Synopsis
First published in 1922, The Mercy of Allah describes the civilization of the Arabs through the extraordinary tales a wealthy grandfather relates to his beloved grandchildren. These richly textured stories show how this prosperous Arab deceived his own countrymen to gain great fortunes, while also demonstrating the richness of Arab culture through the ages. The cultural standards described are still quite common in the Middle East. Mahmoud's saga points out the contrasts between Western and Eastern attitudes toward trade, banking, and human relations. And, of course, we see the central roles that religion and family play in everyday Arab life.
Recommendations
Generating recommendations…
Our AI is preparing recommendations for The Mercy of Allah. This usually takes under a minute.
About Hilaire Belloc
H
Hilaire Belloc
1870–1953
Joseph Hilaire Pierre René Belloc was born in La Celle-Saint-Cloud, France, the son of a French father, who was an attorney, and an English mother, who was an author. In 1872, his father died in 1872, leaving the family destitute, and his mother moved with Belloc to Slindon, West Sussex, where he spent most of his childhood. He was educated at John Henry Newman's Oratory School in Edgbaston, Birmingham, and then volunteered to serve in the French Army. He was posted in an artillery regiment near Toul in 1891. After his release from the military, he studied history at Oxford University, graduating in 1895. In 1896, he married Elodie Hogan, an American, and published his first book, a book of poetry called Verses and Sonnets. In 1906 he and his family moved to Shipley, West Sussex, where he lived until just before he died. He went into politics, and was a Liberal Party Member of Parliament for Salford South from 1906-1910. In 1914, the year his wife Elodie died of influenza, he took a position as edited of the war journal Land and Water, where he stayed until 1920. In 1918, his son Louis was killed while serving in the Royal Flying Corps in France. Belloc suffered a stroke in 1941, from which he never recovered.
View author page