M.G. Vassanji's magnificent new novel provides further proof of his unique, wide ranging and profound genius. The Assassin's Song is a shining study of the conflict between ancient loyalties and modern desires, a conflict that creates turmoil the world over - and it is at once an intimate portrait of one man's painful struggle to hold the earthly and the spiritual in balance. In The Assassin's Song, Karsan Dargawalla tells the story of the medieval Sufi shrine of Pirbaag, and his betrayal of its legacy. But Karsan's ...
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M.G. Vassanji's magnificent new novel provides further proof of his unique, wide ranging and profound genius. The Assassin's Song is a shining study of the conflict between ancient loyalties and modern desires, a conflict that creates turmoil the world over - and it is at once an intimate portrait of one man's painful struggle to hold the earthly and the spiritual in balance. In The Assassin's Song, Karsan Dargawalla tells the story of the medieval Sufi shrine of Pirbaag, and his betrayal of its legacy. But Karsan's conflicted attempt to settle accounts quickly blossoms into a layered tale that spans centuries: from the mysterious Nur Fazal's spiritual journeys through thirteenth century India, to his shrine's eventual destruction in the horrifying riots of 2002. From the age of eleven, Karsan has been told that one day he will succeed his father as guardian of the Shrine of the Wanderer: as the highest spiritual authority in their region, he will be God's representative to the multitudes who come to the shrine for penance and worship. But Karsan's longings are simpler: to play cricket with his friends, to discover more of the exciting world he reads about in the newspapers his friend Raja Singh, a truck driver, brings him from all over India. Half on a whim, Karsan applies to study at Harvard, but when he is unexpectedly offered a scholarship there he must try to meld his family's wishes with his own yearnings. Two years immersed in the intellectual and sexual ferment of America splits him further, until finally Karsan abdicates his successorship to the eight hundred-year-old throne. But even as Karsan succeeds in his ordinary life - marrying and having ason, becoming a professor in suburban British Columbia - his heritage haunts him in unexpected ways. And after tragedy strikes, both in Canada and Pirbaag, he is drawn back across thirty years of silence and separation to discover what, if anything, is left for him in India. Both sweeping and intimate, The Assassin's Song is a great novel in the grandest sense: a book that captures the intricate complexities of the individual conscience even as it grippingly portrays entire civilizations in tumult.
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Seller's Description:
Fine in Near Fine jacket. Size: 9x6x1; We're happy to combine shipping to save you some money. We're also always buying collectible book collections. Contact us for details. We're happy to provide pictures of any and all books for you, please just ask! Canadian first edition, first printing. Contains number line 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10. Virtually no wear to jacket. Jacket is NOT price clipped. Covers are clean and bright. Edges are sharp. No tears or creases. The book itself is in Near Fine condition. The binding is straight and tight. NO remainder mark.
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Seller's Description:
Very Good in Very Good jacket. Size: 9x6x1; Signed on the title page by M G Vassanji...this copy has a solid tight binding with clean unmarked pages...
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Seller's Description:
Very Good+ in Very Good-dust jacket. 038566351X. Light wear to DJ extremities and some rippling of front panel of DJ; A bright, solid book DJ in protective Mylar sleeve, unclipped.; 1.19 x 9.47 x 6.59 Inches; 314 pages; Karsan Dargawalla tells the story of the medieval Sufi shrine of Pirbaag, and his betrayal of its legacy. But his conflicted attempt to settle accounts quickly blossoms into a layered tale that spans centuries: from the mysterious Nur Fazal's spiritual journeys through 13th century India, to his shrine's eventual destruction in the horrifying "riots" of 2002. From the age of 11, Karsan has been told that one day he will succeed his father as guardian of the Shrine of the Wanderer: as the highest spiritual authority in their region, he will be God's representative to the multitudes who come to the shrine for penance and worship. But Karsan's longings are simpler: to play cricket with his friends, to discover more of the exciting world he reads about in the newspapers his friend Raja Singh, a truck driver, brings him from all over India. Half on a whim, Karsan applies to study at Harvard, but when he is unexpectedly offered a scholarship there he must try to meld his family's wishes with his own yearnings. Two years immersed in the intellectual and sexual ferment of America splits him further, until finally Karsan abdicates his successorship to the eight hundred-year-old throne. But even as Karsan succeeds in his "ordinary" life; marrying and having a son, becoming a professor in suburban British Columbia, his heritage haunts him in unexpected ways. And after tragedy strikes, both in Canada and Pirbaag, he is drawn back across thirty years of silence & separation to discover what, if anything, is left for him in India.
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Seller's Description:
Very Good+ in Very Good-dust jacket. 038566351X. Light wear to DJ extremities and book; A bright, solid book DJ in protective Mylar sleeve, unclipped.; 1.19 x 9.47 x 6.59 Inches; 314 pages; Karsan Dargawalla tells the story of the medieval Sufi shrine of Pirbaag, and his betrayal of its legacy. But his conflicted attempt to settle accounts quickly blossoms into a layered tale that spans centuries: from the mysterious Nur Fazal's spiritual journeys through 13th century India, to his shrine's eventual destruction in the horrifying "riots" of 2002. From the age of 11, Karsan has been told that one day he will succeed his father as guardian of the Shrine of the Wanderer: as the highest spiritual authority in their region, he will be God's representative to the multitudes who come to the shrine for penance and worship. But Karsan's longings are simpler: to play cricket with his friends, to discover more of the exciting world he reads about in the newspapers his friend Raja Singh, a truck driver, brings him from all over India. Half on a whim, Karsan applies to study at Harvard, but when he is unexpectedly offered a scholarship there he must try to meld his family's wishes with his own yearnings. Two years immersed in the intellectual and sexual ferment of America splits him further, until finally Karsan abdicates his successorship to the eight hundred-year-old throne. But even as Karsan succeeds in his "ordinary" life; marrying and having a son, becoming a professor in suburban British Columbia, his heritage haunts him in unexpected ways. And after tragedy strikes, both in Canada and Pirbaag, he is drawn back across thirty years of silence & separation to discover what, if anything, is left for him in India.
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Seller's Description:
Fine in Fine jacket. Book. Signed by Author(s) FINE/FINE First Canadian Edition, 1st Printring. SIGNED on the title page by the author. 6.75" x 9.5", 314 pages plus author's note, glossary, etc. A finalist for the Giller Prize and the Governor General's Literary Award for Fiction.
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Seller's Description:
Very Good in Very Good, Not Price Clipped jacket. Book Complete number line from 1 to 10; some edge wear to boards and dust jacket; otherwise a solid, clean copy in collectible condition.
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Seller's Description:
Fine in Fine jacket. 8vo-over 7¾"-9¾" Signed by Author (CAD) 1st printing. SIGNED BY AUTHOR to the title page, no othe rmarkings, Fine in unclipped Fine dust jacket. Boards, 314pp, plus glossary, I believe this is the sixth novel from the award-winning author. (2.0 JM HOZ 402/4.
