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The Abyssinian #1
The Abyssinian
At the heart of Jean-Christophe Rufin's marvelous first novel is a nugget of truth: in the year 1699, Louis XIV of France sent an embassy to the King of Abyssinia (modern-day Ethiopia). From this small fact Rufin has spun a mesmerizing tale of adventure, romance, and political intrigue that is one part Alexandre Dumas and two parts Rafael Sabatini, with just a dash of Brian Moore thrown in for good measure.
The hero of this epic tale is Jean-Baptiste Poncet, a young French doctor who has been practicing medicine without a license in Cairo. Poncet first comes to the notice of the authorities when the French consul in Egypt receives a secret message from a Jesuit priest commanding him in Louis's name to send a diplomatic mission to the king of Abyssinia. Foreigners--especially Christians--have not been welcome in that country since the Jesuits were expelled 50 years before, and a regular delegation would almost certainly be killed. When the consul, Monsieur de Maillet, hears that the Abyssinian monarch requires a doctor, however, he devises a plan to send Poncet both to cure and to convince the king to send a return delegation to Versailles.
Poncet has his own reasons for agreeing to go on this perilous mission: he has fallen in love with de Maillet's beautiful daughter, Alix. Unfortunately, he knows that "within the Frankish colony in Cairo, he was nothing more--whatever pains he took to hide his ancestry--than the son of a servant girl and an unknown man." The only hope he has of gaining the consul's blessing is to win Louis XIV's favor; bringing an Abyssinian embassy to Versailles might just do the trick. Poncet starts out for self-serving reasons; upon meeting King Negus, however, he comes to admire him, and soon finds himself jeopardizing his own future in order to thwart the political intrigues of his countrymen.
Rufin tells this larger-than-life tale with wit, sophistication, and a wholehearted enjoyment that shines through every sentence of this beautifully translated novel. Jean-Baptiste Poncet, a young man who "had been offered every opportunity for sadness and despair, yet ... had decided long ago that he would never succumb to such feelings," is a hero with heart, intelligence, and charm, and the book's many secondary characters are equally well developed. All in all, The Abyssinian marks a delightful literary debut. --Alix Wilber
432 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 1997
42 people are currently reading
1577 people want to read
About the author
Jean-Christophe Rufin
91 books309 followersJean-Christophe Rufin is a French doctor and novelist. He is the president of Action Against Hunger and one of the founders of Médecins Sans Frontières (Doctors without borders). He was Ambassador of France in Senegal from 2007 to June 2010.
Rufin was born in Bourges, Cher in 1952. An only child, he was raised by his grandparents, because his father had left the family and his mother worked in Paris. His grandfather, a doctor and member of the French Resistance during World War II, had been imprisoned for two years at Buchenwald.
In 1977, after medical school, Rufin went to Tunisia as a volunteer doctor. He led his first humanitarian mission in Eritrea,where he met Azeb, who became his second wife.
A graduate of the Institut d'études politiques de Paris (Political Sciences) in 1986, he became advisor to the Secretary of State for Human Rights and published his first book, Le Piège humanitaire (The Humanitarian Trap), an essay on the political stakes of humanitarian action.
As a doctor, he has led numerous missions in eastern Africa and Latin America. He is former vice-president of Médecins Sans Frontières and former president of the non-governmental organization Action Against Hunger.
Rufin was born in Bourges, Cher in 1952. An only child, he was raised by his grandparents, because his father had left the family and his mother worked in Paris. His grandfather, a doctor and member of the French Resistance during World War II, had been imprisoned for two years at Buchenwald.
In 1977, after medical school, Rufin went to Tunisia as a volunteer doctor. He led his first humanitarian mission in Eritrea,where he met Azeb, who became his second wife.
A graduate of the Institut d'études politiques de Paris (Political Sciences) in 1986, he became advisor to the Secretary of State for Human Rights and published his first book, Le Piège humanitaire (The Humanitarian Trap), an essay on the political stakes of humanitarian action.
