Previous | Next :: Bernard Lewis in his Library : Princetown : NJ | March 8, 2007, 1:40 am

"When it comes to Islamic studies, Bernard Lewis is the father of us all. With brilliance, integrity, and extraordinary mastery of languages and sources, he has led the way for Jewish and Christian investigators seeking to understand the Muslim world."

--National Review

Well that is in a nutshell why Bernard Lewis tonight received AEI's Irving Kristol Award for 2007 and gave the Kristol Lecture. I was there to see him (in my tux you will laugh to hear psycho) along with Vice President Dick Cheney and other notables. Bernard Lewis gave an interesting lively speech to a capacity crowd at the AEI annual dinner........ no mean feat for a person in their 90's...... he was frankly amazing... controversial and thought provoking as always. The image above was shot back in 2002 only a few months after the 9-11 attack on NYC and DC. At that time I visited with Bernard Lewis at his home in Princeton and sat in on an interview he gave to the Sunday Times (UK). I was hearing him speak for the first time and was definitely influenced and impressed by some of his arguments, and of course by his charm and eloquence ....... he has his long sweep of history view...... from the earliest emergence of Islam and onto its expansion and the resulting crusades etc....... on to the present day..... and is recognized for his special understanding of the thought process and language that defines Islam and its adherents........ this image shows him in his library back then..... it was a memorable afternoon and the library itself had a welcoming but learned atmosphere the perfect place for this engaging academic to live.

Cheers Jez XX