Tales of a Voyager (Joley Dangay)

Some time between the two World Wars, Syed Mujtaba Ali set out on shipfrom India to travel to Europe. Leaving Sri Lanka behind, sailing in the ArabianSea and then along the coast of Africa, he crossed the Horn of Africa, until theship reached Suez Port. Along the way, Ali collected a bunch of stories-abouthis new young friends Paul and Percy, who became his loyal acolytes; and theeccentric Abul Asfia Noor Uddin Muhammad Abdul Karim Siddiqi, who carriedtoffees, a gold cigarette case, and other sundry items in his capacious overcoatpocket and who had the answer to all problems though he barely spoke a wordever.As the ship makes its way, Mujtaba Ali tells stories of the island of Socrota withits pirates in search of treasure. He dives into history and recounts how thegiraffe went to China via India from Africa. And when the friends get off atSuez, in order to see the pyramids of Giza, he provides a deeply entertainingand perceptive description of Egypt-from its taxi drivers and café owners, topharaohs and tomb hunters.Erudite but light-hearted, brimming with laughter and with many moments oftenderness, Tales of a Voyager is a gem of a travelogue from the author who wrotethe 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 roaringlaughter and the next you find yourself buried in deep thought beingtouched by the poignance in his satire.'-Dhaka Tribune