Oriental Encounters is the best introduction to Pickthall's work, a fictionalised account of his experiences, including tales he heard during his travels in Syria. Full of freshness and high spirits, Oriental Encounters details Pickthall's first encounters with the Middle East, his alienation from his fellow-Englishmen and his affection for the people of Syria and Palestine. Thanks to his two remarkable companions, Rashid and Suleyman, Pickthall smiles genially at the encounters and slowly discards his own European perspective.

Oriental Encounters is the best introduction to Pickthall's work, a fictionalised account of his experiences, including tales he heard during his travels in Syria. Full of freshness and high spirits, Oriental Encounters details Pickthall's first encounters with the Middle East, his alienation from his fellow-Englishmen and his affection for the people of Syria and Palestine. Thanks to his two remarkable companions, Rashid and Suleyman, Pickthall smiles genially at the encounters and slowly discards his own European perspective.