The Alhambra by Robert Irwin
The Alhambra has long been a byword for melancholy beauty. In his absorbing new book, Robert Irwin, Arabist and novelist, examines its history and allure. The Alhambra is the only Muslim palace to have survived since the Middle Ages. Built by a threatened dynasty of Muslim Spain, it was preserved as a monument to the triumph of Christianity. Every day thousands of tourists enter this magnificent site to be awestruck by its towers and courts, its fountained gardens, its honeycombed ceilings and intricate tile work. It is a complex full of mysteries—even its purpose is unclear. Its sophisticated ornamentation is not indiscriminate but full of hidden meaning. Its most impressive buildings were designed not by architects, but by philosophers and poets. The Alhambra, which resembles a fairy-tale palace, was constructed by slave labor in an era of economic decline, plague, and political violence. Its sumptuously appointed halls have lain witness to murder and mayhem. Yet its influence on art and on literature—including Orientalist painting and the architecture of cinemas, Washington Irving and Jorge Luis Borges—has been lasting and significant. As our guide to this architectural masterpiece, Robert Irwin allows us to fully understand the impact of the Alhambra.
Irwin’s book is a learned but entertaining companion for any visitor-- Oleg Grabar
[Irwin] brings the majestic ruins to life. * Newsweek *
[C]aptures and conveys the mysterious attractions of the Alhambra. -- Doris Lessing * The Spectator *
Irwin’s book is both a perfect introduction to the place and a first-rate account of its history. -- Mark Cocker * The Guardian *
[A] fascinating book. -- Malise Ruthven * Sunday Times *
Robert Irwin writes beautifully and is dauntingly clever but the stunning thing about him is his originality. -- Ruth Rendell
[A] delicious, tart monograph. -- Vera Rule * The Independent on Sunday *
In his remarkably concise, original and readable study, The Alhambra, Irwin deploys impressive scholarship to skewer many of the myths that have grown up around the beautiful palace complex of Nasirid Granada. -- William Dalrymple * Times Literary Supplement *
In this rich, concise contribution to the literature, Robert Irwin uses his vast knowledge of medieval Islam to illumine both myth and reality, history and imagination, without disenchanting the romantic reader… Having been to the Alhambra many times, after reading this wonderful book I wished to go back—and see it for the first time. -- Shusha Guppy * The Independent *
The Alhambra is a succinct, witty, often acerbic compendium of facts, legends, and outright delusions about this Nasrid architectural masterpiece. [Irwin] manages, with style and flair, to convey a surprisingly rich store of detail on medieval Andalusian culture and life… He is the ideal companion: amusing, learned, curious, often eloquent. -- Eric Ormsby * New York Sun *
[F]ascinating… Irwin takes in the history of the Alhambra’s inhabitants, its cultural importance to Westerners and to a new generation of Islamic writers. -- Mirand France * Daily Telegraph *
[S]ensible, scholarly, astringent and witty. It is a fine addition to what promises to be an outstanding series on the world’s great monuments. -- Martin Gayford * Sunday Telegraph *
Edward Said pointed out that in writing about the Arab world, authors always have an agenda. Perhaps Irwin has replaced a Romantic illusion about the Alhambra with one more attractive to the New Age. Irwin is, however, modest about the possibility of ever knowing what the Alhambra was for. And his agenda seems to be nothing more sinister than to get us to look once more and to marvel once again at something we only thought we knew. -- Robin Banerji * The Prospect *
Irwin’s direct and witty style makes this slim volume a joy to read, and his chapter on the depiction of the Alhambra in Western literature is especially useful. -- Olga B. Wise * Library Journal *
