Pity the Nation: Lebanon at War [Paperback]

Robert Fisk (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: October 2001

Pity the Nation ranks among the classic accounts of war in our time, both as historical document and as an eyewitness testament to human savagery. Written by one of Britain's foremost journalists, this remarkable book combines political analysis and war reporting in an unprecedented way: it is an epic account of the Lebanon conflict by an author who has personally witnessed the carnage of Beirut for over a decade. Fisk's book recounts the details of a terrible war but it also tells a story of betrayal and illusion, of Western blindness that had led inevitably to political and military catastrophe. Updated and revised, Fisk's book gives us a further insight into this troubled part of the world. 'Robert Fisk is one of the outstanding reporters of this generation. As a war correpondent he is unrivalled.' Edward Mortimer, Financial Times

Editorial Reviews

Review

`Review from previous edition Robert Fisk is one of the outstanding reporters of this generation. As a war correspondent he is unrivalled.' Edward Mortimer, Financial Times

`Overall Fisk makes enthralling reading, and his account of modern Lebanon stands out as the most interesting book on the war in recent years.' Amanda Mitchison, Sunday Correspondent

`Robert Fisk's enormous book about Lebanon's desperate travails is one of the most distinguished in recent times, as well as one of the most anguished and hard-bitten ... Fisk's reportage has a power which one expects but so often does not get from journalists. His account of the 1982 Israeli invasion is the best that has been published.' Edward Said, Independent on Sunday

`a truly tremendous book.' Time Out

`a hugely and immensely moving book.' New Statesman and Society

`a devastating witness to the failure of politics to guard mankind against itself.' Simon Jenkins, Sunday Times

`the sheer accumulation of eye-witness reports has a sort of unstoppable power to convince.' Patrick Seale, Observer

`Robert Fisk's poetically written Pity the Nation not only covers his experience of the war, but also digs for the heart of Lebanon.' Jeremy Atiyah, Sunday Telegraph

About the Author

Robert Fisk is a leading foreign correspondent in the Middle East - writing for The Independent, and The Independent on Sunday Newspaper.

Product Details

• Paperback: 727 pages
• Publisher: Oxford Univ Pr; 3 edition (October 2001)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0192801309
• ISBN-13: 978-0192801302
• Product Dimensions: 7.6 x 5.1 x 1.6 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.1 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.7 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (20 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #716,510 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
  • #85 in Books > History > Middle East > Lebanon

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

29 of 31 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Dear Mr. Fisk, December 3, 1999

By 

Sami Traboulsi (Beirut, Lebanon) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Pity the Nation: Lebanon at War (Hardcover)

Dear Mr. Fisk I'm a Lebanese citizen, my name is Sami, I live in Beirut near Ein El Mraissy where you used to live while you were in Lebanon.Yesterday, I just finished reading your amazing book (Pity The Nation), I read it in the Arabic version. I was born in 1975, and I was a child when the Lebanese war began, I only remember from it is the Israeli occupied of Beirut in 1982, and I remember that because the Israeli soldiers try to take my brother away (My brother died later in February 6, 1984, while he's coming back from his work, he was only 19). and I also remember the street battles between Amal and Hizb Allah in 1986 or 1987, and finally the war between the Syrians and Michael Aoun in 1989. Allow me to tell you how I liked you. I liked your style of writing, I liked your insistence to still in Lebanon with all the dangerous there, and with all the hard attempts to kidnapped you from some peopel you know them very well. Believe me, I wished to be more older than I'm now just to watch all the important events that you mentioned in the book. I didn't even imagine that all these things really happened in Lebanon, my father only say to me that there was a war in Lebanon, but with no details. Maybe because of what he saw of all the sad things in his life and the death of my brother. If you still contact Mr. Terry Anderson please send him my regards, and please tell him not to change his mind about the Lebanese people. And also if you still contact G. C. your Bolivian friend and Shahrazad Faramarzi from Iran too. Have you visited Lebanon recently?There are some changes here, but still the same things in South Lebanon as you know. Sami Traboulsi Technical Engineer Beirut, Lebanon December 3, 1999

22 of 23 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars A good book , without indulgence, January 1, 2004

By A Customer

This review is from: Pity the Nation: Lebanon at War (Paperback)

I am lebanese and I lived in Lebanon during the 15 years of
war . I read the book and I think it contains an accurate
account of the main events in the war ,and a good description
of the people involved in the conflict (militias, foreign armies,
etc ) But I find Fisk is too harsh when he suggests that
all lebanese statesmen or politicians were feudal warlords,
or as he says , "mafiosi." Some were , and some others were
lawyers , bankers ,etc. It is true ,however , that most of these
became at some point allies of a warlord ,or were forced
to flee the country. Nevertheless, I think a reader would get a more
balanced view of Lebanon , if he reads *in addition* to this
book , Kamal Salibi's "A house of many mansions" or "crossroads
to civil war" . Salibi is infinitely more sympathetic than
Fisk to the idea of the creation of the Lebanese state, and I
think it is necessary to read both books to have a balanced view.

20 of 21 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Incredible, April 25, 2002

By 

John Nash - See all my reviews

This review is from: Pity the Nation: Lebanon at War (Paperback)

Robert Fisk has spent the last 25 years in Lebanon. He brings the skills of a dedicated reporter, the objectivity of an outsider and the knowledge of a local to the subject. The most compelling thing about this incredible book is the quantity and quality of eye witness testimony. Robert tells the story as only one who has been there can. Another striking thing about this book is Robert's desire to be exact and precise. Everything is cited and referenced.

If you hold a bias for one of the many sides in this sorry conflict you will probably find yourself nodding vigorously sometimes and shouting angrily at others.

Those with an open mind will just be horrified. Regardless of the ebb and flow of politics and war it is always the poor, the weak the silent that suffer. Robert gives them a feint voice.