Quest in the Middle East: Gertrude Bell and the Making of Modern Iraq
Revered or reviled, Gertrude Bell was a commanding figure: scholar, linguist, archaeologist, traveler and "Orientalist". Belonging to the tradition of the great British Middle East enthusiasts of the early twentieth century, she explored the Ottoman Empire during and after World War I and was (alongside T.E. Lawrence) hugely instrumental in the post-war reconfiguration of the Arab states in the Middle East. Using previously unseen sources, including Gertrude Bell's own diaries and letters,...
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Revered or reviled, Gertrude Bell was a commanding figure: scholar, linguist, archaeologist, traveler and "Orientalist". Belonging to the tradition of the great British Middle East enthusiasts of the early twentieth century, she explored the Ottoman Empire during and after World War I and was (alongside T.E. Lawrence) hugely instrumental in the post-war reconfiguration of the Arab states in the Middle East. Using previously unseen sources, including Gertrude Bell's own diaries and letters, Liora Lukitz provides a deeper political and personal biography of this influential character and the tragedy, vulnerability and frustration that were key to her quest both for a British-dominated Middle East and relief from her troubled romantic life.
List of IllustrationsviAcknowledgementsviiPreface1Prologue10Part IThe Journey1'Light of Mine Eyes and Harvest of My Heart'232'She Had Known Ruptures, She Had Known the Whole'313'The Shadow of a Stone'564'I Will Dedicate This Year to You'77Part IIArrival5'On the Edge of Important Things'1076'Father, Think!'1257'To Make Kings, to Invent Kingdoms'1438'A Tower of Strength and Wisdom'1749'We Had Awakened and Become a Nation'202Part IIIDepartures10'Dust ...'21111'Flood ...'224Epilogue245Afterword251Notes257Selected Bibliography293Index303
\ From the Publisher\ 'Serious and reliable...deep in historical understanding and deeper in its research into the vast archival materials available.' The New Republic\ 'In a fascinating account of Gertrude Bell's life and her involvement in Iraq, Liora Lukitz provides a first-rate scholarly study of the creation of the Iraqi state...a solid and most readable contribution to the current literature on the establishment of modern Iraq, its problems and possible solutions to them.' Rami Ginat, Haaretz (Israel) "A fascinating book, well worth reading for new insights into a personality who deserves to be better known and understood." -Asian Affairs "A first-rate scholarly study of the Iraqi stat." --Haaretz\ \ \
