The Arts of Intimacy: Christians, Jews, and Muslims in the Making of Castilian Culture [Hardcover]

Jerrilynn D. Dodds (Author), Maria Rosa Menocal (Author), Abigail Krasner Balbale (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: September 28, 2008

Named a Book of the Year by the Times Literary Supplement, this lavishly illustrated work explores the vibrant interaction among different and sometimes opposing cultures, and how their contacts with one another transformed them all. It chronicles the tumultuous history of Castile in the wake of the Christian capture of the Islamic city of Tulaytula, now Toledo, in the eleventh century and traces the development of Castilian culture as it was forged in the new intimacy of Christians with the Muslims and Jews they had overcome. 

The authors paint a portrait of the culture through its arts, architecture, poetry and prose, uniquely combining literary and visual arts. Concentrating on the eleventh and twelfth centuries, the book reveals the extent to which Castilian identity is deeply rooted in the experience of confrontation, interaction, and at times union with Hebrew and Arabic cultures during the first centuries of its creation. Abundantly illustrated, the volume serves as a splendid souvenir of southern Spain; beautifully written, it illuminates a culture deeply enriched by others. (20090813)

Editorial Reviews

Review

 “The art, the architecture, and the poetry produced in the medieval Iberian peninsula are of such astonishing quality that a survey, especially when it is as intelligent and well presented as this one, can hardly fail both to illuminate and instruct.” –J.H. Elliott, New York Review of Books

(J.H. Elliott New York Review of Books 20091127)

"Jerrilynn D.Dodds’, Maria Rosa Menocal and Abigail Krasner’s Balbale’s Arts of Intimacy: Christians, Jews, and Muslims in the Making of Castilian Culture stands out in every respect: it is challenging, thorough, and compelling. Its importance lies in conveying the unique cultural and linguistic polyphony of the nascent Castilian culture. Iconographic testimonies from architecture, epigraphy and calligraphy orchestrate the historical voices expressed in an unprecedentedly rich multilingual poetry. A startling and provocative book that puts an end to any essentialist claim to be laid on this exceptional part of Europe."—Angelika Neuwirth

(Angelika Neuwirth 20090903)

"A delightful blend of poetry and solid science. How a nation was born out of fascination for the enemy it was victoriously fighting, gaining momentum ''with each meal shared, or bridle admired, each textile or ivory box received in tribute'', and with each story told."—Gabriel Martinez-Gros

(Gabriel Martinez-Gros )

"All Medievalists should welcome and treasure this splendid book. Here we see, in an innovative and eminently convincing perspective, the unique phenomenon of medieval Iberia, as a collaborative and also as a conflictive creation of Castilians belonging to the three religions. As much for scholars interested in literature and language, as for those concerned with art and architecture, this book will be ''must'' reading. Dodds, Menocal, and Krasner Balbale deserve our thanks and our congratulations."—Samuel G. Armistead

(Samuel G. Armistead )

“The Arts of Intimacy creates a composite close-up of a part of Spain usually associated with rock-solid Catholic oppression and authority…explored here subtly and richly.”--Times Literary Supplement

(Marina Warner Times Literary Supplement )

“The compelling story of the complex entangling of Christian, Muslim, and Jewish history, culture, literature and art in medieval Iberia has been told many times before…But it has never been told like this…A rich tapestry of a book that brings to vivid life the dialectic of acculturation and assimilation in which medieval Spain’s three religious groups were enmeshed.”--Jill Ross, Times Higher Education (UK)

(Jill Ross Times Higher Education (UK) )

“…beautiful and gorgeously illustrated. . . .this is a fascinating trawl through a forgotten time.”--Catholic Herald

(Catholic Herald )

"Through its clear narrative and its elegant style , and thanks to its affordable price, Arts of Intimacy works to render a fascinating and complex topic more widely accessible to a general readership."--Andrea Weisl-Shaw, Medium Aevum

(Andrea Weisl-Shaw Medium Aevum )

"Beautifully written and lavishly illustrated, the book represents a distinguished contribution to our understanding of the cosmopolitan world of medieval Iberia."--Catholic Historical Review

