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Some time between the two World Wars, Syed Mujtaba Ali set out on ship
from India to travel to Europe. Leaving Sri Lanka behind, sailing in the Arabian
Sea and then along the coast of Africa, he crossed the Horn of Africa, until the
ship reached Suez Port. Along the way, Ali collected a bunch of stories-about
his new young friends Paul and Percy, who became his loyal acolytes; and the
eccentric Abul Asfia Noor Uddin Muhammad Abdul Karim Siddiqi, who carried
toffees, a gold cigarette case, and other sundry items in his capacious overcoat
pocket and who had the answer to all problems though he barely spoke a word
ever.
As the ship makes its way, Mujtaba Ali tells stories of the island of Socrota with
its pirates in search of treasure. He dives into history and recounts how the
giraffe went to China via India from Africa. And when the friends get off at
Suez, in order to see the pyramids of Giza, he provides a deeply entertaining
and perceptive description of Egypt-from its taxi drivers and cafe owners, to
pharaohs and tomb hunters.
Erudite but light-hearted, brimming with laughter and with many moments of
tenderness, Tales of a Voyager is a gem of a travelogue from the author who wrote
the immensely popular travel account of Afghanistan, In a Land Far from Home
(Deshe Bideshe).
'Syed Mujtaba Ali knows how to perform magic through his writing!
One moment his humour and wit will make you break out in roaring
laughter and the next you find yourself buried in deep thought being
touched by the poignance in his satire.'-Dhaka Tribune
