Book Review – The Dervish House, by Ian McDonald December 27, 2011
Posted by Brother Stephen in Turkey, Uncategorized.add a comment
aired on NET Nebraska Radio(NPR) November 3, 2011The Dervish House, a novel by Ian McDonald,
Reviewed by Stephen Griffith
At the center of this story is a centuries-old building in Istanbul that originally housed a community of Sufi mystics, or Dervishes. In 2027 or so it is home to a collection of six people whose lives will intersect in very unexpected ways.
There is a young drug user whose flight from the law has brought him to Istanbul. He is caught in a suicide bombing in which only the bomber dies. After the attack, the man begins seeing djinn, the supernatural beings that gave rise to stories of genies.
Then there is a boy confined in isolation due to a heart condition. He sends a computer-controlled robot/pet to explore the world he wishes he could inhabit in person.
In the coffeehouse below, one of the regular customers is an old man, a Greek economist forced out of his position at the University because of his nationality and the vagaries of Turkish/Greek politics.
We meet a young young woman with a degree in marketing looking for a job. We meet a sophisticated, glamorous art and antiquities dealer who is hired to find an artifact that may not even exist and sets off on a quest worthy of Indiana Jones.
Her husband is a commodities trader for a huge energy monopoly that is a pillar of the Turkish (and European) economy. He and a group of friends hatch an elaborate insider trading scheme involving energy futures.
It is the 3rd decade of the 21st century, 5 years after Turkey is admitted to the European Union. Sitting astride Europe and Asia, Istanbul is once again a center of global trade. This is a world in which robots and nanotechnology are used in everyday applications that allow people to transmit data through a handshake, enhance memory by inhaling nanobots and leave their cars to park themselves.
McDonald paints a vivid and quite recognizable picture of Istanbul it might be 15 years or so from now. Over the course of a week, he follows his characters through its streets and shops and along the Bosporus, relating a history sometimes real and sometimes imagined – or at least a plausible extrapolation from our present world.
Through their eyes the reader gets a glimpse into ancient folk legends and can imagine the technology of a not-too-distant future. In the byzantine plot twists the the author considers the significance of religion, the nature of consciousness and reality, terrorism, politics and ethics. Through it all the characters stumble toward appreciating family, relationships, loyalty and life itself.
The book is The Dervish House, by Ian McDonald.
A note: I read this novel in e-book form. I like holding a book in my hands and relish the feel of the pages between my fingers. But I couldn’t find this book in the library and wasn’t ready to pay for a large hardback I had heard about from only one person. So I choose the digital version. Not only did it get me the book inexpensively but it was very convenient to take along on a short trip when traveling light was a priority. I won’t abandon physical books but I won’t turn up my nose at the Kindle/Nook/iBook variety either.
Steve’s Christmas Letter December 22, 2011
Posted by Brother Stephen in Uncategorized.2 comments
It’s nearly Christmas once again! The decorations are up, choirs are singing and there’s a chance I’ll catch the holiday spirit before Christmas Eve! (I’m avoiding all the television Christmas specials so they don’t ruin it for me. Apologies if that’s too Scrooge-like.)
This year has gone by quickly. Son Jon was home on leave from the Navy in January and again in May, and helped me get the house ready to sell. No, I’m not going anywhere, just downsizing and getting a place that fits me. No sale yet; now that winter’s here I’ll wait ‘til spring to put it back on the market.
May and October found me in Washington, DC for conferences and public policy advocacy (Human Rights Campaign, Imagine No Malaria). In April I performed a short piece I wrote responding to sculpture at Sheldon Museum of Art. Then in November was cast in Arthur Miller’s classic, The Crucible. Both were productions of Angels Theatre Company.
Though there was no extended vacation trip, I did manage a weekend with friends in Ithaca, New York. The Finger Lakes District was beautiful, even if the foliage hadn’t turned yet! And I got to Jacksonville, Florida, at the end of July to see Jon before his ship deployed. He’s a Petty Officer Third Class on the USS Carney in the Gulf of Aden and Horn of Africa. I get occasional emails, and the ship’s information officer posts photos on Facebook. They’ll return in mid-March.
Now in my tenth year at Saint Paul Church I still enjoy the congregation and the community I’m assigned to minister to beyond the church walls. I’m Vice-President of Parents, Family and Friends of Lesbians and Gays and frequently give pastoral care to LGBT people. I’m a fan of theater and have made many friends there. One actor texted saying she’s glad she has a pastor she can relate to even though she’s not religious. Sounds like a new job description: minister to the non-religious.
Here’s wishing blessings worth remembering for you and those you care about.
Merry Christmas!
Steve
Christmas at the Capitol December 20, 2011
Posted by Brother Stephen in Interfaith, Spirituality and Prayer, United Methodist.add a comment
Recently I gave the invocation at the tree-lighting ceremony at the Nebraska State Capitol:
O Thou Eternal and Holy,
O Thou Compassion and Mercy,
O Thou Unnameable,|
O Thou …We are people descended from many nations, people of many traditions, many cultures, people of many faiths … and no faith. We have come together in the holy season of one faith to celebrate. Amid the dark and chill of winter may the light of this season warm our spirits.
Illuminate our community, that we may recognize one another as members together of one human family. Increase among us a spirit of generosity and compassion, a spirit of wisdom and understanding. Help us grow in understanding and live in harmony, so from life’s first cry to final breath we may build a place where every woman, man and child may know the wonder, beauty, goodness and fullness you intend.
Be in our midst this day that the music may lift our souls, the words inspire our hearts and the beauty of this place remind us of the multi-colored mosaic in which we live. May light fill this place and our community. May joy surround all its people. May justice and compassion and peace mark all our doings. May hope become reality, and may love be the sign. Amen.
After the ceremony I was approached by a concerned woman: “You didn’t say anything about Christmas!” Replied I, “I asked God to bless us with the qualities we focus on at Christmas.” “But you didn’t say the word Christmas!”
She’s right: I did not say “Christmas.” I was praying at a public event sponsored by a private, non-religious, non-profit organization, hosted by the Governor and First Lady. I expected people to be there who would have different beliefs and varying understandings of the meaning of Christmas and its religious significance. When I am preaching, praying or teaching at my church, I will urge people to live faithfully, following the teachings of Christ. If people have come to an event to hear me because I am a Christian minister, then I will advocate for my faith. But I chose not to use the platform of this event to impose my personal beliefs on or evangelize a captive audience. If that puts me in some supposed “war on Christmas,” so be it.