(Catholic Historical Review )

"[The Arts of Intimacy] unfolds as a complex interlacing of literary, visual, and historical evidence that challenges the idealized notion of medieval Iberian convivencia, or peaceful coexistence, with nuanced interpretations of crossdisciplinary evidence. The text''s high points are thoroughly enjoyable."—María Judith Feliciano, Speculum--A Journal of Medieval Studies

(Mar�a Judith Feliciano Speculum--A Journal of Medieval Studies )

About the Author

Jerrilynn D. Dodds is distinguished professor and senior faculty advisor to the provost for undergraduate education, City College of New York. She lives in New York City. María Rosa Menocal is director, Whitney Humanities Center, and Sterling Professor of the Humanities, Yale University. Her previous book, The Ornament of the World: How Muslims, Jews, and Christians Created a Culture of Tolerance in Medieval Spain, has been translated into seven languages. She lives in New York City. Abigail Krasner Balbale is a candidate for the Ph.D. in history and Middle Eastern studies at Harvard University, where she focuses on the cultural history of medieval Iberia. This is her first book.

 

Product Details

• Hardcover: 416 pages
• Publisher: Yale University Press; 1 edition (September 28, 2008)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0300106092
• ISBN-13: 978-0300106091
• Product Dimensions: 10.1 x 7.5 x 1.1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 2.9 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.2 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (4 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #523,836 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

25 of 25 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars The book many of us have been waiting for, May 29, 2009

By 

Dennis P. Waters (Mercer County, NJ) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: The Arts of Intimacy: Christians, Jews, and Muslims in the Making of Castilian Culture (Hardcover)

In The Arts of Intimacy, Dodds, Menocal, and Balbale document and analyze the collision/fusion of Muslim, Christian (indigenous Mozarabic and Roman), and Jewish cultures in the architecture, literature, decorative arts, and linguistics of medieval Spain. They focus on Toledo, which, as a city on the border between the Christian and Muslim worlds, was a microcosm of the evolution taking place all over the peninsula.

This is a terrific book, beautiful to look at (almost but not quite a coffee-table book), well-organized, nicely-written, and full of wondrous detail and provocative thinking. For those interested in learning more about this subject, the 57-page annotated bibliography "Sources and Readings" is alone worth the price of the book.

If you are one of those who thought Menocal's The Ornament of the World presented a simplistic, utopian view of the period, this book is the antidote. The detail is lavish in support of the theses and there is no attempt to gloss over the many ugly lapses of La Convivencia.

If anything, The Arts of Intimacy argues against any simplistic or reductionist approach to the development of Iberian culture. Esthetic influences were as fluid and multidimensional as political alliances, and in many cases religion turns out to be the least useful tool of explanation.

Get the book. Look at the photographs. Read the poems. Absorb and reflect on the hundreds of examples of cross-cultural influence. I promise you a worthwhile journey.

13 of 13 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Great, December 5, 2008

By 

D. Fairchild Ruggles (Champaign, IL United States) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: The Arts of Intimacy: Christians, Jews, and Muslims in the Making of Castilian Culture (Hardcover)

Been eagerly awaiting this and am glad to see it in print. It is rich in its interdisciplinary breadth, the evocative descriptions of places and explanations of society, and the complex ways that it traverses the ethnicities, religions, and politics of medieval Spain. Excellent text for classes in medieval art, literary, and cultural history, but also highly recommended for enthusiasts of al-Andalus and Spain. For example, this would be a great book to read prior to traveling to Spain.

3 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

2.0 out of 5 stars Correction to comments published in my name on Amazon, February 13, 2011

A Kid's Review

This review is from: The Arts of Intimacy: Christians, Jews, and Muslims in the Making of Castilian Culture (Paperback)

Given that the press has excerpted positive comments from what in fact was a rather negative review published in Art Bulletin, I would suggest that readers who are interested in my very real reservations about the theoretical premises upon which this book is founded to consult that review (Art Bulletin, XCI/3 [2009], 369-373).