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Average Rating:  out of 3 Reviews
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Price: $9.95
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Sale: $7.67
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Manufacturer: Autonomedia
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EAN (European Article Number): 9781570271588
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Number of Items: 1
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Binding: Paperback
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Author: Peter Lamorn Wilson
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Publisher: Autonomedia
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Edition: 2 Rev Sub
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Dewey Decimal Number: 364.164
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Publication Date: 2003-09-01
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Reading Level: 224
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Description: The history of European Islamic piracy in the 17th Century. From the 16th to the 19th century, Moslem Corsairs from the Barbary Coast ravaged European shipping operations and enslaved many thousands of unlucky captives. During this period, however, thousands of Europeans also converted to Islam and joined the pirate holy war. Were these men and women the scum of the seas, apostates, traitors -- Renegadoes? Or did they abandon and betray Christendom as a praxis of social resistance? The author focuses on the Corsairs' most impressive accomplishment, the establishment of independent Pirate Republic of Sale, in 17th Century Morocco. Corsairs, sufis, pederasts, irresistible Moorish women, slaves, adventurers, Irish rebels, heretical Jews, British spies, and radical working-class heroes all populate this illumination of insurrectionary communities.
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Customer Reviews
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Review Summary: Ahoy Ye Sally Rovers! |
Date: 2008-05-14 |
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Details: I like Pirate movies, hey almost everyone does...
But now I want a "Sally Rover" movie (Arab Piracy) both as a historical tribute and a spit in the eye to established authority and especially "American Imperialism NeoCONartist / NeoCOLONIALism". It'd be awesome to make, an assault on the senses. Pirates with turbans, corrupt European officials set against each other like bugs in a jar, white as well as black slavery, an Islamic city of both vice and virtue, saints and scoundrels together.
Kind of a past history, a "Wild West" time for Burroughs's "Interzone". Have belly dancers in hashish dens/coffeehouses. Massage parlors that hint at real naughty stuff. Have a Sufi saint do miracles, but also be a friend perhaps to the pirates. Plenty of philosophy, from Sufi wisdom to proto anarchist thought. |
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Review Summary: Depends on your expectations |
Date: 2005-06-06 |
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Details: Those familiar with this author know his areas of interest and what to expect from him in general, but in this case the particular subject matter imposes some additional constraints. Those who have done any reading on pirates in general know that it's very difficult to find a book that's actually interesting that doesn't wander too far off into wild speculation (or downright fiction). Pirates of any kind were not, for the most part, prolific writers; there are few first-hand accounts of their lives to draw from. In this book Wilson counts on his reader to be understanding of the difficulties he faces in trying to put together the story of the Corsairs and Renegadoes, and for the most part his effort is interesting enough to make you forget its shortcomings.
Wilson's account centers on the corsair republic of Sale, which presents a particular challenge in that there is less documentary evidence for him to work with than the better-known corsair enclaves in Algiers. Nonetheless he leans heavily on the sources he does have, and I thought I was in for a rough read when, about halfway through the book, he included a chapter that was essentially page after page of quoted material, with only a sentence or two of his own writing to break it up.
This does not last for too long, however, as the later portions of the book get more speculative and interesting. The author's usual areas of interest are all in play: Islamic mysticism, egalitarian/anarchist ideals, a sprinkling of vice and pederasty, etc. Some of his speculations are particularly dubious, as when he concludes that the Renegadoes were cannabis users based primarily on a single hand-drawn sketch of three men laughing, but for the most part Wilson is good about not attempting to pass these things off as historic fact. It is just that his primary interest is in the way things *could* have been, and admittedly this is far more interesting than the little we know about how it actually was.
It may not be a great book, but all in all Wilson knows his audience well, and if you came here looking for this book (as opposed to a casual browser), you will probably not be disappointed. |
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Review Summary: FASCINATING |
Date: 2004-06-17 |
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Details: For anyone who likes history, pirates, religions, anarchy... in fact, nevermind, for absolutely anyone. this book is simply fascinating, you wouldn't want to put it down. it paints such an amazing image of a time and place that i would do anything to go live there and now one of my goals is to visit the city of Sale in Morocco and walk in the lands were such amazing characters once lived... unforgettable! |
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