Podcasts religion Israel in Translation Where Jesus walked, told through 'Arabesques'

Where Jesus walked, told through 'Arabesques'

Published: Dec. 23, 2014, 10:46 a.m.

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As Christians all over the world celebrate Christmas Eve tonight, we travel\\xa0to\\xa0the Galilee through the eyes of the novelist Anton Shammas, a native of this region of Israel.

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In honor of Nazareth, the childhood home of Jesus, host Marcela Sulak reads three excerpts from Shammas\'\\xa0novel\\xa0Arabesques,\\xa0which\\xa0has been called, \\u201ca history of its author\\u2019s youth and the memoir of a family and a fabled region - Galilee.\\u201d\\xa0One of the most striking features of the novel\\xa0is how\\xa0the life of Jesus and the miracles of Nazareth are woven into the fabric of daily life.

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The New York Times named\\xa0Arabesques\\xa0one of the seven best works of fiction in 1988.

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All this against the backdrop of\\xa0Christmas songs sung by Fairuz, one of the most respected and admired Lebanese singers alive.

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Texts:

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Arabesques,\\xa0by\\xa0Anton Shammas. Translated by Vivien Eden. New York: Harper & Row, 1988.

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Music:

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I Believe - lyrics by Ervin Drake, Irvin Graham, Jimmy Shirl and Al Stillman in 1953. Sung by Fairuz.

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Talj\\xa0Talja [Snow, Snow] - Fairuz

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Silent Night\\xa0-\\xa0Fairuz

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