Bernard Lewis

El Oriente Próximo ha sido un escenario privilegiado de la historia: lugar de nacimiento de tres grandes religiones y de numerosas civilizaciones, centro de poder político y militar... Se le han dedicado infinidad de libros, pero nadie hasta ahora se habia atrevido a ofrecernos un panorama que abarcase dos mil años de historia, desde la aparicion del cristianismo hasta la guerra del Golfo, de esa compleja encrucijada del viejo mundo, y que no solo sintetizase los acontecimientos politicos y militares, sino que analizase al propio tiempo la economia, la sociedad y la cultura. Y, sin embargo, solo dentro de esta perspectiva temporal larga cobran pleno sentido los acontecimientos del pasado y los problemas del presente.

Panorámica general y de fácil comprensión sobre los pueblos árabes desde el período preislámico hasta la actualidad, que incluye necesariamente el desarrollo de la España musulmana. Una obra rigurosa y en un tono muy divulgativo.Bernard Lewis es uno de los mas prestigiosos especialistas en el estudio del mundo arabe. Profesor emerito de la Cleveland E. Dodge y miembro del Institute for Advance Study de la Universidad de Princeton, en su amplia bibliografia destacan Las identidades multiples de Oriente Medio, Los asesinos: Una secta islamica radical, La crisis del Islam: Guerra Santa y terrorismo, ¿Que ha fallado? El impacto de Occidente y la respuesta de Oriente Proximo...

The word ''Assassin'' was brought back from Syria by the Crusaders, and in time acquired the meaning of murderer. Originally it was applied to the members of a Muslim religious sect - a branch of the Ismailis, and the followers of a leader known as the Old Man of the Mountain. Their beliefs and their methods made them a by-word for both fanaticism and terrorism in Syria and Persia in the 11th and 12th centuries, and the subject of a luxuriant growth of myth and legend. In this book, Bernard Lewis begins by tracing the development of these legends in medieval and modern Europe and the gradual percolation of accurate knowledge concerning the Ismailis. He then examines the origins and activities of the sect, on the basis of contemporary Persian and Arabic sources, and against the background of Middle Eastern and Islamic history. In a final chapter he discusses some of the political, social and economic implications of the Ismailis, and examines the significance of the Assassins in the history of revolutionary and terrorist movements.

En La crisis del islam se examinan las raíces históricas del resentimiento que domina el mundo musulmán de hoy, en un intento por ayudar a comprender las razones del rechazo de muchos musulmanes a la modernidad y su aspiracion por retornar a un pasado sagrado. Revista trece siglos de historia y comienza por analizar los origenes historicos del islam politicos hasta llegar a los acontecimientos del siglo XX que han dado lugar a las violentas confrontaciones actuales.

Panorámica general y de fácil comprensión sobre los pueblos árabes desde el período preislámico hasta la actualidad, que incluye necesariamente el desarrollo de la España musulmana. Una obra rigurosa

What does "jihad" really mean? What is the Muslim conception of law? What is Islam''s stance toward unbelievers? Probing literary and historical sources, Bernard Lewis traces the development of Islamic political language from the time of the Prophet to the present. His analysis of documents written in Arabic, Persian, and Turkish illuminates differences between Muslim political thinking and Western political theory, and clarifies the perception, discussion, and practices of politics in the Islamic world. "Lewis''s own style, combining erudition with a simple elegance and subtle humor, continues to inspire. In an era of specialization and narrowing academic vision, he stands alone as one who deserves, without qualification, the title of historian of Islam."--Martin Kramer, "Middle East Review" "A superb effort at synthesis that presents all the relevant facts of Middle Eastern history in an eminently lucid form. . . . It is a book that should prove both rewarding and congenial to the Muslim reader."--S. Parvez Manzor, "Muslim World Book Review" "By bringing his thoughts together in this clear, concise and readable account, Lewis] has placed in his debt scholars and all who seek to understand the Muslim world."--Ann K. S. Lambton, "Bulletin of the School of Oriental and African Studies" " Lewis] constructs a fascinating account of the ways in which Muslims have conceived of the relations between ruler and ruled, rights and duties, legitimacy and illegitimacy, obedience and rebellion, justice and oppression. And he shows how changes in political attitudes and concepts can be traced through changes in the political vocabulary."--Shaul Bakhash, "New York Review of Books"

Les mœurs, les arts, la littérature, les sciences, les prodiges techniques du vieux continent, mais aussi les batailles que l''Occident livra à l''Islam, ont été racontés, voire disséqués, par des vo