{"product_id":"a-poet-and-bin-laden-by-hamid-ismailov","title":"A Poet and Bin-Laden by Hamid Ismailov","description":"\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003e\"A Poet and Bin-Laden\u003cem\u003e is a timely attempt at penning the history of post-Soviet Uzbekistan, where the book has been banned, and at examining the roots of Islamism. It is also a hymn to human civilisation struggling to break through the barriers of violence and hatred\u003c\/em\u003e\" – Anna Aslanyan, \u003cem\u003eThe National\u003c\/em\u003e\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cem\u003eA Poet and Bin-Laden\u003c\/em\u003e\u003cspan\u003e \u003c\/span\u003eis a novel set in Central Asia at the turn of the twenty-first century against a swirling backdrop of Islamic fundamentalism in the Ferghana Valley and beyond.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe story begins on the eve of 9\/11, with the narrator’s haunting description of the airplane attack on the Twin Towers as seen on TV while he is on holiday in Central Asia. Subsequent chapters shift backwards and forwards in time, but two main themes emerge: the rise of the Islamic Movement of Uzbekistan under the charismatic but reclusive leadership of Tahir Yuldash and Juma Namangani; and the main character, poet Belgi’s movement from the outer edge of the circle, from the mountains of Osh, into the inner sanctum of al-Qaeda, and ultimately to a meeting with Sheikh bin Laden himself.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eHis journey begins with a search for a Sufi spiritual master and ends in guerrilla warfare, and it is this tension between a transcendental and a violent response to oppression, between the book and the bomb, that gives the novel its specific poignancy. Along the way, Ismailov provides wonderfully vivid accounts of historical events (as witnessed by Belgi), such as the siege of Kunduz, the breakout from Shebergan prison – a kind of Afghan Guantanamo – and the insurgency in the Ferghana Valley.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003ePaperback\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Pushkin House Bookshop","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":57266559451514,"sku":null,"price":20.3,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0510\/3406\/3009\/files\/A-Poet-and-Bin-Laden-by-Hamid-Ismailov-Cover.webp?v=1789392143","url":"https:\/\/shop.pushkinhouse.org\/products\/a-poet-and-bin-laden-by-hamid-ismailov","provider":"Pushkin House Bookshop","version":"1.0","type":"link"}