Jamila Ahmed
Every Rising Sun by Jamila Ahmed is a retelling of The Arabian Nights in the first-person voice of Shaherazade. Jamila Ahmed weaves the story-telling of Shaherazade within the historical context of twelfth-century Persia , a time when the Seljuk dynasty of Kirman is under constant attack from the Oghuz Turks.
The novel opens with Shahryar’s marriage to Fataneh. Shaherazade stumbles upon Fataneh in the embrace of her lover. She sends an anonymous note to Malik Shahryar warning him of his wife’s infidelity. Caught in the act, Fataneh is executed. But her death does not satisfy the Malik who proceeds to marry a different bride each night and then behead her. Into this madness steps Shaherazade, the vizier’s eldest daughter. She volunteers to marry Shahryar in the hope of putting an end to his madness. After the consummation of her marriage on the wedding night, Shaherazade asks permission to call for her sister, Dunya, who then asks Shaherazade to entertain them with a story. And so it begins.
Just as in the original story, Shaherazade stops each time at a critical point in her tale to leave Shahryar wanting to hear more. But unlike in the original story, Ahmed expands Shaherazade’s voice, agency, and role by giving her center stage in the political turmoil. The focus is on Shaherazade’s interiority and activities rather than on her stories. Ahmed’s Shaherazade travels with her husband when he fights alongside Saladin in the Crusades. She is given access to traditional all-male territory strategy sessions and is able to influence political decisions. She negotiates deals and truces. She falls in love with one of Shahryar’s associates and is tempted to commit adultery. And just as in the original story, she reforms Shahryar who now recognizes his egregious offense of beheading his three innocent brides. But Ahmed’s version deviates from the original in that it doesn’t include “a happily ever after” ending. Shaherazade and Shahryar divorce and she goes into exile.
The political intrigues in the court of Shahryar and the battles to regain territory from the western crusaders are interrupted by Shaherazade’s tales. The stories she weaves have strong female heroines, fearlessly eager to embrace adventure and overcome obstacles. The stories are replete with magical happenings, jinns, a talking parrot, transformations, and other-worldly habitats. Shaherazade recognizes the transformative power of her stories and spins them to effect change and influence action.
Shaherazade’s sister, Dunya, is also given greater prominence. Her role expands from that of a mere prompt for Shaherazade’s tales to that of an instrument to reconcile warring factions. And for her part, Shaherazade experiences change. She probes the morality of her decisions, develops greater sympathy and compassion for human weakness, and recognizes the choice between right and wrong is not as clearly defined as she had once thought it to be.
The setting is detailed and immersive. Ahmed transports the reader to the colorful sights, sounds, and smells of life in the courts, in the desert, and on the battle front. Her writing is fast-paced as she weaves Shaherazade’s tales seamlessly into the historical framework.
An engaging and imaginative take on a well-loved, traditional story.