Author:Melvyn Bragg,Melvyn Bragg,Various
Melvyn Bragg and guests explore the history of the Islamic world through its religion, thinkers, poetry, empire and rulers
'An ever-growing library of wisdom' The Economist
Since 1998, In Our Time has been the go-to radio programme for knowledge seekers and inquiring minds. Tackling big topics with a light touch, it has introduced weekly audiences of over 2 million to subjects ranging from Romulus and Remus to the Renaissance.
This special themed collection provides a focussed, wide-ranging introduction to 25 of the ideas and events that shaped the Islamic world, highlighting the numerous connections between Islamdom and the West throughout history. We learn the origins of Sharia law, and how prophets became important to Islam, Judaism and Christianity alike; discover how the Translation Movement introduced the Arabic world to Greek philosophy, medicine, engineering and maths; and find out how settlers and invaders from both East and West transformed and refashioned the civilisations they touched, from the Arab Conquest, Muslim Spain and the Volga Vikings to the Third Crusade and the Siege of Vienna.
Here, too, are key scholars and writers, among them al-Kindi, the first significant thinker to reconcile philosophy and Islam; Averroes, who worked to integrate Islamic theology with the rationality of Aristotle; Maimonides, a titan of Jewish intellectual history who was much influenced by the Islamic world; and Rumi, the Persian poet and Sufi mystic whose work transcends borders of time, faith, language and geography.
Hosted by Melvyn Bragg with a panel of experts including Mona Siddiqui, Jim Al-Khalili, Tariq Ali and Amira Bennison, these enlightening, accessible discussions will illuminate, inspire and surprise.
Production credits
Presented by Melvyn Bragg
Produced by Thomas Morris, Simon Tillotson, Victoria Brignell
First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 on the following dates:
Part I: Religion
Islamic Law and its Origins 5 May 2011
Sunni and Shia Islam 25 June 2009
Prophecy 13 June 2013
Part II: History of Ideas
Maths in the Early Islamic World 16 February 2017
The Translation Movement 2 October 2008
Al-Kindi 28 June 2012
al-Biruni 10 June 2010
Avicenna 8 November 2007
Al-Ghazali 19 March 2015
Averroes 5 October 2006
Maimonides 17 February 2011
Ibn Khaldun 4 February 2010
Part III: Literature
Antarah ibn Shaddad 28 February 2019
Rumi's Poetry 11 February 2016
Part IV: Empire
The Sassanid Empire 13 December 2007
The Arab Conquests 26 June 2008
Muslim Spain 21 November 2002
The Battle of Tours 16 January 2014
The Volga Vikings 11 November 2010
The Almoravid Empire 3 May 2018
Third Crusade 29 November 2001
The Siege of Vienna 14 May 2009
Part V: Rulers
The Abbasid Caliphs 2 February 2006
The Mamluks 26 September 2013
The Safavid Dynasty 12 January 2012
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A compelling story of art, war and adventure. An extraordinary odyssey of the imperial treasures of the Forbidden City, protected by heroic and remarkable curators... Superb
—— Simon Sebag Montefiore, author of STALIN: THE COURT OF THE RED TSARA story of bravery and ingenuity, and equally of the critical role cultural heritage plays in forming and maintaining national identity.
