Notes on a Century: Reflections of a Middle East Historian

by Bernard Lewis, Buntzie Ellis Churchill

The memoirs of the preeminent historian of the Middle East and bestselling author of What Went Wrong?

Few historians end up as major historical actors in their own right. At the age of 96, Bernard Lewis has both witnessed and participated in some of the key events of the last century, from his time working for MI6 in London and throughout the Middle East during World War II to his sudden transformation into a sought-after interpreter of the Middle East after September 11. When we think of the Middle East, we think of it in terms that he defined and articulated.

A brilliant storyteller with an extraordinary gift for languages, Lewis regales us with tales of memorable encounters with Edward Kennedy, the Shah of Iran, Golda Meir, Muammar Qaddafi, Pope John Paul II, King Hussein, and Dick Cheney, among many others. Witty, lively, and movingly written, this exceptional memoir offers an intimate look at the key events of the twentieth century through the eyes of one of the most vital historians of our time.

Genres: History, Biography, Nonfiction, Middle East, Islam, Memoir, Jewish

416 pages, Paperback

First published May 10, 2012

About the author

Librarian Note: There is more than one author by this name in the Goodreads database.

Bernard Lewis was the Cleveland E. Dodge Professor of Near Eastern Studies Emeritus at Princeton University and the author of many critially acclaimed and bestselling books, including two number one New York Times bestsellers: What Went Wrong? and Crisis of Islam. The Middle East: A Brief History of the Last 2,000 Years was a National Book Critics Circle Award finalist. Internationally recognized as the greatest historian of the Middle East, he received fifteen honorary doctorates and his books have been translated into more than twenty languages.

Reviews

[Buck · Rating 3 out of 5]

Bernard Lewis has acquired more languages than most people have sexual partners.

That lead-in was intended as hyperbole, until I did the math and realized it was potentially true in my case, depending on how you count languages (and sexual partners). So now I feel like a slacker in both departments.

Lewis published this memoir just a few months ago, at the inconceivable age of 96. True, he had a bit of help putting it together, but so what? Even supposing I make it to 96, I don’t plan on doing much beyond drooling into my All-Bran, so I’m awarding him an extra star just for coming out.

Still, Notes on a Century isn’t a great memoir. While surprisingly brisk and lucid, it’s just not that interesting. The few times it threatens to get spicy, Lewis draws back, coyly drawing a veil over his wartime service in MI6 by invoking the Official Secrets Act, and later cutting short a discussion of academic taboos on the grounds that they are, after all, taboos. Come on, man! You’re older than God and, professionally speaking, almost as untouchable. Publish and be damned, I say. But maybe that’s just the insouciance of early middle age talking.

[Bettie · Rating 3 out of 5]

Read by Buntzie Ellis Churchill
Playing Time........ 13:04:30

Description: Lewis was the first to warn of a coming "clash of civilizations," a term he coined in 1957, and has led an amazing life, as much a political actor as a scholar of the Middle East. In this witty memoir he reflects on the events that have transformed the region since World War II, up through the Arab Spring.
A pathbreaking scholar with command of a dozen languages, Lewis has advised American presidents and dined with politicians from the shah of Iran to the pope. Over the years, he had tea at Buckingham Palace, befriended Golda Meir, and briefed politicians from Ted Kennedy to Dick Cheney. No stranger to controversy, he pulls no punches in his blunt criticism of those who see him as the intellectual progenitor of the Iraq war. Like America’s other great historian-statesmen Arthur Schlesinger and Henry Kissinger, he is a figure of towering intellect and a world-class raconteur, which makes Notes on a Century essential reading for anyone who cares about the fate of the Middle East.

'MI5 stops others doing to us what MI6 is doing to others'

Table of Contents:

01 Early Days
02 The War Years
03 In the Ottoman Archives
04 Cultural Diplomacy
05 Why Study History?
06 Episodes in an Academic Life
07 Crossing the Atlantic
08 The Neighborhood
09 The Clash of Civilizations
10 Orientalism and the Cult of Right Thinking
11 Judgment in Paris
12 Writing and Rewriting History
13 Politics and the Iraq War

Fascination fayre indeed. Fully recommended with the caveat that Lewis has been flip-flopper, hawk, and Armenian Holocaust denier, so his views do not sit so well with my personal taste.

