Ibn Khaldun: An Intellectual Biography

Description

The definitive account of the life and thought of the medieval Arab genius who wrote the Muqaddima Ibn Khaldun (1332-1406) is generally regarded as the greatest intellectual ever to have appeared in the Arab world--a genius who ranks as one of the world's great minds. Yet the author of the Muqaddima, the most important study of history ever prod

Robert Irwin is senior research associate at the School of Oriental and African Studies in London and a former lecturer at the University of St. Andrews, Scotland. His many books include Dangerous Knowledge: Orientalism and Its Discontents and Memoirs of a Dervish: Sufis, Mystics, and the Sixties, as well as seven novels. He is a Fellow of the Royal Society of Literature.

"One of the Financial Times' Best Books of the Year: Critics' Picks" "One of Asian Review of Books' Books of the Year (Biography & Memoir)" "In Robert Irwin, Ibn Khaldun has finally found a biographer and interpreter almost as versatile and learned as he was himself."---Eric Ormsby, Wall Street Journal "A compelling new account of the 14th-century Arab historian and polymath. . . . Irwin has produced an exemplary work."---Gavin Jacobson, Financial Times "As an introduction to Ibn Khaldun's fascinating life and times, his ideas, and how they have been understood and misunderstood over the centuries, you could hardly wish for something better."---Thomas Small, Times Literary Supplement "Irwin wears his immense erudition lightly and gives an often very funny account of how orientalists, historians and modern Arab nationalist have interpreted Ibn Khaldun's most famous work. . . . Irwin offers his readers a superb work of intellectual recovery, one which presents Ibn Khaldun as a creature of his time. . . . He has resurrected for us the medieval Muslim mind."---Francis Ghiles, The Spectator "Ibn Khaldun: An Intellectual Biography is both an introduction to his work and an intervention into Ibn Khaldun studies."---Sameer Rahim, Prospect "The great merit of Ibn Khaldun: An Intellectual Biography is that it encourages us to treat the intellectual history of the Islamic world not as a battleground for contemporary ideological struggles but as a subject worthy of investigation in its own right."---Fitzroy Morrissey, Standpoint "Irwin's book lives up to its name. . . . [It is] a work that will be of interest not only to students of Islamic intellectual history, but also to students of historiography, sociology, and anthropology. Irwin's writing is accessible to all levels of readership. Well suited for seminar discussions, as it offers much to debate."---T.M. May, Choice "Irwin's portrait of the philosopher is beautifully written, intriguing, stimulating and movingly intimate."---Doris Behrens-Abouseif, Journal of the Royal Asiatic Society "In his highly readable appraisal of Ibn Khaldun's life and work, Robert Irwin sets out to demythologize and, at the same time, remystify a man whose mind was formed far from the seminar rooms of 20th-century social science. . . . [C]oncise and compelling."---Nile Green, Los Angeles Review of Books "I did enjoy this style of biography as Irwin brought the mind of Ibn Khaldun into focus and showed the genius that [is] worthy of standing with other 'well-regarded' thinkers of the past."---Gaele Hince, I am, Indeed blog "The book is entertaining and thought-provoking in itself; it is not the last word but provides a fascinating guide to further reading."---Patrick Manning, Connections "Irwin's book is very informative and well-argued in addressing the life and works of Ibn Khaldun in both historical and intellectual contexts."---Fadi Zatari, Insight Turkey "This book engages the mind in a positive way and provides an academic but highly accessible introduction to a complex topic."---Abdullah Drury, Islam and Christian-Muslim Relations "A noteworthy contribution to this ever-growing literature about Ibn Khaldun's life, ideas and scholarly influence."---Prof Dr Oktay F. Tanrisever, Rest Journal "Irwin's book is useful, engaging, commendable, and important. Given how Ibn Khaldun used to be misread, Irwin's is a necessary book."---Ephraim Nissan, Quaderni di Studi Indo-Mediterranei