{"product_id":"9781909156371","title":"A Poet and Bin-Laden: A Reality Novel","description":"\u003cp\u003eA Poet and Bin-Laden is a novel set in Central Asia at the turn of the 21st  century against a swirling backdrop of Islamic fundamentalism in the Ferghana Valley and beyond.\u003c\/p\u003e \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 \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 \u003cp\u003e***\u003c\/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eThis title has been realised by a team of the following dedicated professionals: \u003c\/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eTranslated from Russian by Andrew Bromfield,\u003c\/p\u003e \u003cp\u003ePoems translated by Richard MacKane,\u003c\/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eEdited by Camilla Stein,\u003c\/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eMaxim Hodak - Максим Ходак (Publisher), \u003c\/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eMax Mendor - Макс Мендор (Director), \u003c\/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eYana Kovalskaya.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Glagoslav Publications Limited","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":47116116164848,"sku":"9781909156371","price":9.49,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0737\/7593\/9824\/files\/9781909156371_p0.jpg?v=1763622948","url":"https:\/\/shop-qa.barnesandnoble.com\/products\/9781909156371","provider":"Barnes \u0026 Noble (DEV)","version":"1.0","type":"link"}