"It is the mark of an educated mind to be able to entertain a thought without accepting it.”
― Aristotle, Metaphysics

[Elif Sayın · Rating 4 out of 5]

the biggest reason why im a history student now is this book

[Son Tung · Rating 5 out of 5]

"I have loved my life. I have had a rewarding career. Thirty-two books translated into twenty-nine languages isn’t bad. I have explored places and cultures and been able to play with fifteen languages. Even those who dislike me or with whom I have heartily disagreed are usually interesting and sometimes even stimulating. I have a family and devoted friends whom I cherish.
I have been, and am, very fortunate."


There are so much to learn from Bernard Lewis's personal anecdotes, his experiences with global history, his understanding of the Middle East, his talent for languages.

From the book, i extracted many arguments and counter-arguments for various subjects. The bonus is that i find his humor is somehow similar to Surely you're joking Mr Feynman since i lack the experience to differentiate styles of humor.

My collection of favorite one-liners and thought-provoking arguments:

- About the rising Islamic demography in EU: Will it be an Islamized EU or Europeanized Islam?

- In the US, 100 years is a long time and in England, 100 miles is a long way.

- An American woman kept repeating her English ancestry from both side of her parents. Her husband replied “Yes my dear, you are more English than I am but I am more British than you”

- The British established universities in each colony, taught the colony's history. This is in contrast with French Africa, there was only 1 university in Algeria which taught only French history.

- Bernard asked his father when he was still in school: Why are you liberal? His father answered: because we have too much money to be labor and not enough to be conservative.

- An Arab student asked Bernard: Why the university of London pays you a salary to teach Arab history to Arabs? His reply: Why would Arabs come to England to study Arabs history?

-History is the collective memory. And if we think of the social body in terms of human body, no history means amnesia, distorted history means neurosis. Those who are unwilling to confront the past will be unable to understand the present and unfit to face the future.

- Historical research means going into your evidence and asking question, you ask questions of the evidence and then preferably without the use of torture, you extract answer.

- History opens to interpretation, but even with interpretation, there is a need for accuracy. Inaccurate history is worse than no history at all. The modern historians need the access to archives, to public and where possible, private papers and good libraries. These are lacking in many parts of the world.

- Those people who use history to engineer the society according to their wish are far more dangerous than those who do not care about history at all.

- The conflict between Israel and Egypt is not a quarrel over disputed frontier. It was a conflict over the nature and identity of a country to which both contenders have strong historic claims, deriving from different periods of history.

- The Arabs said many times: “We have time, we have patience, history is on our side. We got rid of the Crusaders, we got rid of the Turks, we got rid of the British, we will get rid of the Jews in due course.”
Lewis replied: The Turks got rid of the Crusaders, the British got rid of the Turks, the Jews got rid of the British. I wonder who will come next?

- Muslism can eat Jewish food, not Christian ones.

- Anti-Semitism is different from hatred for outsider. Anti-Semitism refers to the cosmic evil of the Jewish people.

At last, the poem The Dirge

The Dirge
(September 29, 1945)

In the bleakness of German plains,
In the stillness of English woods,
In the squalor of Polish towns,
In the clamour of London streets,
I see them die.
In the eyes of indifferent friends,
In the sullen spite of slaves,
In the haughtiness of lords,
In their brothers that forget,
I see them die.
In the agony of thought,
In the grey relief of toil,
In the fret of idleness,
In the black-ribbed page of print,
I see them die.
In the feckless, flirting pairs,
In the dishes full of food,
In the wineglass, in the wine,
In the sleek, contented smile,
I see them die.
In the soft webs of sleep,
In the pallor of awakening,
In the light, in the shadows,
In the passion, in the regret,
I see them die.
In the pain of remembered joy,
In the sear of remembered pain,
In the hope, in the forgetting,
In the anguish of self,
I see them die.
They the lost, the forgotten,
They the unnumbered, the despairing,
In the camps of reluctant death,
By the barred gates of hope,
I see them die.
In the softness of the strings,
In the discords of the city,
In the golden wildness of autumn,
In the green brilliance of summer,
I see them die.
In the furnaces of hate,
In the pigeon-holes of neglect,
In the prejudice of fools,
In the wisdom of the warped,
I see them die.

