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The true story of a Jew who transformed himself into a Muslim prince in Nazi Germany. Lev Nussimbaum escaped the Russian Revolution in a camel caravan and, as "Essad Bey" and "Kurban Said," became a celebrated adventurer and author of the enduring novel Ali and Nino.

But his success shielded a fatal secret...

Lev's Nansen Pass found! By Orientalist readers visiting the Fram-Museum in Norway. (Click here to see pictures of the pass)

Read about how The Orientalist has just inspired Christian Louboutin to go to Caucasia.

Der Spiegel devotes three pages to Der Orientalist which was published to widespread acclaim in Germany this spring.

Watch a short BBC documentary about The Orientalist

Listen to Tom on NPR's All Things Considered.

Read The Orientalist? Write about your reading experience on the book's Amazon webpage.

Read the entire first three notebooks of Lev Nussimbaum: Notebook1 ; Notebook2 , Notebook3

 

 

Tom Reiss has written about politics and culture for The New Yorker, The New York Times, The Wall Street Journal and elsewhere.

Tom is currently writing a biography of General Alexandre Dumas, the father of the famous novelist, who rose from slavery to become a leading general in Napoleon’s army -- the highest ranking black military figure in history until Colin Powell, 200 years later. Dumas went to Egypt as cavalry commander but his rivalry with Napoleon ultimately left him in an Italian dungeon. His exploits were memorialized by his son, in books like The Three Musketeers and The Count of Monte Cristo.