THE MAPMAKER: Research Item #17 

Reading Hodgson v2. I think if I had been born in the 12th century, I would have preferred to find myself somewhere between the Nile and Oxus, rather than in Northern Europe. For starters, the Islamicate of the Middle Period seemed to be a considerably more socially fluid society, relative to Europe, its culture  shaped more by the urban and mercantile classes, with the consequence that it was generally more egalitarian and cosmopolitan. The agrarian gentry were less influential, and for the most part politicians seemed to be little more than military thugs vying for power between other soldierly lunks. Indeed, I suspect a British time traveller visiting the Islamicate of this era might sense a modern feel to it - especially in the cities!

Hodgson has been useful in helping me shape the ensemble of characters. I wanted all faiths represented, and a spread of type evocative of the tensions and culture of the 12th century Islamicate: al-Idrisi, the courtly savant intellectual, equally associated with a non-mainstream sect yet claiming direct ancestry to the Prophet (aws); Captain Ali and Rafiq, the mainstream Shi'i and (Sufi) Sunni characters respectively; and Taj, the esoteric Ismaili radical harbouring Islam's revolutionary spirit behind a unremarkable mercantile pose. Then there is Harald and Valdemar -- both soldier and the pagan (aptly, in my view); Strutt the foppish, hypocritical Christian administrator; and, Ezra, the brilliant rabbinical Jewish intellectual. Last, but not least, Dwadar, a young clever effeminate streetwise servant who delights in the danger of prostituting himself to members of the crew, in contrast to his close but very innocent teenage friend, the slave Filo, who doesn't know what he wants, but longs to please everyone and wishes he were back home.

Character note: Captain Ali Hussain started life as an agrarian farmer.

Character note: Perhaps Strutt could find himself at odds with the egalitarian attitudes of the other characters, something which might bring about some kind of fall on his part. His hypocrisy must be exposed somehow -- that's essential.

Story note: a world where poor and rich are divided into two worlds.

Text Note: al-Idrisi writes his journal in (Old) English in order to learn the language. This could engender a debate and changer with Strutt, who perhaps speaks early Middle English.

THE MAPMAKER: Research Item #16

Scrap the idea of the crew all being called Peter. They're all going to be Muslims and all called Abdul (and there are 99 crew, with each crew member named after one of the 99 names).

THE MAPMAKER: Research Item #15

I sometimes like to write a blurb for a book before I've even written the first page, to give clearer shape to the core ideas of the work. Here is a possible blurb for The Matchmaker:

THE MAPMAKER: Research Item #14

There are stories/books that are likely to be have been known to al-Idrisi

• Layla and Majnun (although Nezami Ganjavi version wasn't around until very late in the 12th century)

• Al-Hariri's (1054-1122) Maqamat al-Hariri (see: Assemblies of Al-Hariri, retold by Amina Shah - Octagon Press)

• Ibn Tufail's Hayy ibn Yaqdhan (Alive, Son of Awake, aka Philosophus Autodidactus.)

Using techniques from 1001 Nights subversively as metaphor for Arab narrative moving into North Europe:

Different characters could tell different styles of stories.

THE MAPMAKER: Research Item #13 

A few random thoughts:

• Story is an important factor in structuring the novel reflecting the impact of Arab narrative forms on European culture. Might seek to broadly emulate some of the 12th century forms, such as the dialogue;

• The entire crew should have the same name, Peter;

• Lots of things can happen in the tunnel under the Pyrenees. There could be 'locks' (but naturally operated), effectively raising the boat into the inside of the mountains; there might be smaller, walking tunnels leading from e.g. Cluny, or Andorra, plus all the usual things - strange creatures, etc.

THE MAPMAKER: Research Item #12

Another possible character - Abraham ibn Ezra.

Okay, provisionally, this would be the list of core characters.

THE MAPMAKER: Research Item #11

RE: Boats. Just going to take in Hourani's Arab Seafaring at this stage - will focus on boat later (the boat itself converts to a submarine, so clearly it's not typical 12th century maritime shit). More important, later, will be 12th century Islamic maritime law -- see: Hassan Salih Khalilieh's Islamic Maritime Law: An Introduction.

THE MAPMAKER: Research Item #10

What about one of the characters being a Mozarab? Mozarabs (Arabic: musta'rab) were Iberian Christians, mostly Roman Catholic, who lived under Muslim rule in Al-Andalus and adopted elements of Arabic language and culture. Maria Rosa Menocal uses the term "wannabe-Arab" as synonymous with Mozarab. See also Mozarabic language.