As a doctor, he has led numerous missions in eastern Africa and Latin America. He is former vice-president of Médecins Sans Frontières and former president of the non-governmental organization Action Against Hunger.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 127 reviews
May 11, 2018
Ce roman qui m'a profondément agacé présente le plus grotesque portrait des Jésuites depuis la parution du Juif Errant d'Eugene Sue en 1844-45. Bien que ses autres péchés soient nombreux, je dois quand même l'accorder une cotte honorable de trois étoiles car il y a aussi des choses bien réussies dans ce roman consternant.
À première vue, L'Abyssin est roman cap et épée bien mène qui se termine différemment des grandes classiques du genre écrites au dix-neuvième siècle. Le protagoniste Jean-Baptiste Poncet, un médecin-apothicaire, ressemble beaucoup a chevalier D'Artagnan; c'est-à-dire, il veut aller très loin dans la vie malgré ses origines très modestes. Contrairement à D'Artagnan qui meurt sur le champs de bataille juste au moment ou il semble avoir réussi toutes ses ambitions, Poncet se retire a temps. Le véhicule choisi par D'Artagnan pour réussir est le service fidèle à un roi qui se fout de lui. Poncet part dans la même voie mais il choisit de débarquer quand il comprend le roi mérite pas son service. Poncet ne devient pas riche mais il finit par mener une vie heureuse avec son amoureuse.
La deuxième vocation du roman est d'analyser les relations des pays Européens avec les pays du tiers monde. Ici, il faut avouer que l'auteur Jean-Christophe Rufin est un expert du premier ordre. Rufin a été pendant longtemps un dirigeant chez Médecins sans frontières et a dirigé plusieurs missions en Afrique. Sa thèse est que les pays de l'Occident prennent leurs décisions vis-à-vis des pays du tiers monde en fonction des rapports de force qui existent entre les factions politiques aux métropoles. Ils refusent systématiquement de prendre en considération l'intelligence en provenance du pays du tiers monde. Les actions et les politiques changent rapidement et fréquemment selon les jeux de coulisses.
Dans L'Abyssin, les pires salauds sont les Jésuites suivi des Capucins. Les protestants sont des véritables anges. Il faut avouer quand même que Rufin ne choisit pas toujours les prêtres Catholiques pour jouer les rôles de vilain. Dans Rouge Brésil, par exemple, les Catholiques sont plutôt sympathiques et c'est les Protestants qui font tous les coup déloyaux. Le constant chez Rufin est que les luttes entre les factions religieuses a toujours des conséquences néfastes.
L'héroïne, Alix Maillet, est l'autre élément de ce roman qui m'a fortement déplu. Alix est très charmante voire admirable. Éduquée dans un couvent, elle réussi a s'émanciper physiquement, intellectuellement et sexuellement. Ses parents veulent qu'elle devienne une épouse docile. Elle choisit de devenir une amazone qui descend des turcs avec son pistolet. Un roman cap et épée a un besoin flagrant d'un personnage comme Alix surtout quand son amoureux n'a aucune aptitude pour les bagarres. Le problème est qu'Alix est une fille du vingt-en-unième siècle et n'a pas de place dans un roman qui traite du dix-huitième siècle.
À première vue, L'Abyssin est roman cap et épée bien mène qui se termine différemment des grandes classiques du genre écrites au dix-neuvième siècle. Le protagoniste Jean-Baptiste Poncet, un médecin-apothicaire, ressemble beaucoup a chevalier D'Artagnan; c'est-à-dire, il veut aller très loin dans la vie malgré ses origines très modestes. Contrairement à D'Artagnan qui meurt sur le champs de bataille juste au moment ou il semble avoir réussi toutes ses ambitions, Poncet se retire a temps. Le véhicule choisi par D'Artagnan pour réussir est le service fidèle à un roi qui se fout de lui. Poncet part dans la même voie mais il choisit de débarquer quand il comprend le roi mérite pas son service. Poncet ne devient pas riche mais il finit par mener une vie heureuse avec son amoureuse.
La deuxième vocation du roman est d'analyser les relations des pays Européens avec les pays du tiers monde. Ici, il faut avouer que l'auteur Jean-Christophe Rufin est un expert du premier ordre. Rufin a été pendant longtemps un dirigeant chez Médecins sans frontières et a dirigé plusieurs missions en Afrique. Sa thèse est que les pays de l'Occident prennent leurs décisions vis-à-vis des pays du tiers monde en fonction des rapports de force qui existent entre les factions politiques aux métropoles. Ils refusent systématiquement de prendre en considération l'intelligence en provenance du pays du tiers monde. Les actions et les politiques changent rapidement et fréquemment selon les jeux de coulisses.
