| Dear Members, While we wait out these uncertain times, we hope you are all well and safe. But if like us you are confined to your home and a bit fed up, we at The Biographers’ Club would like to bring you a boost of weekly book news, and entertainment, to distract you from the endless BBC updates. Biographers’ book of the week Each week a member from the committee we will be picking a Biography that is well worth a read, and if you have a Biography you would like to recommend then please do email us and we can feature it as next weeks biography of the week. Email us at: [email protected] This week we thought we should start with the unanimous winner of our 2019 Slightly Foxed Best First Biography Prize, Jonathan Phillips’ The Life and Legend of the Sultan Saladin (see photo in news). What is it about? The Life and Legend of the Sultan Saladin is an epic story of empire-building and bloody conflict. It is a ground-breaking biography of one of history’s most venerated military and religious heroes which opens a window on the Islamic and Christian worlds’ complex relationship. When Saladin recaptured Jerusalem from the Crusaders in 1187, returning the Holy City to Islamic rule for the first time in almost ninety years, he sent shockwaves throughout Christian Europe and the Muslim Near East. Drawing on a rich blend of Arabic and European sources, this is a comprehensive account of both the man and the legend, describing vividly the relentless action of his life and then tracing its aftermath through culture and politics all the way to the present day. Jonathan Phillips reveals the personal qualities that explain Saladin’s enduring reputation as a man of faith, generosity, mercy and justice, even while showing him to be capable of mistakes, self-interest and cruelty. Phillips goes on to explain how, after his death, this Sunni Muslim became famed for his charm and chivalric virtue in the West, while across much of the Islamic world he stands as one of history’s greatest heroes, an inspiration to be admired and emulated. The Life and Legend of the Sultan Saladin shows how this one man’s life takes us beyond the crude stereotypes of the ‘Clash of Civilisations’ even while his legacy helps explain them: an intimate portrait of a towering figure of world history that is thrillingly relevant today. (£25 • Bodley Head). If you have read this book and would like to review it, we can publish your thoughts in next week’s newsletter, and we would love to hear from you. [email protected] The Biographers’ Club News Each week we will try our best to bring a snippet of news from the world of Biography, if you have any news that you would like to share then please do get in touch This week we are delighted to announce the 2020 judges for our Slightly Foxed Best First Biography Prize: Rupert Christiansen has been the Daily Telegraph’s opera critic since 1996, and also writes on the arts in a fortnightly diary. He is the author of twelve books, including Romantic Affinities, Paris Babylon, a biography of Arthur Hugh Clough and The Complete Book of Aunts. Selina Hastings is the biographer of Nancy Mitford, Evelyn Waugh, Rosamond Lehmann and Somerset Maugham, among others. Her forthcoming life of Sybille Bedford is due out in the autumn. Alexander Masters is author of the game-changing Stuart, A Life Backwards, The Genius in My Basement and A Life Discarded. He was recipient of the Biographers’ Club Exceptional Contribution to Biography Award 2019. As mentioned earlier two weeks ago the 2019 winner of the Slightly Foxed Best First Biography Prize was awarded to author Jonathan Phillips for his book “The Life and Legend of the Sultan Saladin” Below is a snap shot of the shortlisted authors and people involved: Jonathan Phillips (winner), Gail Pirkis of Slightly Foxed, Francesca Segal, Elizabeth Goldring, George Szirtes, Celia Paul – sadly Lemn Sissay was unable to be there. We will be back next Monday, have a lovely week. All best wishes, The Biographers’ Club |
