About this Man called Ali: The Purple Life of an Arab Artist [Idioma Inglés] - Tapa dura

"Arab gays are under siege in societies that want to pretend they don't exist. But a new biography of an Arab artist offers another view."
Newsweek, April 23, 2009

"Ali was a scion of the ancient and decaying aristocracy in Aleppo, Syria, who sometimes styled himself, improbably and ironically, the last descendant of Saladin . ..his was a life of parallel universes. He found in these contrasting worlds ecstasy and inspiration, but also injury, frustration and fear...it s sadly ironic that Ghandour s amicable but unflinching work... should be coming out in Britain now, only weeks after Amnesty International denounced the murder of dozens of homosexuals in what the Bush administrations used to refer to as liberated Iraq." Newsweek, 27 April 2009 --Newsweek, 27 April 2009

"The worlds of Lawrence of Arabia, of Cavafy and of contemporary art come together in this life of Ali al Jabri, the first biography of a modern Arab artist." --Philip Mansel

"This vivid account of the life of the Arab artist Ali Jabri is more than a fascinating biography; it is a history of the Middle East told through the fortunes of a powerful Syrian family." --Helen Kennedy QC

Ali al Jabri was an Arab artist, educated in Britain (first Rugby, then Bristol University), who was horribly murdered in Jordan in 2002, a violent and lonely end to a life of passionate creativity and a restless search for identity. Estranged from his distinguished Levantine family, members of which had served as ministers and prime ministers in a number of Middle Eastern states, Ali survived through a combination of wit and begging letters to his rich relatives. Whether the mystery surrounding Ali's murder will ever be completely resolved, this fascinating, intimate, candid and brilliantly researched biography reveals more about the intricate realities of the Middle East than a whole library of earnest textbooks.. NOTA: El libro no está en español, sino en inglés.