Dans L'Abyssin, les pires salauds sont les Jésuites suivi des Capucins. Les protestants sont des véritables anges. Il faut avouer quand même que Rufin ne choisit pas toujours les prêtres Catholiques pour jouer les rôles de vilain. Dans Rouge Brésil, par exemple, les Catholiques sont plutôt sympathiques et c'est les Protestants qui font tous les coup déloyaux. Le constant chez Rufin est que les luttes entre les factions religieuses a toujours des conséquences néfastes.
L'héroïne, Alix Maillet, est l'autre élément de ce roman qui m'a fortement déplu. Alix est très charmante voire admirable. Éduquée dans un couvent, elle réussi a s'émanciper physiquement, intellectuellement et sexuellement. Ses parents veulent qu'elle devienne une épouse docile. Elle choisit de devenir une amazone qui descend des turcs avec son pistolet. Un roman cap et épée a un besoin flagrant d'un personnage comme Alix surtout quand son amoureux n'a aucune aptitude pour les bagarres. Le problème est qu'Alix est une fille du vingt-en-unième siècle et n'a pas de place dans un roman qui traite du dix-huitième siècle.
August 26, 2020
All the pleasures of an old-fashioned adventure novel that sees our intrepid hero bounding from the alleys of Ottoman Cairo to the highlands of Ethiopia, from the sombre court of the Sun King to the desert sands of Arabia. The presumed elegance of Rufin's prose is translated here by the wonderful Willard Wood into a highly polished, near-Victorian English. That was another of the sensory rewards of this book.
The tying up of various loose ends in the last 100 pages was a bit too pat, a bit too involved for my taste, but the novel's merits are myriad. Jean-Baptiste Poncet is a likeable hero, his nearest and dearest such as Maitre Juremi and the lovely Alix are painted in highly sympathetic colours, and even those in an adversarial relationship like the French consul and the mousy Murad are shown in a gentle light. The only out-and-out villain M. de Roule meets his sorry end in the sands of Sennar.
The reader gets a whirlwind tour of the Near East as it stood three centuries ago, the people if not the places rendered immediately relatable by the writer. As for those wondrous places, ah, the sense of vicarious pleasure in visiting distant Gondar or Jidda or Suez is very strong indeed in this first autumn of the coronavirus - the heat, the dust, the sounds and the smells of the Orient - but even so, for some reason, the bit that spoke to me most personally for some odd unknown reason was Poncet's escape through the wintry devastated landscapes of southern France, passing through ruined Protestant villages, hiding out in forested canyons with the heretical rebels...
This is the first of two novels about Poncet, the second of which I am about to pounce on. Rufin has also written a trilogy about a modern-day Romanian diplomat. I hope to God someone someday (preferably Wood and soon) will gift it to us in English.
The tying up of various loose ends in the last 100 pages was a bit too pat, a bit too involved for my taste, but the novel's merits are myriad. Jean-Baptiste Poncet is a likeable hero, his nearest and dearest such as Maitre Juremi and the lovely Alix are painted in highly sympathetic colours, and even those in an adversarial relationship like the French consul and the mousy Murad are shown in a gentle light. The only out-and-out villain M. de Roule meets his sorry end in the sands of Sennar.
The reader gets a whirlwind tour of the Near East as it stood three centuries ago, the people if not the places rendered immediately relatable by the writer. As for those wondrous places, ah, the sense of vicarious pleasure in visiting distant Gondar or Jidda or Suez is very strong indeed in this first autumn of the coronavirus - the heat, the dust, the sounds and the smells of the Orient - but even so, for some reason, the bit that spoke to me most personally for some odd unknown reason was Poncet's escape through the wintry devastated landscapes of southern France, passing through ruined Protestant villages, hiding out in forested canyons with the heretical rebels...
