by Amal Ghandour
Ali al Jabiri was an Arab artist, educated in Britain (first Rugby, then Bristol University), who was horribly murdered in Jordan in 2002, a violent and lonely end to a life of passionate creativity and a restless search for identity. Estranged from his distinguished Levantine family members of which had served as ministers and prime ministers in a number of Middle Eastern states, Ali survived through a combination of wit and begging letters to his rich relatives. Whether the mystery surrounding Ali's murder will ever be completely resolved, this fascinating, intimate, candid and brilliantly researched biography reveals more about the intricate realities of the Middle East than a whole library of earnest textbooks.