In the ecstasy of liberation,
In the sadness of liberty,
In the captivity of distant friends,
In the remoteness of conquerors,
I see them die.
In bondage in the wilderness,
In the dream of a Promised Land,
In the tents of Japhet,
By the tent-ropes of Israel,
I see them die.
They the lost, the forgotten,
They the unnumbered, the despairing,
In the camps of reluctant death,
By the barred gates of hope,
I see them die.

[Onur · Rating 4 out of 5]

Interest of history of Bernard starts his earlier ages. He learns many foreign languages and he improves himself. Than he starts to work at intelligence department. A lot of important historical sections could find in the book such as peace process between Israel & Egypt and Israel & Palestine, Fight of the throne at Jordan, chronology of so-called Armenian genocide, Iraq and Iran war and Arab spring. Significations life sections and experiences belongs to one important intellectual. It is good book.

[Baris · Rating 3 out of 5]

Çeviri, başlığın haber verdiği gibi çok sorunlu. Notes on a Century, Bir Asra Düşülen Notlar gibi bir şekilde çevrilmeliydi. Bu haliyle bir anı-otobiyografi olduğu anlaşılmıyor.

[Hussein Harbi · Rating 3 out of 5]

برنارد لويس، الخبيث...

[Elliot Ratzman · Rating 2 out of 5]

Bernard Lewis has the reputation among young scholars and leftists as the arch-Orientalist: the scholar who whispers dangerous things in the ears of power in order to conquer the Muslim East for the Capitalist West. So I thought I’d read the man’s memoirs to see what he had to say for himself. By all accounts from people who I spoke to, Lewis spent the last decade and a half spouting nutty racist pronouncements about the Arab/Muslim world—Big Conclusions apparently derived from a long life of study. What’s interesting about this memoir is his story of finding his way into the Ottoman archives, of pioneering certain ways of thinking about Arab/Muslim history that, for its time, were quite novel. Lewis does a poor job of defending himself against Edward Said here, and he gives his side of the story about being charged with Armenian genocide-denial, but reading about his salad days of solid scholarship, his academic politics war stories and his conversation with notables is indeed useful.

[E.T. · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5/5 Bernard Lewis is considered one of the foremost scholars of Middle-Eastern history and with an impeccable and no-nonsense understanding of the Muslim mindset much much before 9/11. I expected this to be a collection of his essays , a bit like Rama Guha's books but this was largely a collection of memoirs written at the ripe old age of 95. While the intellect, wisdom and wit showcased in many anecdotes made for good reading, nonetheless I am not much of a fan and if I had known beforehand, might have avoided picking it up.
-------------------------------------------------------------
On a related note, posting the link of a tribute paid to him by the honest, unbiased and tolerant news organisation of our times -> Al Jazeera
https://www.aljazeera.com/opinions/20...

As per their modus operandi, without pointing out one factual mistake of Lewis, one logical reasoning fault - simply repeating "Lewis was not a scholar" and calling him an Islamophobe was enough. Let me respond to those 2 atleast since Lewis cannot.
a) Give me the name of one prominent non-Muslim critic of Islam EVER who has not been accused of Islamophobia ? I challenge you, you will find none.
b) Bernard Lewis was a fine scholar. Even if, like me, he was not, I have arrived at the same conclusions as him by applying randomised-control-trial principles to the behaviour of Muslims. IMPORTANTLY, with an OPEN MIND, wherever those conclusions may take me. It is part of the reason why I have not read more of Lewis (or "Islamophobes").
PS:- In a rather convoluted way, some Muslims blamed Israel for secretly supporting Hamas and thereby perversely, being guilty of the unspeakable atrocities and massacre on 7th Oct 2023. But it has not occured to any of them to blame Hamas itself and protest against those monsters themselves who first-hand carried out those attacks. Anyways, on that note, find me an example of a Muslim nation/organisation which has criticised another Muslim-majority country for its treatment of its non-Muslims ? Again the challenge is the same. I do not need to be a scholar to see things which can be inferred by common-sense !