This is the first of two novels about Poncet, the second of which I am about to pounce on. Rufin has also written a trilogy about a modern-day Romanian diplomat. I hope to God someone someday (preferably Wood and soon) will gift it to us in English.
May 1, 2008
I've been reading this novel on-and-off for years. My husband gave it to me for Christmas one year b/c I love anything about the rich past of Ethiopia. It's a historical novel translated from French. I really enjoyed it, but somehow it kept getting preempted by other stuff.
This book accomplishes something that I try for in my own writing and usually fail -- it manages to be genuinely funny in an unfamiliar world (French consul in Cairo in the 1700s). Being funny without slang and pop culture references to fall back on is hard, IMHO.
I think my only criticism is that it tried to bite off a big and complex chunk of history (a failed string of attempts to send French embassies into Ethiopia to convert it to Catholicism). It kept feeling like it was in falling action only to introduce a fresh plot with its own rise, climax, and resolution. It might have done better as two or three shorter books. But, all in all, it was a fun read.
This book accomplishes something that I try for in my own writing and usually fail -- it manages to be genuinely funny in an unfamiliar world (French consul in Cairo in the 1700s). Being funny without slang and pop culture references to fall back on is hard, IMHO.
I think my only criticism is that it tried to bite off a big and complex chunk of history (a failed string of attempts to send French embassies into Ethiopia to convert it to Catholicism). It kept feeling like it was in falling action only to introduce a fresh plot with its own rise, climax, and resolution. It might have done better as two or three shorter books. But, all in all, it was a fun read.
February 27, 2022
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يأخذنا الكاتب الى اجواء القرن السابع عشر حيث الصراعات الدينية في أوروبا ولكن بطريقة مختلفة، فابطالنا في الرواية ليسوا في أوروبا وإنما في القارة السمراء.
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بطل الرواية هو جان باتيست وهو رجل يعمل كطبيب في القاهرة العثمانية بشكل غير قانوني، ورغم ذلك يستدعيه القنصل الفرنسي في القاهرة ليرسله الى الحبشة لمهمة ظاهرها علاج نجاشي الحبشة ولكن في الحقيقة كان الهدف الرئيسي هو فرض سيطرة الكنيسة الكاثوليكية على الحبشة حيث كان الملك الفرنسي لويس الرابع عشر وكل هذا وجان باتيست لا يعرف الهدف ويظن نفيه مبعوث كطبيب فقط، فهل تنجح المهمة؟ وما مصير جان باتيست؟
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رواية ممتعة مليئة بالمغامرات وفيها حس استخباراتي عال جدا، حيث نرى كيف تم تجنيد جان باتيست دون علمه واستخدام المعلومات التي اخذها أثناء اقامته في الحبشة، كذلك نأخذ فكرة عن التقسيم الطبقي في اوروبا وكيف كان ينظر النبلاء لعوام الناس، الرواية رتمها بطيء وتعتمد على الحوارات بشكل كبير ورغم ذلك استطاع الكاتب ان يجعل فيها عنصر تشويق كبير وهذه مهارة منقطعة النظير، ولحسن الحظ ان دار ممدوح عدوان ترجمت العديد من روايات الكاتب وسأقتنيها ان شاء الله.
يأخذنا الكاتب الى اجواء القرن السابع عشر حيث الصراعات الدينية في أوروبا ولكن بطريقة مختلفة، فابطالنا في الرواية ليسوا في أوروبا وإنما في القارة السمراء.
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بطل الرواية هو جان باتيست وهو رجل يعمل كطبيب في القاهرة العثمانية بشكل غير قانوني، ورغم ذلك يستدعيه القنصل الفرنسي في القاهرة ليرسله الى الحبشة لمهمة ظاهرها علاج نجاشي الحبشة ولكن في الحقيقة كان الهدف الرئيسي هو فرض سيطرة الكنيسة الكاثوليكية على الحبشة حيث كان الملك الفرنسي لويس الرابع عشر وكل هذا وجان باتيست لا يعرف الهدف ويظن نفيه مبعوث كطبيب فقط، فهل تنجح المهمة؟ وما مصير جان باتيست؟
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رواية ممتعة مليئة بالمغامرات وفيها حس استخباراتي عال جدا، حيث نرى كيف تم تجنيد جان باتيست دون علمه واستخدام المعلومات التي اخذها أثناء اقامته في الحبشة، كذلك نأخذ فكرة عن التقسيم الطبقي في اوروبا وكيف كان ينظر النبلاء لعوام الناس، الرواية رتمها بطيء وتعتمد على الحوارات بشكل كبير ورغم ذلك استطاع الكاتب ان يجعل فيها عنصر تشويق كبير وهذه مهارة منقطعة النظير، ولحسن الحظ ان دار ممدوح عدوان ترجمت العديد من روايات الكاتب وسأقتنيها ان شاء الله.
