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Memoirs of a Dervish: Sufis, Mystics and the Sixties
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Memoirs of a Dervish: Sufis, Mystics and the Sixties Paperback - 2011

by Robert Irwin

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Summary

In the summer of 1964, while a military coup was taking place and tanks were rolling through the streets of Algiers, Robert Irwin set off for Algeria in search of Sufi enlightenment. There he entered a world of marvels and ecstasy, converted to Islam and received an initiation as a faqir. He learnt the rituals of Islam in North Africa and he studied Arabic in London. He also pursued more esoteric topics under a holy fool possessed of telepathic powers. A series of meditations on the nature of mystical experience run through this memoir. But political violence, torture, rock music, drugs, nightmares, Oxbridge intellectuals and first love and its loss are all part of this strange story from the 1960s.

Reader reviews for Memoirs of a Dervish: Sufis, Mystics and the Sixties

From the publisher

"This is a brilliant, free-ranging, mind-enhancing, life-cautioning book."--The Independent

In the summer of 1964 Robert Irwin set off for Algeria in search of Sufi enlightenment. There he entered a world of marvels and ecstasy, converted to Islam, and received an initiation as a faqir. He learnt the rituals of Islam in North Africa and he studied Arabic in London.

Political violence, torture, rock music, drugs, Oxbridge intellectuals, first love, and losses are all part of this story from the 1960s.

Robert Irwin is one of the best known writers on the history and culture of the Islamic world.

Details

  • Title Memoirs of a Dervish: Sufis, Mystics and the Sixties
  • Author Robert Irwin
  • Binding Paperback
  • Pages 288
  • Volumes 1
  • Language ENG
  • Publisher Ips - Profile Books
  • Publication date 2011-06-01
  • Illustrated Yes
  • ISBN 9781861979919 / 1861979916
  • Weight 0.66 lbs (0.30 kg)
  • Dimensions 8.3 x 5.3 x 0.9 in (21.08 x 13.46 x 2.29 cm)
  • Category Biography / Autobiography
  • Library of Congress subjects Great Britain - Social life and customs -, Sufism
  • Library of Congress Catalogue Number 2011514837
  • Dewey Decimal Code B

About the author

Robert Irwin is one of the best known writers on the history and culture of the Islamic world (The Arabian Nights: A Companion; The Alhambra and most recently For Lust of Knowing: the Orientalists and their Enemies). He is also an acclaimed novelist (Arabian Nightmare) and is Middle East editor of The Times Literary Supplement. He lives in London.

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Memoirs of a Dervish : Sufis, Mystics and the Sixties
Stock photo: cover may vary

Memoirs of a Dervish : Sufis, Mystics and the Sixties

by Irwin, Robert

  • Used
Condition
Used
ISBN 10 / ISBN 13
9781861979919 / 1861979916
Quantity available
1
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Item price
A$21.87
A$10.08 Delivery to USA

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Description:
Profile Books Limited. Used - Good. Former library copy. Pages intact with minimal writing/highlighting. The binding may be loose and creased. Dust jackets/supplements are not included. Includes library markings. Stock photo provided. Product includes identifying sticker. Better World Books: Buy Books. Do Good.
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Item price
A$21.87
A$10.08 Delivery to USA
Memoirs of a Dervish : Sufis, Mystics and the Sixties

Memoirs of a Dervish : Sufis, Mystics and the Sixties

by Robert Irwin

  • Used
  • Very good
  • Paperback
Condition
Very good
Binding
Paperback
ISBN 10 / ISBN 13
9781861979919 / 1861979916
Quantity available
1
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Item price
A$21.91
Free Delivery to USA

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Description:
Profile Books Limited, 2012. Paperback. Very Good. Disclaimer:A copy that has been read, but remains in excellent condition. Pages are intact and are not marred by notes or highlighting, but may contain a neat previous owner name. The spine remains undamaged. At ThriftBooks, our motto is: Read More, Spend Less.Dust jacket quality is not guaranteed.
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A$21.91
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Memoirs of a Dervish

Memoirs of a Dervish: Sufis, Mystics and the Sixties

by Robert Irwin

  • Used
  • Near Fine
  • Paperback
Condition
Near Fine
Edition
First printing (number line)
Binding
Paperback
ISBN 10 / ISBN 13
9781861979919 / 1861979916
Quantity available
1
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Item price
A$71.98
Free Delivery to USA

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Description:
London: Profile Books, 2011. First printing (number line). Softcover. Near Fine. Trade size. B&W illustrations. xi, 239 p. A nice copy with tight binding and square, uncreased spine. No marks. Pinprick spot top edge. Hardly any cover wear.
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Item price
A$71.98
Free Delivery to USA