mitzvah, pl. mitzvaot
a good deed; literally, obligation
mohel
in Judaism, a man who performs the rite of circumcision
Shabbat
the Sabbath
shalom aleichem
peace be upon you
sheva brachot
in Judaism, the seven blessings of marriage
Sh’ma Yisrael, Adonai Eloheinu, Adonai echod
Hear, O Israel, the Lord our God, the Lord is One
tallit
a prayer shawl
teba
in Sephardic Judaism, the lectern or podium in a synagogue
t’fillin
in Judaism, phylacteries bound around the arm for daily prayer
tikkun olam
the repair or healing of the world, an important ethical tenet of Judaism
Aramaic
Yit’gadal v’yit’kadash sh’mei raba
May His great Name grow exalted and sanctified
(the first line of Kaddish)
Spanish
Adelante!
Onward!
(Said to have been Columbus’s exclamation on the voyage of discovery)
converso
a Jew who converted to Christianity to avoid persecution
doña
lady: a title of respect
marrano
a Jewish convert to Christianity who continued to practice Judaism in secret
novio
boyfriend, betrothed
Portuguese
bolas
balls
braço
a slave, esp. used as currency; literally, an arm
bruxa
witch
degradado, degradada
scum, used of criminals taken from Lisbon’s prisons and transported to São Tomé
donatario
recipient of a land grant
fazenda
plantation
fazenda real
the royal treasury
fazendeiro
plantation owner
feiticeira
sorceress, witch-doctor
metiço
of mixed blood, half-breed
Povoação
the Settlement
Taino
baba
father
batey
a ball game similar to soccer
batu
the ball used in batey
bibi
mother
cacique
a Taino tribal chief
cemi
the Taino gods
hamaca
hammock
matu’m
generosity, the cardinal ethical principle of the Taino
matu’n
generous
nanichi
my love, beloved
nitaino
a Taino nobleman or subchief
yucayeque
a Taino village
Latin
Credo in Deum Patrem omnipotentem
I believe in God the Father Almighty
Creatorem caeli et terrae
Creator of heaven and earth
et in Iesum Christum, Filium Eius unicum, Dominum nostrum . . .
and in Jesus Christ, his only Son, our Lord . . .
remissionem peccatorum, carnis resurrectionem, vitam aeternam
the forgiveness of sins, the resurrection of the body, and life everlasting
Pater noster qui es in caelis, sanctificetur nomen tuum
Our Father who art in heaven, hallowed be Thy Name
Italian
condottieri
captains of mercenary military companies
doge
the chief magistrate and de facto ruler of the republic of Genoa or Venice
signore
sir: a title of respect
West African
(precise origin of all these terms unclear; used by more than one tribal group and later spread via French colonialism)
foutou
a thick paste made of pounded manioc root and water
grigri
fetish, charm, amulet, esp. a pouch containing such objects
juju
magic, luck
ko ko ko
knock, knock
Arabic
Allāhu akbar . . . Lā ilāha illā-Allāh
God is the greatest . . . there is no God but God
Asalamu alaykum
God’s peace be upon you
Alaykum asalaam
And upon you also
(Turkish form)
imam
in Islam, the leader of prayers in a mosque
jaddi
Grandpa
(Tunisian form)
kadi
a judge; in the Ottoman Empire, a judge who applied both Islamic law and the sultan’s law
muezzin
in Islam, one who calls worshippers to prayer from a minaret
pasha
in the Ottoman Empire, a lord or high official
Sufism
Muslim mysticism
Turkish
akçe
babouches
slippers
(from Persian via French)
cereed
javelin; in the Ottoman Empire, a game similar to polo, played on horseback with javelins
cizye
poll tax the Ottomans levied on the dhimmi
dervish
a member of any of several Muslim ascetic orders, the equivalent of a monk
devşirme
in the Ottoman Empire, the conscription of Christian boys from the Balkans, who were converted to Islam and trained in the sultan’s palace in Istanbul to become janissaries and military and administrative leaders, sometimes achieving high office
dhimmi
in the Ottoman Empire, non-Muslims, esp. Jews and Christians
effendi
sir: a title of respect
enderun
the inner courtyard of the sultan’s palace, which held the sultan’s audience chamber and the school where the boys of the devşirme were trained
göbek taşı
a giant heated stone, big enough for bathers to lie on, at the center of the hot room of the hammam
hammam
a Turkish bathhouse
harem
the women of the family; sometimes used synonymously with seraglio with reference to the sultan's wives or concubines and female relatives
haremlik
the part of Ottoman residential quarters in which women could socialize with their male relatives
hatun
lady: a title of respect
inşallah
God willing
janissaries
elite corps of foot soldiers, loyal to the sultan personally
kira
a Greek word for lady or dame; in the Ottoman Empire, a non-Muslim woman, usually Jewish, who served the sultan’s harem as a purveyor of goods and services
levrek
sea bass
mehr
bride-price, paid by the groom’s family
nalin
clogs or slippers elevated by pegs, used in the hammam
nazar
an amulet to ward against the evil eye, consisting of a blue and white eye; sometimes referred to as an evil eye
nikâh
marriage, Islamic marriage contract
peştamal
a bath sheet used in the hammam
şalvar
baggy trousers, worn by both men and women
şehzade
prince
selamlik
the part of Ottoman residential quarters in which men could socialize with their male guests
seraglio
the women’s quarters in the sultan’s palace
şeriat law
the law of Islam
sipahis
Ottoman cavalry
sürgün
the relocation of populations from provincial cities and towns to Istanbul after the Ottoman
conquest
yüksükotu
foxglove
Greek
barbounia
red mullet
lavraki
sardeles
sardines
Bibliography
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Brummett, Palmira Johnson. Ottoman Seapower and Levantine Diplomacy in the Age of Discovery. Albany: State University of New York Press, 1994.