March 28, 2026
Genieten van begin tot eind
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January 19, 2022Henüz bir lise öğrencisiyken okuduğum bu kitap; okumalarım arasında "Popüler Kitaplar" kategorisinde en çok beğendiklerimden bir diğeri diyebilirim. Aztekler - Görkemli Bir Uygarlık Trajik Bir Aşk ve Baudolino ile aynı dönemde okuduğum üç tarihi kitaptan ikincisiydi. Üçü de sevdiğim kitaplar oldular.
Şarki havalar içerisinde Mısırdan Habeşistana doğru bir yolculuk! Kanuni Sultan Süleyman'ın Fransa'ya tanıdığı kapitülasyonların sınırlarını zorlayarak Habeşlileri Hristiyan öğretisine çekmeye çalışan cizviti ve diğer tarikatlar. Bu entrikalar içerisinde bir aşk hikayesi.
Kahramanlarımızın yolculuğunu biz de paylaşıyoruz tıpkı onlar gibi, kumun, rüzgarın ve sıcağın içinde.
Şarki havalar içerisinde Mısırdan Habeşistana doğru bir yolculuk! Kanuni Sultan Süleyman'ın Fransa'ya tanıdığı kapitülasyonların sınırlarını zorlayarak Habeşlileri Hristiyan öğretisine çekmeye çalışan cizviti ve diğer tarikatlar. Bu entrikalar içerisinde bir aşk hikayesi.
Kahramanlarımızın yolculuğunu biz de paylaşıyoruz tıpkı onlar gibi, kumun, rüzgarın ve sıcağın içinde.
February 4, 2013
After reading "The Siege of Isfahan" I wanted to read this author again, but I did not know "The Abyssinian" was his first published novel. As with that title, he introduced here an interesting cast of characters. The plot was well paced and keeps your interest to the end.
I liked Maître Juremi very much, particularly his loyalty to his friend Poncet, as well as his uncommon stubbornness in retaining his convictions.
Poncet is charming also; his behavior shows a guy who cares about love and can do bold things to get what he really wants and surpass obstacles in a clever way.
The novel is easy to enjoy and the style of writing made it easy to follow the story. The touches of good humor are really wonderful. The secondary characters also have their own marks of distinction that make this novel a must read for fans of romantic historical fiction.
I liked Maître Juremi very much, particularly his loyalty to his friend Poncet, as well as his uncommon stubbornness in retaining his convictions.
Poncet is charming also; his behavior shows a guy who cares about love and can do bold things to get what he really wants and surpass obstacles in a clever way.
The novel is easy to enjoy and the style of writing made it easy to follow the story. The touches of good humor are really wonderful. The secondary characters also have their own marks of distinction that make this novel a must read for fans of romantic historical fiction.
May 5, 2024
5/5 ⭐️
J'ai adoré. L'ambiance orientale, les personnages, les intrigues politiques et religieuses. Un régal ! Tout cela servi par une écriture immersive et magnifique. Qu’attendez-vous ?
J'ai adoré. L'ambiance orientale, les personnages, les intrigues politiques et religieuses. Un régal ! Tout cela servi par une écriture immersive et magnifique. Qu’attendez-vous ?
February 22, 2016
As a lover of novels of various genres and different themes, this book was a treat. This is a true adventure books with a touch of historical facts. The book proves the rule that a story made up of people who experience and after talking about it. If you love stories of the past, especially if these are the stories related to the time of the great Louis XIV, then mystical story from the Middle East, the story of a newly discovered Abyssinia, this is the book for you. Abyssinian pulls you to read it as soon as possible, as soon as possible to find out what they've gone through the main characters, what are all experienced in their travels, and finally to find out whether the young man and the girl finally be experienced together.