Robert Irwin has written a compact companion to the history, architectural features, and enduring attraction of the Alhambra. Although this book is in a small guidebook format, the text corrects many of the romantic myths about the Alhambra that most tourists encounter. This book is recommended as excellent reading for someone planning a visit to the Alhambra or for the armchair traveler. His thesis about the geometrical foundations of the design and the use of the Alhambra as ‘a palace to think in’ is persuasively argued. -- Karen Gould
[Irwin] brings the majestic ruins to life. * Newsweek *
[C]aptures and conveys the mysterious attractions of the Alhambra. -- Doris Lessing * The Spectator *
Irwin’s book is both a perfect introduction to the place and a first-rate account of its history. -- Mark Cocker * The Guardian *
[A] fascinating book. -- Malise Ruthven * Sunday Times *
Robert Irwin writes beautifully and is dauntingly clever but the stunning thing about him is his originality. -- Ruth Rendell
[A] delicious, tart monograph. -- Vera Rule * The Independent on Sunday *
In his remarkably concise, original and readable study, The Alhambra, Irwin deploys impressive scholarship to skewer many of the myths that have grown up around the beautiful palace complex of Nasirid Granada. -- William Dalrymple * Times Literary Supplement *
In this rich, concise contribution to the literature, Robert Irwin uses his vast knowledge of medieval Islam to illumine both myth and reality, history and imagination, without disenchanting the romantic reader… Having been to the Alhambra many times, after reading this wonderful book I wished to go back—and see it for the first time. -- Shusha Guppy * The Independent *
The Alhambra is a succinct, witty, often acerbic compendium of facts, legends, and outright delusions about this Nasrid architectural masterpiece. [Irwin] manages, with style and flair, to convey a surprisingly rich store of detail on medieval Andalusian culture and life… He is the ideal companion: amusing, learned, curious, often eloquent. -- Eric Ormsby * New York Sun *
[F]ascinating… Irwin takes in the history of the Alhambra’s inhabitants, its cultural importance to Westerners and to a new generation of Islamic writers. -- Mirand France * Daily Telegraph *
[S]ensible, scholarly, astringent and witty. It is a fine addition to what promises to be an outstanding series on the world’s great monuments. -- Martin Gayford * Sunday Telegraph *
Edward Said pointed out that in writing about the Arab world, authors always have an agenda. Perhaps Irwin has replaced a Romantic illusion about the Alhambra with one more attractive to the New Age. Irwin is, however, modest about the possibility of ever knowing what the Alhambra was for. And his agenda seems to be nothing more sinister than to get us to look once more and to marvel once again at something we only thought we knew. -- Robin Banerji * The Prospect *
Irwin’s direct and witty style makes this slim volume a joy to read, and his chapter on the depiction of the Alhambra in Western literature is especially useful. -- Olga B. Wise * Library Journal *
Robert Irwin has written a compact companion to the history, architectural features, and enduring attraction of the Alhambra. Although this book is in a small guidebook format, the text corrects many of the romantic myths about the Alhambra that most tourists encounter. This book is recommended as excellent reading for someone planning a visit to the Alhambra or for the armchair traveler. His thesis about the geometrical foundations of the design and the use of the Alhambra as ‘a palace to think in’ is persuasively argued. -- Karen Gould
Robert Irwin lives in London. His fiction includes The Arabian Nightmare and Exquisite Corpse. His many books and articles on Islamic subjects include The Arabian Nights: A Companion and Islamic Art.
| SKU | Nicht verfügbar |
| ISBN 13 | 9780674060333 |
| ISBN 10 | 0674060334 |
| Titel | The Alhambra |
| Autor | Robert Irwin |
| Serie | Wonders Of The World |
| Buchzustand | Nicht verfügbar |
| Bindungsart | Paperback |
| Verlag | Harvard University Press |
| Erscheinungsjahr | 2011-05-31 |
| Seitenanzahl | 224 |
| Preise | Nominated for Albert Hourani Book Award 2005 |
| Hinweis auf dem Einband | Die Abbildung des Buches dient nur Illustrationszwecken, die tatsächliche Bindung, das Cover und die Auflage können sich davon unterscheiden. |
| Hinweis | Nicht verfügbar |