From Babel to Dragomans

"Over the course of his professional career, Bernard Lewis has proven himself as a scholar learned in a number of languages, who has interpreted Islam, the Ottoman Empire, and the modern Middle East for the West. Now, this respected authority has brought together his reflections on Middle Eastern history and foreign affairs written over six decades. The essays include such topics of pan-Arabism, the Mughal and Ottoman empires, the relationship between Western powers and the Middle East, travel in the region, food and feasts, and the problems and practice of writing Middle Eastern history. The pieces cover great events of twentieth-century history, such as the emergence of modern Israel, the Iranian Revolution, and the Gulf War. And they address urgent and compelling topics such as the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan and the significance of Saddam Hussein and Osama bin Laden. The collection ranges from English originals of articles published before only in foreign languages, to previously unpublished writings, to his highly regarded essays from publications such as Foreign Affairs and The New York Review of Books. With more than fifty pieces in all prefaced by a new, personal memoir by Lewis, this is a valuable collection for everyone interested in the Middle East. Here then is a rich repository of wisdom on one of the key areas of the modern world - a wealth of profound reflections on Middle Eastern history, culture, politics, and current events."--Jacket.

Beyond its central premise, the book can be read through the connected lenses of Nonfiction. Those themes offer useful points of attention as the characters, ideas, or world develop, especially where the book complicates the expectations of its primary category.