A Middle East Mosaic: Fragments of Life, Letters and History (Modern Library Classics) [Paperback]

Bernard Lewis (Author)

Book Description

ISBN-10: 0375758372 | ISBN-13: 978-0375758379 | Publication Date: November 13, 2001 | Edition: New edition

In times of war and in peace, from the earliest days of the Roman Empire to our own, Westerners have traveled to the lands of the Middle East, bringing back accounts of their adventures and impressions. But it was never a one-way journey. In this spirited collection of Western views of the Middle East and Middle Eastern views of the West, Bernard Lewis gives us a rich overview of two thousand years of commerce, diplomacy, war and exploration. We hear from Napoleon, St. Augustine, T. E. Lawrence, Karl Marx and Ibn Khaldun. We peer into Queen Elizabeth's business correspondence, strike oil with Freya Stark and follow the footsteps of Mark Twain and Ibn Battuta, the Marco Polo of the East. This book is a delight, a treasury of stories drawn not only from letters, diaries and histories, but also from unpublished archives and previously untranslated accounts.

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com Review

Drawing on a long career of reading and reflection, the distinguished Middle East historian Bernard Lewis here gathers documents that illuminate more than two millennia of interactions between the Arab and European worlds--encounters laden with misunderstanding and prejudice on both sides. Four major phases mark this long period, Lewis writes: the Hellenization of the Arab world after the conquests of Alexander the Great; the expansion of the Roman empire into the region; the rise of Christianity; and, finally, the supremacy of Islam. These four cataclysmic changes, he writes, served to "obliterate the religions, the cultures, the languages and, to a large extent, even the nations of the ancient Middle East," replacing them with a faith and a culture that crossed national lines.

The Europeans who encountered the Arab world brought home wildly inaccurate stories of these supposedly savage people. Lewis quotes a Byzantine scribe, for instance, who reported that the Arabs worshiped Aphrodite, and the Anglo-American leader Alexander Hamilton, who wrote disdainfully of "Asiatic despotism and voluptuousness." Arab observers returned the sentiment, decrying what they perceived to be European indolence and lack of religious conviction, and holding that the farther north one traveled, the greater the "stupidity, grossness, and brutishness" one encountered.

Lewis's intriguing anthology provides ample evidence that these misapprehensions of long ago linger today, as the descendants of "Franks" and "Saracens" continue to grapple with one another for regional supremacy. Anyone seeking a greater understanding of the Middle Eastern past and present will benefit from reading his pages. --Gregory McNamee --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

From Publishers Weekly

Balance distinguishes this compendium of writings collected by one of the world's foremost scholars of the Middle East. Lewis (The Middle East: A Brief History of the Last 2,000 Years), a professor emeritus at Princeton, demonstrates that both the Middle East and the West, in their interactions through more than a millennium, have exhibited both a mutual curiosity and a tendency to settle for uncomplimentary generalizations about each other. In the 13th century, for instance, an Islamic observer wrote that no people were "more filthy" than the Franks. Other entries indicate that such negative attitudes persist to this day: Lewis reprints a short selection from a contemporary Afghani Web site in which it is alleged that, in forcing women to work, the West has destroyed the "personality, position and identity of a woman." He also cites the mid-20th-century American diplomat George Kennan calling Iraq a country ruined by "selfishness and stupidity," full of a "population unhygenic in its habits." While Lewis does not shy away from the troubling history of this cultural interaction, he also highlights some of its positive effects--devoting a chapter to words such as "sugar" and "magazine" that have entered the English vernacular from Arabic languages, as well as the descriptions of the rules and etiquette of both societies as described by travelers and diplomats. Nor does Lewis ignore more domestic and less momentous matters: There are chapters on cookery and one titled "Wit and Wisdom." What emerges is a vivid, nuanced account of the fascination that the West and the Middle East have had for each other and the troublesome ways that members of both cultures have tried to navigate and then explain their differences. While several chapters contain brief introductions, the nonscholar might want to keep a general history of the Middle East nearby as an accompaniment. Photos not seen by PW. (Apr.)
Copyright 2000 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Paperback: 496 pages
• Publisher: Modern Library; New edition edition (November 13, 2001)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0375758372
• ISBN-13: 978-0375758379
• Product Dimensions: 5.2 x 1 x 8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 14.4 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (3 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,500,922 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Discover books, learn about writers, read author blogs, and more.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A Delightful Anthology, June 16, 2003

By 

Zekeriyah (Chicago, IL) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)   

This review is from: A Middle East Mosaic: Fragments of Life, Letters, and History (Hardcover)

I would like to start out by saying that I am a huge fan of Bernard Lewis. All of his books I have gotten my hands on thus far have been superb and this is no exception. In this case, Lewis opted to collect various writings and excerpts showing the interplay between the Middle East and the "west". After starting out with misconceptions and prejudices (on both sides), he goes on to show differing views on travel, government, society, arts, science and even food and drink. Interestingly enough, relatively little focused on the early period, despite the immense glory of Egypt, Persia, Mesopotamia and other Middle Eastern nations. There is a great deal of historical material though, including the early Islamic era, the Byzantine Empire and even the Roman Empire. Much of the material focused on the last few centuries though, which I suppose is natural given the increased contact between Europe and the Middle East. The sources come from a truely vast array. There are excerpts from the Qu'ran and the Bible, as well as sayings attributed to the Prophet Mohammad. These stand beside the works of Shakespeare, commentary by T.E. Lawerence ("Lawerence of Arabia") and Sir Richard Francis Burton, and messages delivered by Imam Khomeini. However, not all historical figures would be so well known to western ears. Excerpts from the great traveller ibn Battuta and the historian/philosopher ibn Khaldun also appear here. The vast amount of events and places is astounding. It records the Ottoman Empire at its height (indeed, many of the excerpts do deal with the Ottoman Turks), Napolean's entering north Africa, the Crimean War and the Crusades. Indeed, theres a small selection of passages dealing with the Assassin sect, of which Lewis has written an entire book. In addition, theres even a few pages which give some examples of words of Arabic, Turkish and Persian origin which have made their way into the English language.
The sheer volume of material contained within this book is simply amazing. Although they don't give as much information as one might like, the passages, excerpts and quotes included in this book provide windows into Middle Eastern life and history. Ultimately, I must strongly recommend that any student of Middle Eastern or Islamic history at least give this book a look. You won't regret it.

4 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Fascinating!, January 6, 2002

By A Customer

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: A Middle East Mosaic: Fragments of Life, Letters, and History (Hardcover)

I love this book. You read main primary sources from the last 2000 years, reflecting on West Europe-Islamic Asia/Africa relations and perceptions. The book can be read eclectically. It shed lights on how things were, and how they led us to where we are today!

15 of 25 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Informative Compilation of Primary Sources, May 13, 2000

By A Customer

This review is from: A Middle East Mosaic: Fragments of Life, Letters, and History (Hardcover)

Dr. Lewis has written yet another informative compilation about the Middle East. I only wish that he could have included more about Sultan Bayezid II and his acceptance of the Spanish Jews expelled by Ferdinand and Isabel; the Afghan Jewish community in Herat; or the travels of Joseph Wolf, 1795-1862.