September 29, 2007
This one has it all. Drama, comedy, mystery, adventure, romance! Just a rattling good read.
October 19, 2017
This was excellent. The way historical fiction should be. He takes you right into the place, time and culture with colorful language and descriptions. I will be reading more by Dr Rufin.
November 24, 2019
Très bon roman, à part quelques longueurs lors du périple du personnage principal vers l’Abyssinie . L’énergie des personnages est intéressante et la métamorphose d’Alix tout au long du roman fait d’elle un personnage fort, alors qu’elle passait pour une fille un peu niaise au début du livre.L’écriture de Jean-Christophe Rufin est très belle, poétique et sensible.
January 19, 2026
I loved the political intrigue and diplomacy in the first half of this book that, sadly, devolved into a trite swashbuckling caper in the latter half. Nothing wrong with that in the abstract, but it wasn't the sort of ending I was hoping for given the start. Oh well, I've read much worse
August 19, 2020
Lu en livre audio super bien lu ce fut un grand régal !
March 8, 2026
Escrito con el detallismo de Julio Verne, el periodo de tiempo de Poncet en el cual se enfrenta e Reyes, Políticos, traidores, religiosos y toda una intriga en la cual el motivo es la avaricia. Dentro de esta gran aventura, en la cual paseamos por paises, desiertos, ciudades y oasis, se desarrolla también dos historias de amor, un empoderamiento femenino, y los acertados conocimientos de herbolaria y de medicina que practicaban Poncet y Juremi.
August 19, 2024
Jean Baptiste comme héritier de Sinouhé. C'est une copie avec moins ce contexte historique mais toujours autant d'exploits.
January 4, 2024
Accidentally left this out in the rain overnight so had to take a break in the middle to dry out. Half a star deducted for author's nationality, which I was not aware of until after reading.
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March 17, 2011Borrowed from the Library.
The writing of this book is really quite lovely, particularly when considering that I read it in translation from the French. The word choice and syntax are delightful, and I was surprised by the number of words I had to look up.
I appreciate an author who can use seemingly meaningless earlier plot points and draw them back in showing them to be important in the character development or eventual working out of the story.
This book has a lot going for it: political, social, and religious intrigue during the court of Louis XIV in France, a love story or two, kings, priests, and commoners. Unfortunately, the story lulls, and I'm not certain I ever really cared what happened to the main characters ... which caused a little reading here and there (particularly before bed), but no "I can't stop reading this right now" mania. (Which could be good or bad based on your perspective [grin])
Jean-Baptiste Poncet is a successful, practicing, if not licensed, apothecary based in Cairo, Egypt. A Doctor is needed in Abyssinia, the Christian modern-day Ethiopia. The Jesuits and Capuchin priests desperately want to get into Abyssinia to "correct" their theological understanding. They've convinced King Louis to try and send an embassy to the Abyssinian King. The Ambassador, Monsieur le Maillet, in Cairo must gather this emissary, and choses Poncet. Poncet, unsurprisingly, falls desperately in love with the ambassador's daughter Alix and agrees, reluctantly, to be the emissary in the hopes of achieving a commendation which will convince le Maillet to give his daughter's hand.
Poncet's plan goes awry. He "realizes" that all was wrong because he denied his "freedom" by bowing the knee to le Maillet, that he should have married Alix with or without her father's consent. Poncet's nature was to be free, and that he was denying his nature by submitting to some other authority.
And, here, I suppose is where I'm frustrated by the book. Clearly, Rufin's view of "freedom" has more relation to license than liberty. The dust jacket says, "... Rufin yokes the elegant language of the French enlightenment with the storytelling of Alexandre Dumas to bring us a splendid parable of liberty, religious fanaticism, and the possibility of happiness." I'm just pretty sure I don't agree with his conclusions about those things.
The writing of this book is really quite lovely, particularly when considering that I read it in translation from the French. The word choice and syntax are delightful, and I was surprised by the number of words I had to look up.
I appreciate an author who can use seemingly meaningless earlier plot points and draw them back in showing them to be important in the character development or eventual working out of the story.
