The French Prisoner

The French Prisoner is based on the true story of Pierre Amédée Jaubert, envoy of Napoleon Bonaparte to the Shah of Iran and Bonaparte’s translator during the Egypt campaign. It vividly details daily life and social and political interactions between the East and West during that period, while also highlighting the French Orientalist outlook and the dynamics of international relations. The novel focuses on Jaubert’s unusual relationship with his prison guard Mahmoud Agha, who shows Jaubert extraordinary kindness. Agha protects him from the cruelty of the Turkish ruler who has incarcerated him, and encourages him to write his memoirs about prison, the French revolution, and the Egyptian campaign. Major themes of the novel are tolerance and human beings’ acceptance of one another, transcending sectarian feuds and grudges.