E-mail: kawm@maktoob..com
Lena Annette Winfrey
Dear:
I am an American writer living in Jordan. I have an MA Degree in English Literature. I am representing an Arab writer whose works I think deserve to be translated into English. His name is Keifha Nasrallah, and he has won two awards for his novels in Jordan. Another friend and I am currently translating a novel for him.
The first translation I would like to introduce to you deals with a different type of literature. Mr. Keifha does write modern, tragic and realistic stories about the society in which he lives. However, he also looks back to the past in his historical novels, which still carry the tragic elements. He addresses culture, religion and human feelings.
This novel, Al-Mat’aeen (Three Stabs), goes back to the time before and around the Crusades and follows an English man who journeyed to Palestine where he converts to Islam and marries an Arab woman. He establishes his family there. The main story begins with his grandson Bakri, who has so many tragedies in his life as he travels to China, to Iran and to England as well as living in Jerusalem. He is wrapped in love stories and revenge plots. Throughout the story we find history and religion.
It is an interesting story that can fully capture the attention of the reader. There is a great interest now in the West for translations of Arab works. This story would not only interest the scholar, but also the average reader because it has an interesting, dramatic plot that covers universal themes of love, hate, jealousy and revenge.
The story will run approximately 200 to 250 pages.
I have attached a proposal with a simple outline of the novel. I would have enclosed sample chapters, but we have just begun the translation. If you are interested we can complete it sooner. I am currently engaged in another translation, but I can make time to finish this one quickly. By the way, we have submitted the proposal simultaneously to a few other American publishers.
We look forward to hearing from you soon.
Sincerely,
Lena A. Winfrey
Encl. Proposal
SASE
Keifha Nasrallah
Proposal for
Al-Mat’aeen (Three Stabs)
By
Keifha Nasrallah
...........................
Stabs/Nasrallah
Table of Contents
Introduction
Overview
About the Author
Summary
Stabs/Nasrallah
Introduction
Overview
What makes the Middle East, especially Palestine, so attractive an exotic to Westerners? Is it the historical ties to an ancient race and historical events? Is it the fact that Palestine is the home of the three great religions? Whatever the attraction, people in general enjoy hearing stories set in this region and are interested to know the culture of both today and yesterday’s Arab world.
Al-Mat’aeen (Three Stabs), is a dramatic and historical story that uses real places and a historical time period as its background. The characters are lively and real and the reader can fell with them in their tragic circumstances. We also have pictures of old Jerusalem and other cities the main characters will visit during their journeys, which could be added to enhance the book.
I see in this book a lasting appeal to readers, and it could easily be adapted for television production.
We are prepared to promote the translation of this book here among the English-speaking audience in Jordan. The writer is prepared to promote his book at any convention or promotional event you may have.
Stabs/ Nasrallah
About the Author
Keifha Nasrallah is a well-known and well-respected writer who has many connections with writers here in Jordan. He has contributed over 100 short stories to the Jordanian newspaper “Al-Aswaq.”
He has won two awards from the Union of Jordanian Writers as a non-member. He won first place for Madi Al-Hader (The Past Which Is Present) and third place for Kamesht (How Long Have You Lived?).
Keifha Nasrallah was born in Jerusalem in 1966. He has lived in Kuwait and is now residing in Jordan with the possibility of returning to work in the West Bank. He is married with one son. His special areas of interest are psychology and genetic engineering. He has a lot of experience in life, which has contributed greatly to his writings. He served in the Jordanian army for two years and worked as a salesman in glassware for six years. He has abilities in electronics and is interested in directing and photography; he has done several videos for wedding parties. His other interests include mountain climbing, running and writing. He has been interested in writing since he was a child.
Stabs/ Nasrallah
Summary
Background
It is the time of the Dark Ages in Europe where they were engulfed by ignorance and irreligiousness. The Christian religion and its priests were spreading their religion and their control. The upper class were the only ones who were educated. Meanwhile, in the Muslim countries it was a period of enlightenment, a Golden Age of Islamic History.
An Englishman named Robin was a well-educated religious Christian who owned a castle in Northern England in a city called York, which is near the North Sea. He wanted to visit the Holy Land, so he went to Jerusalem where he stayed for a few years. This happened at the time of Omar ibn Al-Khattab, and when Omar took over control of Jerusalem from the priest, Robin witnessed the agreement. He liked the nice manner of the Muslims, so he became curious about Islam. He read about Islam and began to know it from the Arab-Muslims. Then, he became a Muslim, married an Arab woman and established his family in Palestine. He brought a son named Nuh who was well-versed in Qur’an and hadith. He was a good, practicing Muslim. He married and brought a son named Bakri. However, Nuh died from an illness. Bakri ended up being raised by his mother Yamama and his grandfather Robin.
When Bakri was 17 years old, he traveled to China with Robin and stayed with him until the age of 21. Then his grandfather died. Bakri headed back to Jerusalem with some money and some knowledge of the Far East.
