Between the Quran & Kafka

This engaging collection of essays by Kermani (God Is Beautiful) examines topics ranging from 10th-century poetic convention to modern-day extremist attacks in an expertly crafted critique of the East-West paradigm that often dominates contemporary discussions of immigration, globalism, and the preservation of ethnic and national identities. Thematically centered on evaluating how two dominant sets of cultural norms%E2%80%94supposedly foreign to one another%E2%80%94managed to arise from a shared cultural and theological history, much of the collection utilizes expert analysis of shared themes and motifs from distinct and celebrated works of Eastern and Western literature. The text is dense with citations and references to major works of literature from around the world, but Kermani's excellent work at establishing context and background prevents the examination from becoming intellectually withdrawn (beyond the occasional discussion of contemporary German writers or philosophers). This collection will be a worthwhile read for anyone who is interested in better understanding the intellectual ties that bridge a social and cultural division that is popularly conceived as being thousands of years wide. (Oct.)