El fanatismo religioso, el integrismo islámico y el exilio o muerte de víctimas inocentes ha sido una realidad histórica durante siglos. Ibn Gabirol, el poeta que huyó de Al-Ándalus cuenta la Historia de uno de los personajes más ilustres de la Edad Media: el judío Shlomo Ibn Gabirol. Nacido en 1021 en Málaga y dotado de un extraordinario talento literario, Gabirol fue uno de los poetas más importantes de la España medieval. Contemporáneo de los denominados reinos de Taifas (Party Kingdoms es la expresión inglesa) del sur de España, Ibn Gabirol contempló como la refinada cultura en medio de la que había crecido era asaltada por fanáticos procedentes del norte de África. Inesperadamente, un mundo de ensueño y creatividad, digno de las Mil y una noches (la expresión inglesa es Arabian Nights) se vio sometido a la censura, la persecución y el aniquilamiento.
Ibn Gabirol, el poeta que huyó de Al-Ándalus no sólo es una magistral reconstrucción de Al-Andalus del siglo XI sino también un canto apasionado al amor, a la belleza y a la libertad.
__________
Religious fanaticism, Islamic fundamentalism and the exile or death of innocent victims has been a historical reality for centuries. Ibn Gabirol, the Poet who Fled al-Andalus, relates the story of one of the most distinguished personalities of the Middle Ages: Shlomo Ibn Gabirol, a Jew. Born in 1021 in Malaga and gifted with extraordinary literary talent, Gabirol was one of the most important poets in medieval Spain. He lived at the time of the so-called Taifa Kingdoms (mini states formed after the collapse of al-Andalus) in the south of Spain where he witnessed the assault on the refined culture in which he had been raised by fanatics from northern Africa. Suddenly, a fabulous, creative world, worthy of The Arabian Nights, found itself subject to censure, persecution and annihilation.
Ibn Gabirol, the Poet Who Fled al-Andalus is not only a masterful account of 16th century al-Andalus, but also a fervent anthem to love, beauty and freedom.
Ibn Gabirol, el poeta que huyó de Al-Ándalus no sólo es una magistral reconstrucción de Al-Andalus del siglo XI sino también un canto apasionado al amor, a la belleza y a la libertad.
__________
Religious fanaticism, Islamic fundamentalism and the exile or death of innocent victims has been a historical reality for centuries. Ibn Gabirol, the Poet who Fled al-Andalus, relates the story of one of the most distinguished personalities of the Middle Ages: Shlomo Ibn Gabirol, a Jew. Born in 1021 in Malaga and gifted with extraordinary literary talent, Gabirol was one of the most important poets in medieval Spain. He lived at the time of the so-called Taifa Kingdoms (mini states formed after the collapse of al-Andalus) in the south of Spain where he witnessed the assault on the refined culture in which he had been raised by fanatics from northern Africa. Suddenly, a fabulous, creative world, worthy of The Arabian Nights, found itself subject to censure, persecution and annihilation.
Ibn Gabirol, the Poet Who Fled al-Andalus is not only a masterful account of 16th century al-Andalus, but also a fervent anthem to love, beauty and freedom.
