The Terminal Man: Amazon.co.uk: Alfred Merhan, Andrew Donkin: Books

Product Description

The Terminal Man is the extraordinary story of Mehran Karimi Nasseria, better known as 'Sir Alfred' of Charles de Gaulle Airport. Sir Alfred has spent the last 15 years living and sleeping inside the airport's Terminal One building, trapped in international no-man's land without the proper documentation needed to move on. Sir Alfred was born in Iran in 1945. When he was twenty his father died and he received an even greater shock when the woman he regarded as his mother told him he wasn't her son, but the result of a union between his father and a British nurse. A deal was agreed for Sir Alfred to disappear overseas to England and his family would pay for his studies. After a year at university, his family broke all contact and he returned to Iran where he was imprisoned for his political activism, was arrested and tortured. He was then expelled from Iran with a passport valid for just one year - so he was now a stateless person. He was mugged on his way to Charles de Gaulle airport in 1988 and lost all his documents. He boarded a plane to London but without the appropriate documentation was sent straight back to Paris. On trying to leave the airport he was arrested and sentenced as an illegal immigrant, and served six months in jail. Upon his release, he returned to Charles de Gaulle and was refused permission to enter any other country. Fearing arrest if he left the terminal building but unable to board a flight, he was trapped there for years. He sleeps on a red bench borrowed from an old bar, surrounded by piles of newspapers and magazines stored in cargo boxes and his extensive diary. As Sir Alfred remained trapped between countries his fame began to spread. There have been numerous press and magazines articles around the globe; he receives hundreds of letters from well-wishers as well as his visits and has also featured in three documentary feature films about his plight as the world's only celebrity homeless person. Political refugee, prisoner, exile, rebel, gentleman, citizen of the world, media magnet and, most of all, delayed passenger, The Terminal Man tells Sir Alfred's incredible and unique life story in his own words.

From the Back Cover

The extraordinary true story of Mehran Karimi Nasseria, better know as 'Sir Alfred' - a man with no official identity or country.

Sir Alfred has been living in the departure lounge of Terminal 1 of Charles de Gaulle Airport in Paris for 16 years. He sleeps on a red bench borrowed from an old bar, dines at McDonalds every day, and is surrounded by piles of magazines stored in cargo boxes and his extensive diary.

Sir Alfred's odyssey began when the death of his father revealed a long hidden family secret that shattered his life and sense of self. A secret that meant Sir Alfred had to leave the country to travel to England to study. When all communications with his family mysteriously stopped, Sir Alfred was forced to return to Iran where he was arrested at the airport. He was imprisoned, tortured, and then expelled with a passport valid for just one year.

He arrived at Charles de Gaulle on 8th August 1988 intending to take a plane to London - amazingly 16 years later he is still there waiting for his flight. Without the proper documentation he quickly found himself trapped in a bureaucratic Catch-22 nightmare. Fearing arrest as an illegal immigrant if he left the terminal building, he has spent the last decade and a half waiting "for my identity" while lawyers and government officials argued about his case.

Political refugee, prisoner, exile, rebel, gentleman, citizen of the world, media magnet and delayed passenger, The Terminal Man tells Sir Alfred's incredible and unique life story in his own words.

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4 of 4 people found the following review helpful

An easy worthwhile read, but irritating at the same time 27 Sep 2004

By Paul Johnson

Format:Paperback

As a brief synopsis, this book is basically about an Iranian who manages to effectively loose his identity whilst in-transit between two countries and as a consequence ends up in limbo, living in Charles De Gaulle Airport in Paris, unable to go outside as he would be arrested for being an illegal immigrant, but unable to fly anywhere as the recieving country would always turn him back.

The book is incredibly easy to read. I would say I got through it in something like four hours. The overall plot of the book is bizzare, as you would no doubt imagine considering the subject matter. The author himself is a very strange individual and I found opinions of him varying between pity and irritation, between thinking either stupid or simple.

The book tries to suggest that he is caught in a bureaucratic catch-22, but it soon becomes apparant that whilst this was initially the case, at the present time it is not and the author is actually in this situation due to having extreme inconsistencies in his story making it impossible for any reasonable government official to deal with him.

I have to say I enjoyed the book, but as I say in the title, I did find the author somewhat irritating.

A good book to travel with I would say.

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2 of 2 people found the following review helpful

Brilliant 11 May 2005

By M. Owen

This is a fantastic book - funny, interesting and moving. Full marks must go to Andrew Donkin for highlighting the true story of Sir Alfred's life, most of which has been spent on his red bench. The novel/diary is compelling from start to finish. If you've ever spent hours in an airport, buy this book. If you ever plan to take a flight again, buy this book. It's easy to read and will make a great companion on any long journey. Highly recommended.

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An excellent read 17 Dec 2004

By A Customer

The Sunday Times called this "a profoundly disturbing and brilliant book" and I think they're right. Sir Alfred's situation is an odd one of course, and although you do get to find out all about that, it's Donkin's subtle wriggling around in the nature of human identity and 'stuckness' that got me. It's all a bit Kafka, but the way it's written is totally accessible. Hard to explain, but it's deep without you realising it and reads like a novel but isn't. It's really beguiling. Read it for yourself (not hard work - my friend and I both read it in two sittings) and then we can set up a discussion site on it.