[Care · Rating 4 out of 5]

[b]The Short Version[/b]
Bernard Lewis is a renowned Middle Eastern historian approaching his century mark. In this his swan-song he gives a brief biographical sketch from his early years through the time he begins to achieve fame in his field, gives favorite anecdotes from a lifetime spent as confidant and advisor to rulers and statesmen and from his career in academia, and finally, answers some of his critics. While very different from his multitude of scholarly writings, this one is still packed with tidbits of analysis and history and well worth reading for both those familiar with Professor Lewis’ earlier writings and those who are meeting this great mind for the first time.

[b]The Long Version[/b]
This was perhaps one of my most anticipated pre-publication review manuscripts, and while it was very different from what I expected, it did not disappoint. A Middle Eastern scholar of great renown approaching his hundredth year, Professor Lewis is certainly no stranger to publication-he has thirty-two books, which have in their turn been translated into twenty-nine languages, to his credit. In the past decade and a half he has churned out a stunning dozen books which he himself gives explanation of in this book as a cleaning out of his files, the desire to finish, before he departs this earth, all the loose ends of research that he has left hanging about his cabinets. This book is very different. It truly is notes on a century.

The first section of the book reads almost like a biography, in which Professor Lewis gives an account of his youth, university years, initial jobs in academia, war service during the Second World War, and finally his return to teaching after the war. In this organized biographical sketch a clear grounding of the prominent man in his field that Professor Lewis would become is laid. We see the boy with a phenomenal facility for languages who would later become the man proficient in fifteen. We are introduced to the young British intelligence officer who would in time become confidant and counselor to monarchs and statesmen.

In its middle portion the book gains the feel of its title, being composed of a series of vignettes spanning the many decades of Professor Lewis’ professional life. Here he shows himself to be a man of charm and first-rate storytelling ability, in addition to the political and historical insight for which he is renowned. The various tales range from academia and research, to world leaders he met either in a consulting or social capacity. At times he give very brief historical sketches, in order to give his readers background information that they might need to understand, and thus more thoroughly enjoy, his stories. Ever the teacher, despite being a very brilliant man, Professor Lewis is very readable by an average person, because he remembers that events which he might hold as common knowledge, his reader probably does not. Because of this, this book is a wonderful refresher, or introduction, to such things as the wars between Israel and Egypt in the Sinai and the various conflicts between Israelis and Palestinians.

The final section of the book is used to answer some of the controversies which have surrounded him, as is inevitable given his academic stature. Perhaps the largest of these, but the one which surprisingly he gives the least amount of ink, was the large scale battle of many decades launched by the Palestinian born, Columbia University English professor Edward Said, in his famous book, [i]Orientalism[/i]. The main thrust of Said’s attack against western born scholars of the Middle East is that their slant on the history and politics of the region encouraged imperialism to flourish. While the argument is of course deep, scholarly, and far too complex to get into here, or even in Professor Lewis’ most recent book, he does use this book to reiterate once again his feelings that Professor Said has missed a couple of main points, among them the fact that there were chairs of Oriental studies in European universities centuries before there were any moves towards colonizing any of those countries. He also puts forth the point that while native born historians do provide invaluable cultural insights into their peoples, often truly objective history can only be written by outsiders.

In addition to a number of lesser issues, one other major issue is addressed: the controversy which arose from Professor Lewis’ refusal to grant Armenian victim’s the title of “holocaust”. He came under extreme censure, including legal, for this decision, but stands by, and defends his research as an historian, believing that the facts simply do not support the definition of holocaust as defined by the experience of the Jews in World War II, which is the commonly accepted definition among scholars.

