The Siege of Isfahan
Publisher
:
Gallimard
Parution date
:
1998
EAN
:
9782070753536
Description
A luminous sequel to The Abyssinian, a headlong adventure set in the treacherous splendor of the Eastern empires. It is twenty years since Jean-Baptiste Poncet, through his apothecary skills and daring diplomacy, cured the ailing Negus of Abyssinia and saved that country from the political ambitions of the Sun King, Louis XIV of France. Poncet now finds himself in Isafahan, the capital of Persia, practicing medicine in the court of the Shah. In order to rescue his old friend Juremi, imprisoned in the Urals, Poncet travels in disguise to Russia, where he engages in a diplomatic duel of wits with Peter the Great. The friends, reunited, are captured by nomads and sold as slaves in Afghanistan. This is the beginning of Poncet's circuitous return to Isfahan, where his wife and daughter are trapped inside the walls by a besieging army of the Aghan king, Mahmud. Subtle, erudite, exciting, and beautifully crafted, this is historical fiction at its finest.
Author
Jean-Christophe Rufin :
Jean-Christophe Rufin is the celebrated cofounder of Doctors Without Borders. He has won the prix Goncourt and is the author of several novels, including the prize-winning L’Abbyssin (Gallimard, 1997; published in English as The Abyssinian, W.W. Norton, 1999), Sauver Ispahan (Gallimard, 1998; published in English as The Siege of Isfahan, W.W. Norton, 2002), and the prize-winning Rouge Brésil (Gallimard, 2002; published in English as Brazil Red, W.W. Norton, 2004). Currently France’s ambassador to Sénégal, Rufin has also been involved in covert operations to liberate hostages, in particular in Africa and the Balkans. Le parfum d’Adam has sold in 10 countries: in Italy to Bompiani, in Germany to Fischer, in Spain to Ediciones B, and in Russia, Poland, Slovenia, Greece, Korea, Lithuania, and the Czech Republic.
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