Book
Manuscript found in Accra / Paulo Coelho ; translated from the Portuguese by Margaret Jull Costa.
Summary:
Set in Jerusalem during the time of the Crusades. Christians, Arabs, and Jews have long lived together harmoniously. They are now being warned of an imminent attack and certain destruction. Contemplating their demise, the community assembles to seek the counsel of a Greek Copt. The novel unfolds as a sequence of parables on love, faith, sex, friendship, loyalty, beauty, and more.
Record details
- ISBN: 9780385349833 (hc.) :
- ISBN: 0385349831 (hc.)
- Physical Description: xiv, 190 p. ; 20 cm.
- Edition: 1st Amercian ed.
- Publisher: New York : Alfred A. Knopf, 2013.
Content descriptions
| General Note: | "Originally published in Brazil as Manuscrito encantrado em Accra by Sextante, Rio de Janeiro, in 2012"--T.p. verso. "A Borzoi book"--T.p. verso. Translation of: Manuscrito encontrado em Accra. |
| Language Note: | Translated from the Portuguese. |
Search for related items by subject
| Subject: | Copts > Fiction. Crusades > First, 1096-1099 > Fiction. Conduct of life > Fiction. Jerusalem > Religion > Fiction. Jerusalem > History > Latin Kingdom, 1099-1244 > Fiction. |
| Genre: | Historical fiction. Psychological fiction. Parables. |
Available copies
- 21 of 21 copies available at BC Interlibrary Connect. (Show)
- 1 of 1 copy available at Castlegar Public Library.
Holds
- 0 current holds with 21 total copies.
Other Formats and Editions
Show Only Available Copies
| Location | Call Number / Copy Notes | Barcode | Shelving Location | Holdable? | Status | Due Date |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Castlegar Public Library | FIC COE (Text) | 35146001805720 | Fiction | Volume hold | Available | - |
- Booklist Reviews : Booklist Reviews 2013 April #2
Coelho's quietly beautiful book is difficult to categorize. Unlike many of his novels, it is not an allegory, nor does it revolve around a mystical or physical pilgrimage. Instead, it consists of a series of queries posed by a population under siege and the powerfully simple, yet evocative, answers provided by an essentially unidentified wise man. As Jerusalem is surrounded by belligerent Crusaders in AD 1099, its diverse citizensâJews, Muslims, and Christians, who have lived together in peace for centuriesâgather in the square to seek the counsel of the Greek, known familiarly as the Copt. The Copt advises them to speak of their daily lives and search their hearts, minds, and souls for questions pertaining to universal truths. As the Copt thoughtfully answers questions posed about a variety of everyday subjects, including solitude, love, utility, luck, miracles, beauty, sex, anxiety, grace, and elegance, he bequeaths to his audience an "invisible sword" with which to fight intolerance and ignorance. HIGH-DEMAND BACKSTORY: The sublime Coelho continues to break stylistic boundaries with this series of spiritual musings grounded more in history and morality than in his trademark brand of mysticism. Copyright 2012 Booklist Reviews. - Kirkus Reviews : Kirkus Reviews 2013 March #2
Another treacly and pseudo-profound set of pronouncements, these from "the Copt," a Greek living in Jerusalem at the end of the 11th century. The conceit of the book is that, in 1974, Sir Walter Wilkinson discovered a papyrus manuscript written in Arabic, Hebrew and Latin. (Coelho is, if nothing else, eclectic in his cultural attributions.) This manuscript, purportedly revealing the wisdom of the Copt on the eve of the capture of Jerusalem by French crusaders in 1099, is in the form of call and response from various townspeople--Muslims, Christians and Jews. A sample setup: "And someone said: âWhen everything looks black, we need to raise our spirits. So, talk to us about beauty.' " This is all the opening the Copt needs to pontificate in a style reminiscent of warmed-over Kahlil Gibran: "All the beings created under the sun, from birds to mountains, from flowers to rivers, reflect the miracle of creation." Or, "to those who believe that adventures are dangerous, I say, try routine; that kills you far more quickly." Or, "[e]verything is permitted, if everything is accepted." Coelho's style is terse and epigrammatic, but despite the framing device, there's really no narrative here, only a series of assertions that reflect the Copt's surprisingly New-Age sensibilities. On the other hand, perhaps this isn't so surprising since at the beginning of the manuscript, the Copt announces that he "do[es] not believe very much will change in the next thousand years." This "novel" will appeal to those who like their philosophy predigested yet served on platters. Copyright Kirkus 2013 Kirkus/BPI Communications.All rights reserved. - Publishers Weekly Reviews : PW Reviews 2013 March #3
A self-help sheen hangs over this book by the internationally bestselling author of The Alchemist, which reads much more like a collection of bland aphorisms than a work of fiction. It is Jerusalem, the year 1099, and as French soldiers prepare to invade, a group gathers around a trite sage known as "the Copt." The topics broached are wide-ranging and somewhat random: a young woman asks about solitude and the Copt gives her a circuitous answer: "If you are never alone, you cannot know yourself. And if you do not know yourself, you will begin to fear the void. But the void does not exist." A boy, worrying he may be useless, is told: "Don't try to be useful. Try to be yourself; that is enough, and that makes all the difference." Another woman decides that the time is right to ask about elegance and is told that elegance is more about how one wears clothes than the clothes themselves. If Coelho is attempting parody, he has failed, this being both too long and too broad. The wisdom to be found here could be found in many other, better places. Agent: Sant Jordi Asociados (Spain). (Apr.)
[Page ]. Copyright 2013 PWxyz LLC