In summation, this book is vastly different from the scholarly works that students of Professor Lewis are accustomed to reading, but very much worth the time, especially for those who have never read any of his books, or for those who do not have a very strong working knowledge of his subject, as he does not assume that his reader is beginning with any. Professor Lewis’ easy charm comes through with little pretension, and even when the subject matter does become a bit academic the writing style is so perfectly clear, and the author so absolutely in command of his subject, that the reader is easily carried along. Long-time readers of Professor Lewis will enjoy the amusing anecdotes of this his swan-song, even if there is probably very little new here for them from a scholastic standpoint.

[Zafer Avran · Rating 5 out of 5]

Okuması oldukça keyifli ve ufuk açıcı. Yılların ve derin bilgi birikiminin süzgecinden geçip damıtılmış çıkarım ve anazlizlere bu şekilde kolayca ulaşabilmenin cazibesi kitabın en önemli yanı benim için.

[Bel Maish · Rating 2 out of 5]

I wasn’t going to write a review about this book but the more I ruminate on its contents, the angrier I get. Full disclosure: I knew that the politics of Lewis clashed with my own prior to reading but I’m trying to understand and learn from differing views and therefore I tried to give this as generous a reading as possible.

The first few chapters of the book are subtle because they give away more in what they don't say. Most of these chapters consist of pompous anecdotes about Lewis hobnobbing with different officials and the witty quips exchanged between them.

However, Lewis’ real views come out in the last part of the book. First, he does a staid takedown of Marxist interpretations of history (dismissing any view critical of Orientalists as childish). He then tries to distance himself from his influence over the Vulcans and the subsequent decision to invade Iraq, but then can’t help himself and contradicts his own statements by then bragging about the influence he had on Bush’s foreign policy. Lewis’ main concern is that America appears as too benevolent on the world stage and is thus taken advantage of. He was delighted when America shot down Iran Air Flight 655 (killing 290 civilians) which America still claims was an accident; but Lewis, ever the knowing genius, believes that it was in fact a brilliant and deliberate strategic move. This view is particularly sickening when a few pages later, he concludes the book by reflecting on his long, happy and illustrious life - some lives are clearly more important than others.

In sum, this book will give the reader more of an insight into how certain forms of academia can dehumanise its subjects. This book gave me a greater appreciation for Edward Said and other academics dedicated to examining the dangers of letting men like Lewis shape our perceptions of the Middle East.

[Defneandac · Rating 4 out of 5]

Dünyanın en ünlü Orta Doğu tarihçisi Bernard Lewis'in otobiyografisi. Allah uzun ömür versin Lewis şu anda 101 yaşında. Kitabın sonunda özetlediği gibi uzun ve verimli, mutlu bir hayatı olmuş. Arapça, Osmanlıca, Türkçe'nin de aralarında olduğu 15 dili öğrenmiş, pek çok dile çevrilen yaklaşık 30 kitap yazmış. Pek çok tarihçiye nasip olmayacak bir üne kavuşmuş, tarihin dönüm noktalarına tanıklık etmiş ve tarihi yapanlarla tanışmış. Lewis'in Osmanlı hakkındaki kitapları alanındaki en yetkin kitaplardan. Özal başta olmak üzere pek çok siyasetçiyle tanışmış,uzun yıllar adını kitapta vermediği aristokrat bir Türk kadınıyla sevgili olmuş, Türk toplumunun nabzını çok iyi tutan bir tarihçi. Orta Doğu ve Müslüman toplumları en iyi tanıyan Batılılardan biri. İngiltere doğumlu ama çok uzun yıllardır Amerika'da yaşayan Lewis farklı toplumları çok iyi gözlemleyen, ince espri anlayışını da yansıtan bir yazar. Yaşadıklarının hepsini yazsa çok daha uzun bir kitap olurdu ama bu eser de güzel bir özet. Ermeni Mezalimini 'soykırım' olarak nitelendirmediği için Fransa'da yargılanmasından, Irak Savaşı kararında Özal'ın rolüne kadar bize dokunan çok yer var kitapta. Dili nefis, esprileri Yahudi kökenine uygun olarak son derece ince. Keşke bizdeki tarihçiler de bu kadar duru yazabilse. Müslüman toplumların demokrasi anlayışı ve bölgeye dair genel değerlendirmeleri de önemli. Tarih bilmenin ne kadar önemli olduğunu gösteren çok güzel bir kitap.