This book has a lot going for it: political, social, and religious intrigue during the court of Louis XIV in France, a love story or two, kings, priests, and commoners. Unfortunately, the story lulls, and I'm not certain I ever really cared what happened to the main characters ... which caused a little reading here and there (particularly before bed), but no "I can't stop reading this right now" mania. (Which could be good or bad based on your perspective [grin])
Jean-Baptiste Poncet is a successful, practicing, if not licensed, apothecary based in Cairo, Egypt. A Doctor is needed in Abyssinia, the Christian modern-day Ethiopia. The Jesuits and Capuchin priests desperately want to get into Abyssinia to "correct" their theological understanding. They've convinced King Louis to try and send an embassy to the Abyssinian King. The Ambassador, Monsieur le Maillet, in Cairo must gather this emissary, and choses Poncet. Poncet, unsurprisingly, falls desperately in love with the ambassador's daughter Alix and agrees, reluctantly, to be the emissary in the hopes of achieving a commendation which will convince le Maillet to give his daughter's hand.
Poncet's plan goes awry. He "realizes" that all was wrong because he denied his "freedom" by bowing the knee to le Maillet, that he should have married Alix with or without her father's consent. Poncet's nature was to be free, and that he was denying his nature by submitting to some other authority.
And, here, I suppose is where I'm frustrated by the book. Clearly, Rufin's view of "freedom" has more relation to license than liberty. The dust jacket says, "... Rufin yokes the elegant language of the French enlightenment with the storytelling of Alexandre Dumas to bring us a splendid parable of liberty, religious fanaticism, and the possibility of happiness." I'm just pretty sure I don't agree with his conclusions about those things.
July 1, 2021
Novela basada en el hecho histórico de la embajada que envió Luis XIV a Abisinia.El protagonista será un joven médico francés asentado en El Cairo, cuya misión en principio será curar al soberano abisinio de una enfermedad; cuando el objetivo real es religioso y político.
Es una novela áspera y por momentos en su zona central hasta soporífera, pero no deja de ser una crítica social al colonialismo occidental, tanto político como religioso, y al clasismo.
Un libro del que solo soy capaz de rescatar sus mensajes y moralejas, pero que no me enganchó para nada.
Es una novela áspera y por momentos en su zona central hasta soporífera, pero no deja de ser una crítica social al colonialismo occidental, tanto político como religioso, y al clasismo.
Un libro del que solo soy capaz de rescatar sus mensajes y moralejas, pero que no me enganchó para nada.
July 25, 2011
The Abyssinian reminded me of when the movie The Mexican was being advertised in the New York City subway with posters of Brad Pitt and Julia Roberts that were soon graffitied: "Which one?"
Indeed, 98% of this book takes place outside of Abyssinia (modern day Ethiopia), and we are introduced to only two distinct, named Abyssinians: the King of Kings and our heroes' likable guide. Most of the major characters are French, and much of the book is either about a power struggle between various factions of Christianity or, alas, the love story between the main character Jean-Baptiste and the evil self-serving French consul's daughter, Alix (whose libertine persona is a fine example of how modern sensibilities have eroded this seventeenth-century story).
I don't read a lot of historical fiction, and this book sums up why: It was scanty on the history and flimsy on the fiction. The writing, which started off in a pleasing, almost lyrical cadence, became rushed and sloppy towards the (predictable) end, until I got the sense that the author was as sick of the whole thing as I was.
Indeed, 98% of this book takes place outside of Abyssinia (modern day Ethiopia), and we are introduced to only two distinct, named Abyssinians: the King of Kings and our heroes' likable guide. Most of the major characters are French, and much of the book is either about a power struggle between various factions of Christianity or, alas, the love story between the main character Jean-Baptiste and the evil self-serving French consul's daughter, Alix (whose libertine persona is a fine example of how modern sensibilities have eroded this seventeenth-century story).
I don't read a lot of historical fiction, and this book sums up why: It was scanty on the history and flimsy on the fiction. The writing, which started off in a pleasing, almost lyrical cadence, became rushed and sloppy towards the (predictable) end, until I got the sense that the author was as sick of the whole thing as I was.
