Suleiman is an elephant whose story the elephant in “I, the Elephant, Wrote This” hears often. Born in 1540, Suleiman lived a lavish life in Maximilian II’s court. After Suleiman wrote the words “I, the elephant, wrote this” in his enclosure, priests poisoned him. In the stars, Suleiman can be seen in his various body parts that Maximilian sent to various important people in the Holy Roman Empire to preserve the elephant’s memory.
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Suleiman Character Timeline in Only the Animals
The timeline below shows where the character Suleiman appears in Only the Animals. The colored dots and icons indicate which themes are associated with that appearance.
I, the Elephant, Wrote This: Soul of Elephant (Died 1987, Mozambique)
After sunset, a baby cousin asks the elders for the story of Suleiman. The elephant usually enjoys this story, but tonight she doesn’t want to hear about a...
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...menagerie, but he couldn’t find another elephant. Some said it was because Maximilian didn’t want Suleiman to bond with another elephant. One day, when Maximilian brought priests to visit Suleiman, they...
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When the elder notes that a museum in Europe held Suleiman’s skin until it disappears during World War II, the elephant asks if there are no...
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