[Patricrk patrick · Rating 4 out of 5]

Autobiographical account of the life of Bernard Lewis. He is a prominent historian of the mid-east. This book written when he is 95 reveals a man full of humor and wisdom. Makes me determined to read some of his actual histories.

[Cem Yüksel · Rating 4 out of 5]

Ölümünden kısa bir süre sonra, üniversitede okumaya başladığım Bernard Lewis’e bir tür ‘tribute’ hürmet okuyuşu için uygun bir kitap oldu. Aslında bir anlamda nehir kitap da denebilecek tarzda, uzun ömrünü ve tecrübe ettiklerini , düşünceleri ve fikirleri ile harmanlayıp sohbet tarzında anlatmış. Tarihçiliğindeki nesnel tarzına karşılık, belki kökleri , belki yetiştiği kültür ortamı nedeniyle, bu kadar içine girdiği Ortadoğu’ya halen yukarıdan bakan ve ders veren tavrı,Edward Said’in şekillendirici oryantalistlik suçlamasına sanki destek oluyor. Her ne kadar Lewis bunu entellektüel oryantalizm kavramı ile red ediyorsa da, Arap dünyasının demokrasiye geçemeyeceğini, tiranlarca yönetileceğini, bu tiranlarla dost olunması gerektiğini söylediğinde veya Iran’ı büyük tehlike olarak gördüğünde ve Amerika’nın nazik değil korkutan bir politika izlemesini yakın olduğu bir çok politikacıya tavsiye ettiğinde sanki bir miktar şahin politikacı havasını seziyorsunuz. Buna karşılık objektif tarih konusunda da, doğrunun yanında duran ve doğru argümanlarla tarihi değerlendiren, bilgili, kaynakların yanısıra insanlarla ilişkileri sayesinde kültürel dinamikler ile tarihi analiz edebilen, ilgilendiği çok dil sayesinde kültürel irtibatları kurabilen bir hoca. Kitapta bu tarzı nedeniyle yaşadıklarının yanısıra, akademik çevrenin sıkıntıları üzerine yorumları da, karıştığı mahkeme ve kamuoyuna yansıyan ciddi tartışmalardaki tecrübeleri ve bunlarla ilgili açıklamaları da var. Sanki gitmeden “dosyaları bir toparlayıp, kapatalım” demiş. Neredeyse 102 yaşında gidince,bu da bayağı dosya yapıyor. Değerli bir tarihçinin , bazen politikanın da içinde olarak, İkinci Dünya savaşından yakın tarihe tanıklığı. Tarihten hoşlananlar için keyifli bir kitap.

[عبدالرحمن عقاب · Rating 3 out of 5]