December 6, 2020
Une histoire drôle et alambiquée mettant en scène un consul torturé et ridicule au Caire, un apothicaire autodidacte, un empereur Abyssin sanguinaire et une foultitude de capucins et de jésuites qui intriguent tous selon leur intérêt. L’écriture est vive et pleine de perles mettant en avant les travers de chaque personnage. Une jolie histoire d’amour et d’aventure sur un arrière plan historique du 17ème siècle ou l’Europe dominait encore le monde et traitait tous les autres territoires en sauvages. Joli roman avec des personnages attachants bien qu’un peu plus long que nécessaire.
December 23, 2017
Good writing, very interesting characters and descriptive historical detail that transports the reader back in time. Really enjoyed it. I'll be reading more by the good doctor Rufin.
March 29, 2021
J'ai mis pas mal de temps à lire ce roman , celui qui a rendu populaire Rufin.
C'est le début de l'histoire de Jean-Baptiste Poncet qui se poursuit ensuite dans 'Sauvez Ispahan' quand le couple y est installé.
C'est une belle histoire, j'ai lu d'un trait les 350 dernières pages, et cette saga est plaisante à lire.
Je recommande ce livre.
Je pense que j'aurais encore plus apprécié l'ouvrage si j'avais été dans de meilleures dispositions.
Cela complète la liste de romans lus de cet auteur.
C'est le début de l'histoire de Jean-Baptiste Poncet qui se poursuit ensuite dans 'Sauvez Ispahan' quand le couple y est installé.
C'est une belle histoire, j'ai lu d'un trait les 350 dernières pages, et cette saga est plaisante à lire.
Je recommande ce livre.
Je pense que j'aurais encore plus apprécié l'ouvrage si j'avais été dans de meilleures dispositions.
Cela complète la liste de romans lus de cet auteur.
March 30, 2019
Un excellent roman qui nous entraîne en Égypte, en Éthiopie, puis à Versailles - autant de lieux où s'épanouissent des enjeux de pouvoir et de religion dont le héros s'efforce de tirer parti afin de retrouver celle qu'il aime. L'écriture est fluide et agréable, et comme tout bon roman d'aventure, il nous est difficile de le refermer avant de l'avoir terminé.
December 13, 2020
Quel livre merveilleux! J'ai du mal à croire qu'il était sur une tablette de ma bibliothèque depuis si longtemps sans que je l'aie lu.
Je n'avais lu que "Rouge Brésil" de Jean-Christophe Rufin à la parution et je l'avais beaucoup aimé. C'est un auteur qui nous fait voyager en nous peignant des pays et des paysages inconnus, tout en nous racontant l'histoire de personnages attachants.
Je n'avais lu que "Rouge Brésil" de Jean-Christophe Rufin à la parution et je l'avais beaucoup aimé. C'est un auteur qui nous fait voyager en nous peignant des pays et des paysages inconnus, tout en nous racontant l'histoire de personnages attachants.
March 4, 2021
One of my favorite written by Rufin, one of the founders of MSF and former president of Action Against Hunger. It's the story of a young Apothecarist in 18th century Cairo that is called upon to join an expedition to Ethiopia so the French can lay claim there. He falls in love of course and there's plenty of adventure. If you like the Count of Monte Christo, you'll like this.
May 2, 2021
Hardcover!
I only vaguely remember reading this book. I remember enjoying it. I remember being surprised that I enjoyed it. I plan on rereading this at some point in the future and adding a better review to this one.
I only vaguely remember reading this book. I remember enjoying it. I remember being surprised that I enjoyed it. I plan on rereading this at some point in the future and adding a better review to this one.
May 29, 2015
Interesting clever book. I really liked the characters and the placement in history.
Good translation from the French as well.
Good translation from the French as well.
July 3, 2020
Sans doute l’un de mes livres préférés !
July 18, 2020
في عمله الحائز جائزة غونكور للرواية الأولى الحبشي وجائزة البحر المتوسّط، لا يكتفي "روفان" بعرض وقائعَ تاريخيّةٍ، بلْ ينقلنا معه في رحلةٍ زاخرةٍ بالحياة بين أحياء القاهرة، وجبال الحبشة، وقصور فرنسا.
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