—— Wall Street JournalSo much more than a work of art history, Brookes's book illuminates the exceptional dramas of the Chinese front in the Second World War, a theatre of the conflict that is still insufficiently understood
—— Julia Lovell , Literary ReviewAdam Brookes has an eye for a great story and knows how to tell it. Fragile Cargo cannot fail to delight... I enjoyed it enormously
—— John Keay, author of CHINA: A HISTORYA riveting read... With his meticulously researched and detailed writing, Adam Brookes takes us on a compelling journey through this extraordinary chapter of Chinese history. Fragile Cargo reads like a thriller... Gripping stuff
—— Alexi Kaye Campbell, writer of feature film WOMAN IN GOLDBrookes... marries a reporter's grasp of detail with a novelist's narrative flair to bring clarity and readability to a complicated period of China's troubled history
—— Mail on Sunday[A] gripping and meticulously researched account of an epic effort to transport delicate scrolls, paintings and carvings thousands of miles under the thread of bombing and invasion
—— Times Literary SupplementDoes not disappoint . . . A story of courage and adversity, Red Devils is a must-read
—— Who Do You Think You Are MagazineWith rich, glossy strokes The Facemaker restores a sense of immediacy to the daily struggles facing Gillies and his colleagues as they improvised under constant pressure
—— James Riding , The TimesOut of war's most awful wounds, out of gore and terror and pain, Lindsey Fitzharris has - like Sir Harold Gillies himself - crafted something inspiring and downright miraculous. I cannot imagine the sweat and sleuthing and doggedness that went into gathering the details and building the narratives of these men's struggles. This book is riveting. It is gruesome but it is also uplifting. For as much as there is blood and bone and pus in these pages, there is heart. As Fitzharris shows us, the scalpel is mightier than the grenade, and the pen is mightiest of all. What a triumph this book is
—— Mary RoachLike Harold Gillies himself, Lindsey Fitzharris has taken something we might think of as grim and transformed it into something beautiful. Gillies will be an unsung hero no more
—— Sam KeanWow, what a book. Enthralling. Harrowing. Heartbreaking. And utterly redemptive. Lindsey Fitzharris hit this one out of the park
—— Erik Larson, author of THE SPLENDID AND THE VILEHere is that rare thing: a little-known story of the Great War, featuring a pioneering surgeon every bit as daring as the soldiers he saved. Beautifully written, illuminating, and bursting with fascinating detail, The Facemaker is a groundbreaking work that deserves its own genre: medical noir. You won't be able to put it down
—— Karen Abbott, author of THE GHOSTS OF EDEN PARKI was an admirer of Fitzharris's award-winning first book, The Butchering Art, about Joseph Lister. This is her absorbing account of another surgeon: Harold Gillies, who established one of the world's first hospitals dedicated entirely to facial reconstruction
—— Editor's pick , The BooksellerEqual parts devastating and inspiring. The horrors of war are laid bare here, but the stories of each of the soldiers, doctors, nurses, and artists are incredibly poignant and fascinating. I couldn't put it down
—— Jenny LawsonAn extraordinary story about a remarkable man whose work, determination and skill changed countless lives
—— Peter Frankopan, author of THE SILK ROADSGraphic yet inspiring, engaging... [Fitzharris] delivers a consistently vivid account... An excellent biography of a genuine miracle worker
—— Starred review , KirkusWonderful... It was written with a clarity that I loved - although the book is packed with fascinating information, it read as easily as a novel... It is really inspiring and beautifully written
—— Lucy Nathan , BookbrunchA fascinating portrait of pioneering plastic surgeon Harold Gillies and the soldiers whose faces he rebuilt during WWI... Meticulously researched and compulsively readable, this exceptional history showcases how compassion and innovation can help mitigate the terrible wounds of war
—— Starred Review, Publishers WeeklySometimes, you just know. From the moment I read The Facemaker's excellent prologue, I knew I had a book on my hands... Fitzharris is a gifted storyteller and delights in just about the right amount of detail
—— Matthew Shipsey , Irish TimesInformative... A powerful portrait of a gifted man
—— Oliver-James Campbell , New ScientistThe Facemaker conveys the emotional, physical and psychical effects of having an injured and altered face, directly from those who had to deal with them... Powerful
—— Sharrona Pearl , Washington PostIn The Facemaker, Fitzharris rescues another vital yet largely forgotten figure from history. Blending scrupulous research with a novelist's eye, the author charts Gillies's extraordinary contribution to reconstructive surgery and weaves in touching accounts of the soldiers he treated. Stark and occasionally unsettling, the book reveals Gillies as both a craftsman and an artist, and underlines how by restoring the faces of the maimed Gillies was also restoring their lives and identities
—— Brendan Daly , Business PostVividly thrilling
—— Nature