Ports of Call by Amin Maalouf (Book Analysis)

This practical and insightful reading guide offers a complete summary and analysis of Ports of Call by Amin Maalouf. It provides a thorough exploration of the novel’s plot, characters and main themes, including exile, conflict and resistance. The clear and concise style makes for easy understanding, providing the perfect opportunity to improve your literary knowledge in no time.

This clear and detailed 52-page reading guide is structured as follows:

• Biography of Amin Maalouf
• Presentation of Ports of Call
• Summary of Ports of Call
• Character study
  • Ossyane
  • Clara
  • Ossyane’s father
  • Salem
  • Grandmother Iffet
  • The narrator
• Analysis of Ports of Call
  • Human conflict and savagery
  • Nostalgia
  • Freedom of thought and tolerance
  • Resistance

About Ports of Call

Ports of Call is Amin Maalouf’s sixth novel. First published in French in 1996, it was translated into English in 1999 and has been met with widespread critical acclaim for its themes of tolerance and resistance. Drawing heavily on the author’s own nostalgia and experiences as an exile from his homeland, Ports of Call is a tale about a young man trying to find his way in a world where wars seem to arise at every turn, and the importance of love, tolerance and resistance in the face of such conflicts.

About Amin Maalouf

Amin Maalouf is a Lebanese-born French writer who has lived in France since 1976. After the success of his first work, Leo Africanus, Maalouf went on to receive the Prix Goncourt in 1993 for The Rock of Tanios and the 2010 Prince of Asturius Award. Many of his novels are heavily influenced by his personal experience of migration and war and are written in French, although his native language is Arabic. He has been a member of the Académie française since 2011.