The first book in Tahir Shah’s trilogy of Nasrudin stories, The Misadventures of the Mystifying Nasrudin builds on his highly acclaimed travelogue, Travels With Nasrudin.

 

Having been raised in a household in which the wise fool of Oriental folklore was regarded both as an honorary member of the family, and as a problem solver par excellence, Shah was encouraged from an early age to regard the world around him through the lens of Nasrudin’s humour.

 

This collection of hilarious original stories – charting the globetrotting travels of Nasrudin from Seattle to Samarkand, and from Cairo to Bangkok, turns the world inside out and upside down.

‘So, are you travelling alone?’
     ‘Oh no,’ Nasrudin responded, ‘I’ve got Anwar with me.’

     ‘Who’s Anwar… your son?’

     ‘No, my shadow.’

     ‘But a shadow isn’t a person… so it can’t have a name.’

     The wise fool shrugged.

     ‘What is there to say that a shadow can’t have a name?’

     ‘They just don’t.’

     ‘Maybe not here in Turkey, but they do where I’m from.’

     ‘Really?’

     ‘Yes. In my homeland all the shadows have names.’

     ‘So, tell me, what’s the population of people in your country?’

     Nasrudin narrowed his eyes.

     ‘With or without shadows?’ he asked.