to found a city and a kingdom -it is to be Carthage. The translator allows his imagination to run away with him and he admits that this letter is a little of his own making and that he can no longer distinguish what is history and what is invention. Fawzi Mellah was born in Damascus in 1946. Elissa is his second novel and has just won the Prix Afrique Mediterraneenne 1989
ASIN: 070432704X
VSKU: BVV.070432704X.G
Condition: Good
Author/Artist:Mellah, Fawzi|Curtis, Howard|Mellah, Fawzl
Binding: Hardcover
Note: Any images shown are stock photographs and product may differ from what is shown.
Condition Notes: Missing dust cover, otherwise book is in good condition with some wear from normal use.