Azazeel. Yousef Ziedan

In The 5th Century Ad, The Coptic Monk, Hepa, Embarks On A Journey Both Physical And Spiritual, From Upper Egypt To Alexandria And Then Syria, During A Time Of Massive Upheaval In The Early Church. On The Way He Encounters The Devil, Azazeel, And The Hardship Of Severe Temptation. At Times Able To Resist, While At Others Bending To The Strengths Of His Desire, Hepa Learns That Physical Pleasure And Spiritual Enlightenment Can Be Two Sides Of The Same Coin. Yousef Ziedan ; Translated Into English By Jonathan Wright. In this haunting and controversial novel, Youssef Ziedan confronts issues as vital today as they were nearly two millennia ago. Set in the 5th century AD, Azazeel is the exquisitely crafted tale of a Coptic monk's journey from Upper Egypt to Alexandria and then Syria during a time of massive upheaval in the early Church. Winner of the Arab Booker Prize, Azazeel highlights how the history of our civilization has been warped by greed and avarice since its very beginnings and how one man's beliefs are challenged not only by the malice of the devil, but by the corruption with the early Church. In sparse and often sparkling prose that reflects the arid beauty of the Syrian landscape, Azazeel is a novel that forces us to re-think many of our long-held beliefs and invites us to rediscover a lost history. Set in the 5th century AD, Azazeel is the exquisitely crafted tale of a Coptic monk's journey from Upper Egypt to Alexandria and then Syria during a time of massive upheaval in the early Church. The monk, Hypa, embarks on a journey both physical and spiritual, encountering, the devil, Azazeel, and the hardship of severe temptation. At times able to resist, while at others bending to the strengths of his desire, Hypa learns that physical pleasure and spiritual enlightenment can be two sides of the same coin. Winner of the Arab Booker Prize, Azazeel highlights how the history of our civiliz In the 5th century AD, the Coptic monk, Hypa, embarks on a journey both physical and spiritual, from Upper Egypt to Alexandria and then Syria, during a time of massive upheaval in the early Church. On the way he encounters the devil, Azazeel, and the hardship of severe temptation. At times able to resist, while at others bending to the strengths of his desire, Hypa learns that physical pleasure and spiritual enlightenment can be two sides of the same coin In this haunting and controversial English-language debut, Youssef Ziedan confronts issues as vital today as they were one and a half millennia ago.