Capsali, Elijah. Seder Eliyahu Zuta, 1523. Edited by Aryeh Shmuelevitz. Jerusalem: Ben-Zvi Institute, 1775.
Cohn, Paul D. São Tomé: Journey to the Abyss—Portugal’s Stolen Children. Bozeman, MT: Burns-Cole, 2006.
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Discussion Questions
1. Tikkun olam, the repair or healing of the world, is a Jewish concept that is important to the characters in Journey of Strangers. In what ways can individuals in our own time repair the world? How important do you think such issues are? What have you done or dreamed of doing to repair the world?
2. After leaving the gods of his people behind, Hutia plans to convert to Judaism so he can marry Rachel but then decides to convert to Islam instead. What do you think of his decision to become a Muslim? For what reasons do people change their religion? How do the motivations of people in our own time who convert from one religion to another differ from those of people in the fifteenth century, including the characters in the book? What do you think of people who make that choice?
3. At different times in Journey of Strangers, Diego, Rachel, and Joanna all struggle with their desire to have a sense of purpose. What kinds of changes, both unexpected and predictable, such as stages in the life cycle, can bring up this issue for people in our own time? How important to you is having a sense of purpose? Can you think of anyone whose sense of purpose you particularly admire?
4. Although there are no battle scenes in the book, war plays an important part in Journey of Strangers. In what ways does war, past, present, or future, affect the characters’ actions and decisions? In what ways does war in the twenty-first century differ from war in the fifteenth century, and in what ways is it the same?
5. As in Voyage of Strangers, the previous book about Diego, an important theme in Journey of Strangers is that of being an outsider. In what ways are Diego and Rachel still outsiders, even after being reunited with their family? In what ways are Hutia and Joanna outsiders, and do you think they will always be outsiders? What makes a person or a group of people outsiders?
Are there people or groups of people whom you perceive as outsiders? In what ways, if any, have you ever been an outsider yourself?
6. The concept of cultural relativism, developed by anthropologist Franz Boas in the early twentieth century, holds that the beliefs, values, and customs of any culture must be understood within the context of that culture, and that therefore all cultures’ beliefs, values, and customs are equally valid. To what extent do the main characters in Journey of Strangers exemplify cultural relativism? What do you think caused these characters to transcend the absolutism of their era and their various cultures? Do you think it is realistic to portray these fifteenth-century characters as being cultural relativists? What obstacles to maintaining these values do you think they would have encountered?
Dedication and Acknowledgments
I dedicate Journey of Strangers to my beloved husband, Brian, whose voracious reading and tenacious recall of history saved me from some glaring errors and omissions. He supports my writing in many ways, from paying the rent to tiptoeing quietly away when I’m in the grip of the muse, and I’m grateful. He has my permission to say, “I told you so,” on the subject of my belated discovery of the joys of research.
Heartfelt thanks to Rabbi Ilene Schneider for her invariably prompt and useful responses to my many questions about Judaism and Hebrew. Thanks, too, to Professor Avigdor Levy of Brandeis University, who took the time to answer my e-mails, suggested helpful source materials, and personally looked up the names of the numerous Sephardic congregations in 1490s Istanbul, which I needed to rule out before I could make one up. Finally, thanks to my dear friend Nadia Merdassi, whom I relied on for such fine points as how to say “Grandpa” in Tunisian Arabic.
I take full responsibility for all errors of fact or plausibility, either inadvertent or because they suited my story.
About the Author
Elizabeth Zelvin is author of a previous historical novel, Voyage of Strangers, and is working on Kingdom of Strangers, which will complete the trilogy. She is also the author of the Bruce Kohler mystery series. Liz has been writing since age seven and published her first novel at age sixty-four. Her short stories have been nominated three times for the Agatha Award and once for the Derringer Award for Best Short Story. Another story was listed in Best American Mystery Stories 2014. Liz is a psychotherapist who lives in New York and works online with clients all over the world. Her publications include a book on gender and addictions, two poetr
y books, and, as Liz Zelvin, an album of original songs, Outrageous Older Woman. You can learn more about Liz at http://elizabethzelvin.com and https://www.facebook.com/elizabeth.zelvin.
Works by Elizabeth Zelvin Available for Kindle
Historical
Journey of Strangers
Voyage of Strangers
“The Green Cross”
Mystery
Death Will Get You Sober (Dead Sober)
Death Will Help You Leave Him (Dead Wrong)
Death Will Extend Your Vacation (Dead in the Hamptons)
Death Will Save Your Life (Dead Guru))
Death Will Pay Your Debts (Dead Broke)
“Death Will Clean Your Closet”
“Death Will Tie Your Kangaroo Down”
“Death Will Trim Your Tree”
Death Will Tank Your Fish & Other Stories
Death Will Fire Your Therapist & Other Stories
Shifting Is for the Goyim (e-novella)
See Amazon’s Elizabeth Zelvin Page