The Prester Quest - Nicholas Jubbe

...two types of document emulating the style of two chosen authors, yet determined to write something that would interest me, I decided to find style models who showed unique style and outrageous flair. Did I find them? Did the actual content have high enough readability that I could subtly twist it without becoming bored? Stop reading, and never find out!

Prester Quest is the story of Nicholas Jubber's journey through the east, as he ...
...him a letter from the Papacy. The only trouble is that the sender in question is not today's Pope Benedict XVI but rather Alexander III; Pope just short of a millennium ago. And of course no one actually knows where Prester John ruled, or whether he even existed beyond legend at all...

The legend of Prester John (if you are unfamiliar with it) began with a forged letter in the middle ages. It was addressed to the ruler of Byzantium ... more

Told to write two types of document emulating the style of two chosen authors, yet determined to write something that would interest me, I decided to find style models who showed unique style and outrageous flair. Did I find them? Did the actual content have high enough readability that I could subtly twist it without becoming bored? Stop reading, and never find out!

Prester Quest is the story of Nicholas Jubber's journey through the east, as he goes in search of the legendary Prester John to deliver him a letter from the Papacy. The only trouble is that the sender in question is not today's Pope Benedict XVI but rather Alexander III; Pope just short of a millennium ago. And of course no one actually knows where Prester John ruled, or whether he even existed beyond legend at all...

The legend of Prester John (if you are unfamiliar with it) began with a forged letter in the middle ages. It was addressed to the ruler of Byzantium from the priest (prester), Ruler John; "king of kings and lord of lords"' Describing the magnificence of his realm and the mysterious nature of his kingdom, this letter inspired a whole host of other legends.

Desperately needing an ally in the East to help with the crusades, Pope Alexander III, inflamed by the tales of "riches, virtue and power beyond compare" wrote an answering letter in 1177 and entrusted it to his physician Master Philip.
After setting off to the land 'where honey and milk abounds' the physician was never heard of again. And this is where Jubber's tale comes in.

So why might this book interest you? Well, this book is obviously a travelogue, and more notably it is the log of a travel that takes place in the present. However, the travelers' task was set for him in the past; meaning that the narrative can be divided into the following three kinds of telling:
The first of these (i) is the type you might call TimeTraveler mode. This is when Jubber takes his task seriously, and becomes a Master Philip. Parallel to this (ii) runs a Jubber on pilgrimage, following in the steps of a forgotten man without knowing why, but in the meantime, keeping eyes wide open for ancient monuments, and explaining them thoroughly whenever he passes any. Finally (iii), there is the Nick on vacation, musing or joking about something he has found in the East.

Although all of these views reveal much about Jubber as a person, for me certainly the first is the most interesting. When Jubber becomes a special quester for the papacy, I really get the feeling that something is in motion, and that I am getting more than just a lecture on one mans' "free holiday".
The second view is interesting psychologically, but too linguistically cluttered to be highly readable to anyone who's not vastly more knowledgeable then me in their Eastern Architecture. To be honest, I got quite confused about which country he was in at times, and were it not for the amusing historic anecdotes and breaks into the Master Philip and Nick on Vacation modes, it's possible I might have become too bogged down by the bulk of these sections.
The third view was of great interest to me. Observations such as "Arab women prefer to be covered" show Nick to possess quite a keen mind, while his interactions with his travelling companion make facinating diversions into the authors own world.

For me one of the most interesting elements of this split view is the attitude divide shown by the people Nick encounters. These people understand the third, and occasionally the second idea, but the first is completely beyond grasp and their confusion; coupled with Jubber's inability to explain; can be amusing in itself.

So how is it, that what is basically the travelogue of a journey around the East can become The Prester Quest? In fact, the answer is structure. By (for example) occasionally adding at the end of chapters, accounts (in pseudo-archaic style) detailing how Master Philip might have enjoyed passing through the land that we have just traversed as it was around the twelfth century, Jubber structures his journey. This means that all the traveling is justified, and by the end you begin to feel very supportive of the quest. Even when no one else seems to understand it.

This works so well that when, right at the end of the book Jubber does something quite dubious, (albeit necessary to his quest) it is very easy to agree with it. I'm not going to spoil for you what it is, or even debate whether it was right or wrong, but the way people are so accepting of it, seems (to me at least) to be indicative of the fervor that comes over Jubber, referred to by the "Independent on Sunday" on the back of the book as showing the whole quest as "quixotic to the point of madness"... (Whatever that means ;>)

So, in conclusion, here's my advice. Go out and procure a copy of The Prester Quest. Be infused with its' quixotic-ness and amazed at one mans enthusiasm for the concerns of a bygone age. Then sell the book on Ebay, and shiver as you think back on that obsession. The Prester Quest may be a bright, amusing and informative read, but there's a darkness about the book's enthusiasm which makes you wonder how high the price of a journey is, and to what extent Nick is "questing" rather than traveling.

The Prester Quest is priced (as of 9/8/06 on Ciao Price Engine) £3:70 on Amazon Marketplace. However, you should probably expect around £3 postage for that so Amazon itself and Tesco's offering-price of £6:70 is still rather fair.

If the star overviews seem awry it's because the book is challenging/dull at times with the bulk of information, and obsessive with quest frenzy. I found it well worth a read, to get a taste of the cultures of the east; as well as the cultures of long ago; but this transition can make the book a laborious mind numbing experience at times. Are YOU afraid of hard work? 

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