The moors account feels true to the lives of real human beings. In this stunning work of historical fiction, laila lalami brings us the imagined memoirs of the first. The moors account by laila lalami overdrive rakuten. Laila lalami has given voice to a man silenced by for five centuries, a voice both convincing and compelling. Selling yourself into slavery to provide for your family.
Lalamis novel was longlisted for the 2015 man booker. His questionable legacy sets the stage for leila lalamis stunning new novel, the moors account. The moors account, by laila lalami the new york times. In her novel, the moors account, laila lalami sets out to resurrect estebanico, giving him a voice to tell the story from his perspective and narrate the details of the illfated expedition.
Laila lalami s mesmerizing the moors account presents us a historical fiction that feels something like a plural totality. The moors account in this stunning work of historical fiction, laila lalami brings us the imagined memoirs of the first black explorer of america, a moroccan slave whose testimony was left out of. Praise for the moors account a beautiful, rousing tale that would be difficult to believe if it were not actually true. Just enter your email to add this book to your box. The tale of a disastrous attempt at conquest is retold from the point of view of a moroccan slave in this rich, gripping novel. The moors account quotes by laila lalami goodreads. The moors account is a pageturner filled with adventure, observation, and lovely prose. The moors account the free library of philadelphia. We hope they will provide you with many ways of approaching this groundbreaking historical novel from the author. She the author of four novels, including the moors account, which won the american book award, the arabamerican book award, and the hurstonwright legacy award and was. Laila lalami s the moors account is a novel about the narvaez expedition told from the point of view of a moroccan slave. A new york times notable book a wall street journal top 10 book of the year an npr great read of 2014 a kirkus best fiction book of the year in this stunning work of historical fiction, laila lalami brings us the imagined memoirs of the first black explorer of americaa moroccan slave whose testimony was left out of the official record. Lalami s creation of estebanico on the page as a living, breathing, fully realised human being. She is the author of the short story collection hope and other dangerous pursuits, which was a finalist for the oregon book award, and the novel secret son, which was on the orange prize long list.
The slave of a spanish conquistador, estebanico sails for the americas with his master, dorantes, as part of a dangerladen expedition to florida. Download for offline reading, highlight, bookmark or take notes while you read the moors account. Laila lalamis mesmerizing the moors account presents us a historical fiction that feels something like a plural totality. Like criticism about columbus, the vibrant testimony of former slave mustafa alzamori underscores the notion that history often dismisses crucial voices, and in doing so, provides only a fraction of the truth. Buy the moors account by laila lalami online at alibris. Laila lalami recounts the voyage and its brutal aftermath in her new novel, the moors account, from the perspective of estebanico. In the moors account, moroccanborn novelist laila lalami uses much the same device to give us an imaginary inside account of an earlier european invasion of. The moors account is more than a good story, its a great one. In laila lalami s deft hands, estebanicos memoir illuminates the ways in which stories can transmigrate into history, even as storytelling can offer a chance at redemption and survival. As the dramatic chronicle unfolds, we come to understand that, contrary to popular belief, black men played a significant part in new world exploration and native american men and women were not merely silent.
Laila lalami reads from the moors account skylight books. This detailed literature summary also contains quotes and a free quiz on the moors account by laila lalami. It was a pulitzer prize for fiction finalist in 2015. The moors account laila lalami, 2014 knopf doubleday 336 pp. Her writing is very engaging and very tender in presenting the characters. The imagined memoir mustafa ibn muhammad, laila lalami s moors account gives voice to mustafa, the first slave in the new world and the fourth survivor of the navarez expedition. In this stunning work of historical fiction, laila lalami brings us the imagined memoirs of the first black explorer of americaa moroccan slave whose testimony was left out of the official record. The goal was to conquer land, claim it for spain, subdue the indigenous population, and find gold. A novel of extraordinary scope, ambition and originality. The moors account is a fictional memoir of estebanico, the. Laila lalami, author of the moors account a moroccan slave named estebanico was one of only four men to survive a 1528 expedition to america from spain. Toronto starthis text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title. Laila lalami author laila lalami was born and raised in morocco. Laila lalami author of the other americans, the moors.
The moors account is a work of creativity and compassion, one which demonstrates the full might of lalami s talent as a writer. Gary shteyngart laila lalami s radiant, arrestingly vivid prose instantly draws us into the world of the first black slave in the new world whose name we knowestebanico. In this stunning work of historical fiction, laila lalami brings us the imagined memoirs of the first black explorer of america, a moroccan slave whose testimony was left out of the official record. The book itself tells the narvaez expedition from a unique perspective. In the moors account, laila lalami tells the story of a 16th century expedition in the new world from a slaves perspective. Laila lalami, the moors account in arabic, the name guadalajara evoked a valley of stones, a valley my ancestors had settled more than eight hundred years earlier. Tremendous and powerful, the moors account is one of the finest historical novels ive encountered in a while. The moors account by laila lalami, paperback barnes.
Laila lalami brings to life his imagined account in this beautiful piece of historical fiction. Laila lalami was born in rabat and educated in morocco, great britain, and the united states. Supersummary, a modern alternative to sparknotes and cliffsnotes, offers highquality study guides for challenging works of literature. Another, an african slave, is barely mentioned in that work and absent even from parkmans footnotes, but he has escaped oblivion as the narrator of laila lalami s novel the moors account. From the widely praised author of secret son and hope and other dangerous pursuits comes a stunning piece of historical fiction. Assured, lyrical imagining of the life of one of the first african slaves in the new worlda native, like lalami secret son, 2009, etc. A book club for people who dont like book clubs, founded in 2012. The moors account in the moors account, laila lalami tells the story of a 16th century expedition in the new world from a slaves perspective. Telling the tale of his life in the new world, mustafa carefully traces and details extreme travail the four of them faced in the new world. Laila lalami is the author of the short story collection hope and other dangerous pursuits, which was a finalist for the oregon book award, and the novel secret.
The moors account brilliantly captures estebanicos voice and vision, giving us an alternate narrative for this famed expedition. The moors account by laila lalami book of the month. Laila lalami recounts the voyage and its brutal aftermath in her new novel, the moors account, from the perspective of estebanico, a moroccan slave of one of the explorers. Readers of laila lalamis latest novel, the moors account, may find themselves asking exactly that question, as fact and fantasy coalesce in a masterful story. The spanish called him estebanico, a name bestowed on him after he was purchased from portuguese traders. Gary shteyngart laila lalamis radiant, arrestingly vivid prose instantly draws us into the world of the first black slave in the new world whose name we knowestebanico. They had carried the disease of empire to spain, the spaniards had brought it to the new continent, and someday the people of the new continent would plant it elsewhere. In the first pages of laila lalami s new novel the moors account, spanish colonisers disembark their ship, set foot for the first time in modernday florida, and make the following.
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