Now that we can all finally point out Afghanistan on a map, I figured it was time to go one further and read a book about the place. Palmer never quite makes his own identity clear, except to say he is a Western writer and a former pacifist. His Afghan odyssey begins in the Persian Gulf during America's war with Iraq when he makes contact with an organization (presumably Al-Qaida) smuggling (mostly American-made) rockets and small arms into Afghanistan. The Soviet occupation has been over for sevral years, but the Afghans are still fighting the puppet government Moscow left behind. His goal is to seek out Idries Shah, a famous Sufi religious teacher who was--much like Osama bin Laden himself is now--somewhere in the country.
Palmer makes a complete tour of the country, seeking out Sufis, Sheiks, lunatics, and storytellers to help him on his personal spiritual quest into Sufism. The history of Afghanistan is well covered, but the book's strongest role is as a portrait of pre-Taliban Afghan culture. Palmer portrays the country as one with a lot of attitude and character brought on by long hardships. You will have to judge for yourself how much of that is romanticism.
Unfortuantely, Palmer is not as careful with the history of the Sufis, except to admit that it is complicated. They are a sect of Islam generally known for their love of music. Most other major Islamic divisions officially shun all music other than the reading of the Koran. And while that is officially not music, the recitations I heard in Morocco were spectacular. Sufis are often incorrectly associated with mystics and fortune tellers, though admittedly they have bred their share of ascetics and weirdos. (Supposedly there is a man in India who has had one hand raised over his head for something like a decade.) Palmer meets a few of those, but he is careful to demonstrate his own methods for distinguishing the real Sufis from the fake ones. The Afghans themselves don't seem overly concerned by who is who.
If you are looking for a scholarly work on Afghan culture, perhaps this is not it. If you are looking for a book that is engaging and interesting, as well as informative, you can get it at amazon.com right now. Remember: a spoon full of sugar helps the political science go down.
I haven't read any Japanese reviews of this movie, but while it zooms toward being the highest grossing movie of all time, most Western reviewers are unmoved. But then, reviewer's are a lot like meteorologists in that no one expects them to be right. That said, I will make one very safe prediction: if you liked the books, you will like the movie.
I'm not sure it was really worth standing in line for two hours with a hoard of squealing high school and junior high kids (my first grade girls are wild about Harry), but I'm writing that off as a cultural experience. At least I wasn't one of the 50 or so kids standing at the back of the theater.
I actually read books two, three, and four, but never got around to reading book one, so while I didn't know the actual plot, I was well-versed in the Rawlings formula. Harry starts his year with all sorts of misgivings, struggles with his fame, follows his innocent heart down all the wrong paths, gets by with a little help from his friends, saves the day, and wakes up in the hospital where Dumbledor ties up the loose ends and opens the door for the next book. Plotwise, it's not exactly The Usual Suspects, but if you bear in mind that it is a children's movie, you can relax and enjoy it. The special effects are good, and not at all cheesy, the costumes are fun, and the characters are brought out of the book quite well. When the next one comes out, though, I'll probably wait for the video, and watch it with someone I can talk to during the less interesting parts.
Oh, and while I'm thinking of it, has anyone else noticed that half the world is calling this movie Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone? Even this movie poster I got off the internet says "Sorcerer's." I suppose it is an understandable mistake, since Harry is a sorcerer, and how many kids would watch a movie about philosophers anyway? I'd like to note, though, that the philosopher's stone is, in a philosophical sense, a real thing. I don't remember where it was reputed to be, but several thousand years ago it's fabulous powers became a rumor so compelling that people crossed the known world looking for it. It's supposed owners never attained eternal life, but they become a major cultural and foreign trade capitol thanks to all the people seeking the stone. You see, only the very learned, wealthy, and ambitious would ever believe that they could get eternal life from a rock.