He passed by Iran where he knew a man and his daughter. They were from a people whose religion was Majous (they worshipped fire). However, the man and his daughter entered Islam. The man renamed himself Jaffar and his daughter Yasmeen. Bakri fell in love with Yasmeen and married her. He took her and her father back to Jerusalem. After a couple of years she delivered a daughter. At that time, Yasmeen’s cousin Barjous came from Iran. He was a Muslim from Shiite, whereas Bakri and his family were Sunni Muslims.
The Beginning
Bakri was on his way to York in England. He rode a horse well. Muslim Arab knights were well-respected and feared by all in those days. It was unusual to have a Muslim knight in the village in England. He spent a pleasant time in York upon his arrival.
He met a family there. The father and his children had some land. Bakri offered to work for them. He also fell in love with the man’s daughter, Mary.
Bakri had a piece of paper from his grandfather stating that Bakri had bought the castle from Robin. He wanted to see the castle to decide if he should live in it or sale it and then return to Islamic countries. He was not rich; all he had was the castle. So, he had to work. He spent a nice time with Mary’s family.
People in the village also liked Bakri and respected him. He helped them a lot. In many cases he used the knowledge of Muslims, which these people did not know before. For example, he helped these people to irrigate their fields and he introduced the glass lens to them (the first model for glasses). He even used the lens to make fire. He also introduced them to the telescope. He told them the earth was round and that all the planets went around the sun, whereas before they believed the earth to be flat and the earth to be the center with the other planets circling it.
Some people disliked him to speak about these ideas, especially men in the Church. They felt he was dangerous to their religion. Yet, they couldn’t do anything about him because he had a good defense. If something happened to Bakri, they could expect the Islamic army to come. They could do nothing to him because he was Muslim and Arab. They called him Morrocco Bakri.
Everything was good until Barjous decided to come to England. He was a hard-looking knight on a black horse in black clothing. He looked tough. Barjous saw Mary and her family. He was attracted to Mary. Mary didn’t like him; he wasn’t her type. When he entered the town, he had gotten in touch with bad people and gangs. They became strong with him as the good people had become strong with Bakri.
After awhile, Morrocco Barjous began to visit Mary’s family and to bother them. He tried many times to have Mary. She was angry with him, but even angrier with Morocco Bakri for not fighting Morrocco Barjous. He did defend her a little, but he didn’t want to fight with Morocco Barjous.
One day, Morocco Barjous told Mary that Morocco Bakri was a murderer. He said that Bakri had killed his own wife Yasmeen with a knife. Then, Morocco Barjous went to the people and told them that Bakri was not an Arab though he was Muslim, and that he, or at least his grandfather, had been a Christian. These ideas made troubles for Bakri with the men in the Church. They wanted to find a way to kill Bakri. They were angry that he had taken another religion, Islam.
Then, the men of the Church disagreed that the castle was for Morocco Bakri and they refused to give him the castle. They wanted him to leave the country.
Mary began to stop loving Bakri after hearing the story Morocco Barjous had told her. Bakri tried to explain things to her. At first he couldn’t. Then, after a few months he got the chance to explain to her that he wasn’t the murderer. He told her he had found his wife lying at the foot of the bed with a knife in her chest. He tried to help her. She was already dead. At that time, his father-in-law and Barjous came in. They cried out and the people rushed in. They all thought Bakri had killed her. He convinced her that he didn’t do it; he had loved Yasmeen. Mary believed him. Then she had remembered that Morocco Barjous had told her Yasmeen was lying on the ground. Bakri was surprised. He had found her on the ground and had moved her to the bed. No one had seen her lying on the ground except him and the murderer. Then he knew that Barjous had killed Yasmeen. Barjous was engaged to marry Yasmeen before she entered Islam. After she became a Muslim, she married Bakri. Barjous never forgot the injury.
The whole country had turned against Bakri and wanted him to leave. Then, the people began to watch Mary. She wanted to marry Bakri, but she felt she had no choice. He told her you can remain a Christian and I’ll stay a Muslim. The people objected to this.
Mary and Bakri planned to meet outside the city. She would go with him to Jerusalem to marry him and to live. Morocco Barjous overheard their plan, and he wanted revenge.
Mary took a horse and rode off. Her father and brother saw her leave and they saw a man following her. They thought it was Bakri, but it was Barjous. So, they rode after them. Then, Barjous caught Mary and cut off her head and put it in a sack to take it to Bakri. From a distance, her father and brother saw this. They thought it was Bakri. They followed the man dressed in black.
They saw him meet Bakri. Barjous threw the head of Mary to Bakri. Bakri was enraged and wanted revenge. Then, he pulled out his sword and they fought. The father and brother knew at that moment that Barjous was the murderer. Bakri lost his sword, so Mary’s brother threw it back to him. He killed Barjous.
Then, Bakri begged to see Mary’s grave and to put her head with her body. The father gave him something to remember Mary by and he left. On his journey back to Jerusalem he remembered his life with his first wife and the events. He was anxious to see his sister and his daughter. However, when he arrived in Jerusalem, he was faced with a third tragedy. Barjous had already killed his daughter and his sister.
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