Above 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.
| 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). |