Orientalia
Toso Fei, Alberto
In a Venetian version of the "Arabian Nights, " Saddo Drisdi-the Italianized version of his Turkish name, Sa'dullah Idrisi-the last surviving Turk in the city of Venice, captivates seven children who have fled the Austrians and crept stealthily into the Fondaco dei Turchi, an ancient entrepôt now slipping into decay, with tales of princesses and corsairs, sultanas and doges, saints and warriors. The year is 1838 and the city on the lagoon is l...