A fantasist of the first order

Many years ago, in one of those precious moments of seren- dipity, I came across a novel called Ali and Nino, set in the Azerbaijani city of Baku. This seductive, life-enhancing story tells of a love affair between a Muslim and a Christian at the city’s pivotal moment, just as the oil begins to flow at the beginning of the 20th century. In foreground and background, it deals with what today would be called the clash of civilisations, with Muslim/Christian, East/West, rich/poor tensions. I found it so compelling that I have since reread it several times, given copies to friends and lived with its characters and their dilemma. But what of its author? The novel was credited to Kurban Said, but that was known to be a nom de plume and my edition of Ali and Nino explained that the author’s real identity was lost. Thanks to Tom Reiss’s obsessive investigation, it has now been found.