The man with many names1 pekka masonen the sixteenthcentury andalusi adventurer leo africanus was a household name amidst european geographers for almost three centuries. Discovery and invention of the sudanese middle ages suomalaisen tiedeakatemian toimituksia. Discovery and invention of the sudanese middle age suomalaisen tiedeakatemian toimituksia. A fictionalized account of his life, leo africanus, by the lebanesefrench author amin maalouf, fills in key gaps in the story and places leo africanus in all of the prominent events of his time. The book was regarded among his scholarly peers in europe as the most. The sixteenthcentury andalusi adventurer leo africanus was a household name amidst european geographers for almost three centuries. The historian pekka masonen has argued that the belief of his further travels was based on misreadings by modern scholars who interpreted his book as an itinerary. Leo the african is that rare novel pride and prejudice, don quixote, candide from which the reader must travel. Books by pekka masonen all formats paperback sort by. Supersummary, a modern alternative to sparknotes and cliffsnotes, offers highquality study guides that feature detailed chapter summaries and analysis of major themes, characters, quotes, and essay topics. Only with the appearance in 1550 of description of africa, by the renegade moor leo africanus, did something resembling a west african geography and historiography begin to find a wide audience among european readers. Leo africanus project gutenberg selfpublishing ebooks read. Discovery and invention of the sudanese middle ages.
This onepage guide includes a plot summary and brief analysis of leo africanus by amin maalouf. Born as alhasan ibn muhammad alwazzan alfasi in granada in the 1490s, hasan is forced into exile as a child after the spanish reconquista. Download citation on jan 1, 2011, pekka masonen and others published leo africanus. Joannes leo africanus was a berber andalusi diplomat and author who is best known for his book descrittione dellafrica centered on the geography of the maghreb and nile valley. Presented, along with his book, to pope leo x, he was baptized and freed. The historian pekka masonen has argued that the belief of his further travels was based on misreadings by modern scholars who interpreted his book as an. Although he criticizes the superficiality and multiple errors of leo africanus s account, masonen sees it as clearly marking the. It is held at the rare book collection of the library of congress g159.
Leo africanus wikipedias leo africanus as translated by. The second major study of leo africanus comes from a different part of the world. Pekka masonen, transsaharan trade and the west african discovery of the mediterranean, in ethnic encounter and culture change. Studienarbeit aus dem jahr 2009 im fachbereich geschichte afrika, note. It was translated into english in 1600 by john pory. Leo africanus by amin maalouf meet your next favorite book. The book was unanimously considered the most authoritative source for the. The book was first written in 1550 by a moorish traveller and linguistic scholar known as john leo africanus c. Such is the case with the titular moorish traveler in amin maaloufs 1986 book, leo africanus.
Masonen is a lecturer at the university of tampere, finland department of history. Description of africa, a largely firsthand geographical book, which was published under the title della descrittione dellafrica et delle cose notabili che iui sono by giovanni battista ramusio in his collection of travellers accounts delle navigationi e viaggi in venice in 1550, contained the first detailed descriptions published in europe of the barbary coast modern morocco, algeria, and. The man with many names, lenn enlinenn fr massignon, louis. This sets the tone for his life, as hes constantly on the move. And so he was known in the european translations that soon appeared. The renaissance traveller leo africanus is well known as a source for.
Over the centuries his book attracted the curiosity of readers and scholars in many. Everyday low prices and free delivery on eligible orders. The book was regarded among his scholarly peers in europe as the most authoritative treatise on the subject until the modern exploration of africa. The journey starts in al andalus before the fall of granada and winds its way through fez, timbuktu, cairo, constantinople, mecca, and rome amongst other cities. He was unanimously respected as the most authoritative source for the political and human geography of the barbary coast and sudanic africa, until the beginning of european exploration and expansion in the african continent proved his knowledge outdated. This is a paper originally published in alandalusmagreb.
The history and description of africa and of the notable things therein contained. Leo africanus project gutenberg selfpublishing ebooks. Doc leo africanus mediterranean hero bernardo piciche. One feels inclined to mention immediately that the choice of a title for this book. A conquest over all muslims in the region meant that leo and his extensive family, as well as other muslims in the region, fled for safety. Leo africanus was born in granada in around 1494 but his family moved to fez soon after his birth. Leo africanus wikipedia bahasa indonesia, ensiklopedia bebas. He has done extensive research on the life and travels of leo africanus, in particular as they relate to subsaharan africa. World heritage encyclopedia, the aggregation of the largest online encyclopedias available, and the most definitive. Papers for the third nordic conference on middle eastern studies, edited by mhammed sabour and knut s. Pdf leo africanus description of west africa 1500 leo africanus leo africanus description of west africa 1500 leo africanus leo africanus. For this work, leo became a household name among european geographers.
He was unanimously respected as the most authoritative source for the political and human geography of the barbary coast and sudanic. Ibn muhammad alwazzan, better known as joannes leo africanus, was born in the muslim kingdom of granada just a few years before it was. In 1986, the lebanesefrench author amin maalouf published leo africanus, a historical. For leo, his family relocated to what we would consider today as modern day morocco.
2 965 770 237 1501 751 1264 444 1046 246 581 917 630 190 731 606 1491 502 587 749 181 515 1555 741 566 1089 1069 1076 859 573 874 995 43 93 943 893 1096 1271 1355 186