THE MAPMAKER: Research Item #9

It's primary literary conceit: everyone's story, as told to al-Idrisi and recorded in his journal, is entangled with everyone else's. Journal is secret and thus written in Basque.

Why not have the characters as derived from Arabian Nights? Subverting Orientalism.

al-Idrisi on a quest - to convey a secret message to Empress Matilda.

And here's a thought - surely there should be some slaves on board?

THE MAPMAKER: Research Item #8

The journey to England is going to be a work in itself -- I'm leaving the love affair with Matilda for a second novel, in place of one planned about the third crusade.

Interestingly, Portbou is home to the Walter Benjamin Memorial.

It includes a quote, apparently from Benjamin's essay, On The Concept of History.

Christopher Rollason describes the memorial thus:

We left the cemetery to absorb Portbou's final Benjamin object, the monument called 'Passages' which overlooks the sea, just outside his resting-place on the way back down. It is the work of the Israeli sculptor Dani Karavan, and was unveiled in 1994, in a ceremony attended by the assembled presidents of Germany, Catalonia and twelve of the German Länder. I did not realise at the time, but we had already walked through another work by Karavan - the similarly symbolic Street of Human Rights in Nuremberg. Karavan's monument in Portbou is intended as a tribute to Walter Benjamin and to all the victims of fascism; it is called 'Passages', in homage to the border-crossing and passage themes in the philosopher's life and work. From a low brick wall, two metal rails - a symbolic 'railway to freedom' - lead to a gaunt iron rectangle, erected above the sea. The visitor then descends a flight of steps, enclosed between dark walls, towards the Mediterranean, glimpsed through an aperture below - before reaching a dead end halfway down, formed by a glass barrier on which, once again, there appears a quotation from Walter Benjamin. The words traced on the glass are in German: 'Schwerer ist es [etc...]' ('It is more arduous to honour the memory of the nameless than that of the renowned. Historical construction is devoted to the memory of the nameless').

I rather like this quote from On The Concept of History:

"The only writer of history with the gift of setting alight the sparks of hope in the past, is the one who is convinced of this: that not even the safe will be dead from the enemy, if he is victorious..."

...and also

"The tradition of the oppressed teaches us that the "emergency situation" in which we live is the rule. We must arrive at a concept of history which corresponds to this. Then it will become clear that the task before us is the introduction of the real state of emergency; and our struggle against fascism will thereby improve."

THE MAPMAKER: Research Item #7

I am, to some extent, hamstrung until I get the al-Idrisi stuff from the British Library.

A few ideas in the meantime...

I don't want this book to be mistaken for a work of historical fiction, pawed over by anoraks intent on identifying whether my characters are wearing period-appropriate underwear. With that in mind, I think it needs a few broad sweeps of unrealism are required, no so extreme as to turn the work into a fantasy (I'm thinking more magical realism), but sufficient to lend it that enchanted air. The obvious path would seem to be a parallel reality. From the off, then, let's call the world in which our al-Idrisi lives EA®TH.

I've been thinking of characters, but what about al-Idrisi's personality? I want him to be a wide eyed intellectual utterly enamoured by the wonder of travel, but at the same time, a lonely figure, and the journey means by which he awakens to his sense of loneliness. Time to read some Carson McCullers, perhaps?

Other possible characters -- a couple of retired Varangian guards, brothers and pagans, heading back home intending (secretly) to do battle against the spread of Christianity in their homeland.

Another might be the disgraced magister capellanus of Roger II, Thomas Brown, who was an Englishman. He went on to be a financial advisor to Henry II. Possible drama vis-à-vis the Varangians, by making him a politically opportunistic Christian hypocrite, whose hypocrisy is realised in his staunch defence of Christianity despite him displaying some very unChristian habits. This could provide dramatic opportunities in relation to the aforementioned Varangian guards.

I think the rest should consist of standard seafarers + retinues, including al-Idrisi's assistant.

THE MAPMAKER: Research Item #6

Need to establish details of plot/narrative, character and settings early in research
in order to ensure reading is properly focused.

THE MAPMAKER: Research Item #5

Initial thoughts -- need to think about specific aims of research, beyond "reading around period":
* Broad knowledge of period
* Defining issues and ethos of period;
* Day-to-day life -- how people lived;
* Environmental detail -- for description;
* Boat sails from Sicily to England via secret tunnel through the Alps/Pyrenees (via ..?)

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