Myths

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The story of BABUR, Prince, Emperor, Sage by Anuradha and Jane Ray

Most of us have been brought up listening to history, myths, legends and folk tales from other cultures.  But very often they can be from Greek, Roman, Egyptian, Caribbean or Chinese backgrounds.  So it is fascinating to have a story from a part of the world that we hear about in the news, but which we have little knowledge about their history; hopefully this book will help change that situation.

This is the story of the life of BABUR, who founded the Mughal Empire, at the same time that Henry VII and then Henry VIII were on the throne in England.  If we are aware of this dynasty it is because of the fifth Emperor,  Shah Jahan who was responsible for the building of the Taj Mahal, so it is fascinating to hear about the beginnings of this major dynasty.

The book is based on the autobiographical writings that Babur provided during his life and which he wrote between 1494 and 1530.  Originally the text was in a version of Turkish (Chagatay) but was then turned into Persian by the emperor Akbar.  The current author has had the job of greatly simplifying this work for a young audience; I believe that the original “Baburnama” is more than 400 pages, so this has been a mammoth task.

We start this tale in a part of the world that has changed names over the last centuries, so thankfully a map of the region has been included at the beginning of the story.  Basically we are looking at that area to the north and west of India and Pakistan, as we know them and which includes Uzbekistan and Afghanistan.  During the 16th Century this area was made up of a large number of small states, who were often at war with each other.  Babur was born as heir to the ruler of the state of Ferghana and at the age of 12 years he became king, after his father died in an accident.

The story is told in the first person as Babur reminisces about his life and the major events that took place.  It is noticeable that he spends a lot of his early life winning and losing territory; so that he is either a homeless wanderer, or the ruler of some important cities like Samarkand.  The memoirs see him gradually develop into someone who is more thoughtful and who  learns to understand the importance of wisdom when ruling a kingdom.  It is very evident that family was of great importance to him and he had a close relationship with his father and particularly with his grandmother; however it is with the birth of his eldest son that he discovered the happiest moment of his life.

This book is very highly illustrated by the artist Jane Ray and is full of her signature work, with the use of gold and bright colours.  She has been nominated for many awards including the Kate Greenaway Medal and won the Smarties Award for her picture book “The Story of Creation” in 1992.  I have been a great fan of her work, which in this case is very similar to many Persian illustrations  The colours are jewel-like and there is a real sense of movement and action, particularly in those scenes that depict battles and journeys.  In contrast we have a delicate and quite tender scene as Babur meets his wife and baby son.

Babur is a character who is full of contradictions at times, but he had a profound effect on his part of the world, creating a dynasty that was to rule for nearly 300 years, of which the final 100 years were just a shadow of the earlier period.  In a time where we are even more aware of the need for diversity and understanding of  other traditions, this will make an excellent addition to any school library.

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Children of the Quicksands by Efua Traore

Chicken House, 9781913322366

Over the last few years we have started to see more stories for young people that feature not just diverse characters, but also a diverse setting.  This story is set in the author’s home country of Nigeria and gives us an insight into the the challenging contrasts between different ways of life.  Over many years I have had several friends from Nigeria; they included girls in my class at school and then three or four friends who attended library school in Manchester and were looking forward to contributing to the development of library services in the country.  However this book really brings the country to life provides a wonderful sense of the balance that is being sought between different aspects of culture.

Simi finds herself being sent to live with her grandmother for the summer, whilst her mother is in England for a work training course.  Simi is a thoroughly modern girl who lives in the buzzing metropolis of Lagos, so it comes as quite a shock to find herself in a small rural village, without computers or mobile phone coverage.  She then discovers that her grandmother is central to the village structure and acts as the healer and wise woman for the local community.  Whilst out, exploring the local area, Simi finds herself drawn to a small lake which the local people avoid as they say many children have disappeared there over the years.  What follows next seems like a dream to Simi; she is drawn down into the lake and discovers a land beneath the water, even seeing two children talking, however she is then raised out of the lake and left on its edge; so is there magic at work here?  The rest of the story follows Simi as she tries to make sense of what is going on, and also how she tries to discover why there is so much bad feelings between her mother and grandmother.  By the end of the book we have found old secrets uncovered, old wounds healed and a sense that a new positive future is possible for all the people of the area.

I absolutely loved this story as it shows the conflict that so many young (and not so young) people feel about the many changes that we are constantly seeing in our lives. Although this is set in Nigeria, it is a scenario that could take place in many other countries, as tradition and the modern world try to work together and maintain the sense of belonging that is so important in most of our lives.  It also reminds us that the modern world does not always provide answers to what we see and feel.

Efua Traore

Efua Traoré is a Nigerian-German author who grew up in a small town in Nigeria. For as long as she can remember, her head was filled with little stories, but it was not until much later that she began to write them down.

Apart from Nigeria, she has also lived in France and Germany and she writes in English and in German. If she had her way, she would travel much more and write every single day.

Efua won the 2018 Commonwealth Short Story Prize for Africa with her short story ‘True Happiness’ and she is a literature grant holder of the Munich Literaturreferat. Children of the Quicksands is her debut novel which won the Times / Chicken House Prize in 2019.

She lives in Munich with her husband and three daughters.

Photo credit belongs to Boubacar Traoré (if not, please let me know and I will update the credit).