September 23, 2003

Posted by Ted

Jim Henley has a good post about an excerpt from the new memoir of Mariane Pearl, widow of the murdered journalist Daniel Pearl. (The book can be purchased here.)

Jim Henley’s analysis of the kidnapper’s emails is very good, but the excerpt itself is extraordinary. Mariane Pearl writes in the present tense, giving it an immediacy that makes it hard to read.

Every little detail—the type of camera used, the make of the weapon threatening Danny, the way words are used—is analyzed, and everyone has a theory. I let everybody play out his or her line because I want to get hooked by one. But through it all, I know this is my husband.

In the chatter, I hear Randall ask, “Do you recognize the wedding ring?”

“Yes,” I say. “It’s loose on his finger. It’s always been loose.”

The room falls silent.

Posted on September 23, 2003 05:05 AM UTC
Comments

Interesting to note that the contraction mentioned for America’s spelling is exactly how it would be transliterated from Arabic…. and unless it’s the same in Urdu, which I don’t believe it is (Urdu speakers out there?), then the person who wrote the email can probably be identified as a speaker of Arabic….

Posted by Myron Wu · September 23, 2003 06:49 AM

If I got it right Urdu differs from Hindi in that they take new concepts from arabic language, while Hindi relied, traditionally on Sanscrit. In a way it is similat to the use of Greek and Latin in Europe in the past.

DSW

Posted by Antoni Jaume · September 23, 2003 09:17 PM
Followups

This discussion has been closed. Thanks to everyone who contributed.