'Original and illuminating ... what a good book this is' Jonathan Dimbleby'A love letter to the people of the Old City' Jerusalem PostIn Jerusalem, what you see and what is true are two different things. Maps divide the walled Old City into four quarters, yet that division doesn't reflect the reality of mixed and diverse neighbourhoods. Beyond the crush and frenzy of its major religious sites, much of the Old City remains little known to visitors, its people overlooked and their stories untold. Nine Quarters of Jerusalem lets the communities of the Old City speak for themselves. Ranging through ancient past and political present, it evokes the city's depth and cultural diversity.Matthew Teller's highly original 'biography' features the Old City's Palestinian and Jewish communities, but also spotlights its Indian and African populations, its Greek and Armenian and Syriac cultures, its downtrodden Dom Gypsy families and its Sufi mystics. It discusses the sources of Jerusalem's holiness and the ideas - often startlingly secular - that have shaped lives within its walls. Nine Quarters of Jerusalem is an evocation of place through story, led by the voices of Jerusalemites.
CONTRIBUTORS: Matthew TellerEAN: 9781788169189COUNTRY: United KingdomPAGES: WEIGHT: 580 gHEIGHT: 218 cm
PUBLISHED BY: Profile Books LtdDATE PUBLISHED: CITY: GENRE: HISTORY / Middle East / Israel & Palestine, TRAVEL / Middle East / IsraelWIDTH: 140 cmSPINE:
Book Themes:
Jerusalem, Middle Eastern history, Travel writing
Highly perceptive and readable ... combines millennia of Jerusalem's history with insightful interviews with its residents, weaponising that unusual approach to present a subtle portrait of the current reality at the heart of the world's most intractable and divisive conflict ... fascinating, Vivid ... as much about the present as the past, Engaging ... Teller is an informed, enthusiastic guide to one of the most contested sites in the world, [Nine Quarters of Jerusalem] is an effective mixture of history and travel literature, the bright and breezy tone of which belies Teller's seriousness. Nine Quarters of Jerusalem offers the best sort of genre-bending writing, As labyrinthine as the city it describes ... a curious, offbeat biography that comes alive through the many gathered voices
Matthew Teller is an author, journalist and documentary-maker. He writes for the BBC, CNN, The Times, Financial Times, Independent and Guardian and presents and produces documentaries for Radio 4 and BBC World Service. He is a regular on 'From Our Own Correspondent' programme, reporting from around the Middle East and beyond. He has been visiting Jerusalem since childhood.
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'Original and illuminating ... what a good book this is' Jonathan Dimbleby'A love letter to the people of the Old City' Jerusalem PostIn Jerusalem, what you see and what is true are two different things. Maps divide the walled Old City into four quarters, yet that division doesn't reflect the reality of mixed and diverse neighbourhoods. Beyond the crush and frenzy of its major religious sites, much of the Old City remains little known to visitors, its people overlooked and their stories untold. Nine Quarters of Jerusalem lets the communities of the Old City speak for themselves. Ranging through ancient past and political present, it evokes the city's depth and cultural diversity.Matthew Teller's highly original 'biography' features the Old City's Palestinian and Jewish communities, but also spotlights its Indian and African populations, its Greek and Armenian and Syriac cultures, its downtrodden Dom Gypsy families and its Sufi mystics. It discusses the sources of Jerusalem's holiness and the ideas - often startlingly secular - that have shaped lives within its walls. Nine Quarters of Jerusalem is an evocation of place through story, led by the voices of Jerusalemites.
CONTRIBUTORS: Matthew TellerEAN: 9781788169189COUNTRY: United KingdomPAGES: WEIGHT: 580 gHEIGHT: 218 cm
PUBLISHED BY: Profile Books LtdDATE PUBLISHED: CITY: GENRE: HISTORY / Middle East / Israel & Palestine, TRAVEL / Middle East / IsraelWIDTH: 140 cmSPINE:
Matthew Teller is an author, journalist and documentary-maker. He writes for the BBC, CNN, The Times, Financial Times, Independent and Guardian and presents and produces documentaries for Radio 4 and BBC World Service. He is a regular on 'From Our Own Correspondent' programme, reporting from around the Middle East and beyond. He has been visiting Jerusalem since childhood.
I was truly blessed to hear this book read aloud by the author herself. As a teacher, I have to give Refiloe five stars as she held those six year old's in the palm of her hand. If any of you know children, you know they have the concentration of a flea! The children, however, were spellbound, for just under a hour. When I reflected back on how successful the author's visit was I realized, it was the content of the book that captured their hearts. Every child could relate to one or other theme that was addressed in this beautifully illustrated book. If truth be told, it was also magnificently presented. Refiloe is a dynamic orator. Many more schools need to have her books on their library shelves and allow her to grace them with her presence.