The Book Smugglers of Timbuktu: The Quest for this Storied City and the Race to Save Its Treasures

di Charlie English (Autore)

Keeble Jonathan (Narratore)

William Collins, 2017

‘An exemplary work of investigative journalism that is also a wonderfully colourful book of history and travel’ Observer, Books of the Year ‘A piece of postmodern historiography of quite extraordinary sophistication and ingenuity… [written with] exceptional delicacy and restraint’ TLS The fabled city of Timbuktu has captured the Western imagination for centuries. The search for this ‘African El Dorado’ cost the lives of many explorers but Timbuktu is rich beyond its legends. Home to many thousands of ancient manuscripts on poetry, history, religion, law, pharmacology and astronomy, the city has been a centre of learning since medieval times. When jihadists invaded Mali in 2012 threatening destruction to Timbuktu’s libraries, a remarkable thing happened. A team of librarians and archivists joined forces to spirit the precious manuscripts into hiding. Based on new research and first-hand reporting, Charlie English expertly tells this story set in one of the world’s most fascinating places, and the myths from which it has become inseparable. English's autobiography is a top-rated exploration of the historical significance of Timbuktu's collections. It is a catalogue of resilience in the face of war and political upheaval, a testament to the art of preservation and the science of survival. For fans of Sinclair Mckay (Berlin), David Graeber (Fragments of an Anarchist Anthropology), David Wengrow (The Dawn of Everything), Oliver Soden (Jeoffry), and Alice Loxton (UPROAR!).

• Autore: Charlie English
• Narratore: Keeble Jonathan
• Durata in (hh:mm:ss): 10:58:33
• Anno edizione: 2017
• Editore: William Collins
• EAN: 9780008181918

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