ذلك العجوز الباحث، برنارد لويس، عاش حتى قارب القرن عمراً. وكان باحثاً في التاريخ. ولج عالمنا "الشرق أوسطي" من باب دراسته عن الإسماعيليين. ثمّ عبر إلى تاريخ الحضارة العربية الإسلامية، وصار خبيراً فيها.
ولخبرته في التاريخ واللغات؛ فقد صار له رأي يُسمع، وتحليلاتٌ تُطلب في شئون الشرق الأوسط.
كتب هذا الرجل العجوز "هوامش" كما سمّاها على زمنٍ طويل عاشه. تنقل فيه من التاريخ إلى السياسة، إلى الفكر والع��ل الأكاديمي، ومن الحياة العامة جداً إلى الخاصة جدا.
وقد جاء الكتاب ماتعاً سلسلاً. فوائده منثورة على شكل ملاحظات وأفكار يكتبها، وتعليقات يطلقها، أو مقولاتٍ ينقلها.
وأما أحداثه فمبعثرة غير منتظمة زمانيا، ولكنها مجموعةً موضوعياً.
وكانت الترجمة رائعة لولا أخطاء الإملاء أو الطباعة غير القليلة.
نعود إلى "لويس" فقد تحدث خمس عشرة لغة، على تفاوت في الإجادة، وعمل زمناً في المخابرات البريطانية بحكم إجادته للغة. وقابل شخصيات سياسية كبيرة ومهمة على امتداد الخارطة السياسية العالمية والمشرقية، وطلبت إدارة بوش رأيه في حروب العراق، وله علاقة جيدة بـ"ديك تشيني"، وهو يهودي الديانة. واتهمه "إدوارد سعيد" بأنه رأس في الاستشراق الاستعماري الحديث. كلّ ذلك جعله عرضة لاتهامات بالتآمر والتحامل، وقد سعى "لويس" في كتابه هذا إلى ردّ بعض هذه الاتهامات، والسخرية منها.
بالمن��سبة، لم أقرأ للكاتب من قبل كتبه "الاستشراقية"، لكني سأفعل، إن شاء الله، إن كان في العمر متسع وبقية.

[Corinne Wasilewski · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really enjoyed this book. Bernard Lewis has a flair for communicating Middle Eastern history to the novice, but, in this book the reader also gets a sense of him as a person. The author comes across as extremely principled, wise, witty, humble and grateful. In short, he is a delight.

I really appreciated his debunking of several postmodernist ideas as they relate to history. For example, he criticizes a Marxist analysis approach to the understanding of Middle Eastern history and denounces the idea that history should be written only by insiders. He also explains where Edward Said goes wrong in his use of the word "orientalist" and the errors implicit in Said's thesis that European orientalist scholarship is linked to European Imperial expansion in the Islamic world.

[اخضر اخضر · Rating 5 out of 5]

كتاب ولا أغنى بالأحداث تمثل حياة انسان لا يصح ان تختصر حياته بقرن فمع كثر الثقافات واللغات وتنوع الحياة الاجتماعية يخيل لي انه عاش آلاف السنين
فكل لغة حياة وكل اطلاع كل ثقافة وحياة مجتمع حياة أخرى
بعض الأشخاص يعيشون اكثر من مئة عام بدون اثر يولدون ويموتون بدون اثر يذكر
ولكن قرن في حياة الإنسان الذي بدا بالحرب العالمية الأولى ونهاية لاحداث الربيع العربي. عندما يشير إلى الأماكن التي زارها والأشخاص الذين مروا بحياته
الجامعات التي درس بها واللغات التي تعلمها والحروب الانقلابات تجعلنا نحسد احيانا ونتعاطف احيانا مع الكاتب دفي نهاية حياته عندما تكون الحياة بهذه الغنى يصبح الحزن في نهايته اكثر ايلاما لان الذكريات الكثيرة تولد عواطف كبيرة وشجون كثيرة
واحد من أجمل كتب السيرة وان اختلفنا مع الكاتب زفي الكثير من النقاط لكن هذا لا يقلل من قيمة الكتاب

[Saad · Rating 5 out of 5]

هذا النوع من الكتب هو ما يحتاجه القارئ من فترة لأخر لتجديد شغفه بالقراءة.. سيرة ذاتية لمؤرخ ومفكر من نوع خاص.. فهو مثير للجدل بمعنى الكلمة.. فبرنارد لويس يتهم دائما أنه أحد عرابي مشاريع سياسية خطيرة في الشرق الأوسط.. بينما معظم كتاباته ومحاضراته لا تنم عن ذلك أبدا.. بل تميل لصالح العرب والمسلمين في أحيان كثيرة.. من الكتب النادرة التي استمتعت بها بكل معنى للكلمة..والترجمة كانت متميزة..

[Jeremy · Rating 5 out of 5]

Such a long and fascinating life, so vividly told. I loved every word of it. His analysis of of the practice and craft of history and historiography is masterful and should be required reading for every budding historian. Looking forward to reading a lot more of his work

[Angela Gann · Rating 5 out of 5]

I really wanted to understand more about the Middle East and all of it's issues. This book was eye opening and provided in depth data/information. I feel more educated on the subject and I'm more emotional about the struggles as well.

[Davut Gürbüz · Rating 4 out of 5]

The book is overall good, but regarding it's genre I'm a bit confused. I read a few from this sort of biography/history/ a little politics flavor and it's not my best sorto of book.

[Eren · Rating 3 out of 5]

Yer yer ilginç anılar var ancak tarih kitabından ziyade çok da ilgi çekici olmayan bir otobiyografi

[Rick · Rating 2 out of 5]

Usually love Lewis, maybe I just don't enjoy memoirs very much?

[Yisroel · Rating 5 out of 5]

For me, this has three ingredients that make a book a great read: well-written, insightful, and generously sprinkled with humor. Very informative and refreshingly honest.

[Kristen Leigh · Rating 5 out of 5]

What an incredible life!

[Sarout Alharbi · Rating 3 out of 5]

الترجمة لطيفة، موضوعه عادي. اللي لفتني فيه حيويته ونشاطه الغير عادي بالمرة ، وشيء آخر، صفاقة وجهه بتناقضاته الفجه. مرات أحسه كذا يسخر من القارئ أو يختبر ذاكرته القصيرة ونشاط عقله.

[Bob Costello · Rating 5 out of 5]

Very interesting book about a very interesting man. Listened to it while driving -highly recommend.

[Omar Taufik · Rating 5 out of 5]

I would call this book a "charming" autobiography just as the author is described on some occasions.
The author age 95 when writing the book (100 now) takes us on this interesting journey starting from the second decade of the twentieth century with his birth year 1916 London with his various family background and memories then going through his education years to reach his final graduation in 1939.
His experience during World War 2 in the British army and his first contact with the middle East in the forties is a notable and life determining aspect and experience.
His move to Princeton USA 1974 could be called the second phase of his long and productive life.
The author then gets an opening during the early nineties with the exposure to the political main players in the US mainly speaking Dick Cheney with the gulf war. This was the beginning of several interactions with various political personnel in and around the White House where his later books started to attract increasing fame and popularity especially after the tragic 9/11 attacks.
In this book the reader will benefit from the author's experience as a historian and as an Englishman from a Jewish background born early in 1916 and still among us at a 100 years after a long and interesting life.
The reader will find many views and insights of the author related to history, research, politics, middle East and Islam .. all with great knowledge and experience.
The final chapter named (In Sum) was really touching.
I recommend this book for readers interested in history, middle East and a long life in experience and productivity with all the inspiration and insight ... wishing the best of health and a peaceful life to the author after what he had given us lovers of history a lifetime of priceless works and effort ..

[Uwais]

Went straight to chapter 10, "Orientalism and the Cult of Right Thinking" to see the last response to Said. I say last because Said is no longer with us to produce a response. I like Lewis, his earlier writings which I'm acquainted with leave one with so much admiration and yet the passages on Orientalism and Said are disappointing. There's little added here to what has already been mentioned in his earlier responses. In fact, Said is correct in saying Lewis simply cannot, does not and will not understand his grievance. I find many of Said's arguments are misplaced too *yet* his overall thesis holds. Instead of dealing with the core problem what you have then is points scoring of particulars, of which enough has already been done. (see here: http://www.nybooks.com/articles/archi...)

The citations given from Enough Said misrepresent much of what Said has written. There is a context for each citation. You don't have to be a genius to understand this, just pick up Said's book and read each citation in full. If Said is said to have expediently misconstrued texts for a broader agenda, the same could be said of his critics based on the arguments provided in this chapter. When does Said suggest that an 'outsider' cannot write history? He objects only to a certain type of outsider.

The rest of the chapter which deals with retirement, academia, his stint at Annenberg Centre and lastly his marriage at 80 is delightful. Drawing upon a wealth of experience, he provides edifying observations which no doubt provides food for thought for aspiring academics and graduates.

Don't plan to read the rest of the book just yet.