<< 1 >>
Rating: 
Summary: The Making of a Legend By a Shameless Showman
Review: David Lean included a journalist, Jackson Bentley, in his epic film "Lawrence of Arabia," an obvious take-off on the great journalist and author Lowell Thomas. In fact, Thomas was with Lawrence in Arabia and used the experience to make a name for himself and to create a legend. Sadly, it is also true, that T.E. Lawrence did not want to be a legend. As a biography of Lawrence or an introduction to the Middle East this volume has suffered a bit over the years..."it's all right," but there are better books on each subject. Still, this is something special, at least for this writer. This was the first book on the Middle East that I read and when combined with Lean's film which I saw about the same time in early 1963 I was hooked. I have studied, taught about and written about the Middle East ever since. Lowell Thomas and David Lean were inspirations for this modest scholar. I had the privilege to spend part of an early evening with Lowell Thomas in 1973, in of all places a press box awaiting a football game at the University of Utah. It was an unexpected and rare treat. Thomas seemed quite moved that he had encouraged the work of a graduate student. He was was quite a man. His greatest talent was to tell stories, and that he did, with some dramatic embellishments. This work on Lawrence is not unfactual, indeed it provides a good deal of fact. It is also quite sympathetic to Islam and the Arabs, as it should be. Lawrence seems larger than life. But in truth there are men like that. Both Lawrence and Thomas were such men and that can be seen in this wonderful book. It reads well, and it educates, even if some of it is the stuff of legend.
Rating:
Summary: The Making of a Legend By a Shameless Showman
Review: David Lean included a journalist, Jackson Bentley, in his epic film "Lawrence of Arabia," an obvious take-off on the great journalist and author Lowell Thomas. In fact, Thomas was with Lawrence in Arabia and used the experience to make a name for himself and to create a legend. Sadly, it is also true, that T.E. Lawrence did not want to be a legend. As a biography of Lawrence or an introduction to the Middle East this volume has suffered a bit over the years..."it's all right," but there are better books on each subject. Still, this is something special, at least for this writer. This was the first book on the Middle East that I read and when combined with Lean's film which I saw about the same time in early 1963 I was hooked. I have studied, taught about and written about the Middle East ever since. Lowell Thomas and David Lean were inspirations for this modest scholar. I had the privilege to spend part of an early evening with Lowell Thomas in 1973, in of all places a press box awaiting a football game at the University of Utah. It was an unexpected and rare treat. Thomas seemed quite moved that he had encouraged the work of a graduate student. He was was quite a man. His greatest talent was to tell stories, and that he did, with some dramatic embellishments. This work on Lawrence is not unfactual, indeed it provides a good deal of fact. It is also quite sympathetic to Islam and the Arabs, as it should be. Lawrence seems larger than life. But in truth there are men like that. Both Lawrence and Thomas were such men and that can be seen in this wonderful book. It reads well, and it educates, even if some of it is the stuff of legend.
Rating: 
Summary: Lawrence at the Crossroads of Legend and Reality
Review: In writing his book about Lawrence of Arabia, Lowell Thomas knew how to package a story for selling it to a wide variety of audiences. Thomas was, after all, a multi-media professional. Thomas sometimes took liberty with his subject such as how he recalled his first meeting with Lawrence (pg. 1). At other times, Thomas indulged in histrionics (for example when he grew emphatic about the most brilliant and spectacular military operation in the world's history) (pg. 179).Despite these shortcomings, "With Lawrence in Arabia" has the merit and talent to make a complex man accessible to the great majority of people. "Seven Pillars of Wisdom" by Lawrence himself, though a literary masterpiece, is not an easy read compared to Thomas's recollection of Lawrence's exploits. Furthermore, Thomas has defended himself with conviction when he reminds in his foreword that he has not created the myth of Lawrence of Arabia (xiv). Lord Beaverbrook put it nicely when he commented on vain attempts to smear Lawrence's reputation: Every great man is subject to vicious, venomous attack. There are no exceptions. The one who will suffer will be the author (xviii). Lawrence had admirers such as Winston Churchill, Field Marshal Viscount Allenby and Viceroy and Viscount Halifax, to name a few, who knew Lawrence's strengths and weaknesses from personal experience. Most Lawrence's detractors did not know him at this level. Most importantly, "With Lawrence in Arabia" gives contemporary readers valuable insights into the Middle East. The last chapters are probably the most fascinating and also the most actual of all. Thomas recalled how Lawrence helped his old friend, King Feisal, become king of Iraq after being kicked out of Syria by the French. Media-savvy, Lawrence convinced the British Empire to come to the realization that the occupation of Iraq was a burden both to the Imperial Exchequer and Mesopotamia (pg. 230-234). The Coalition in Iraq knows it very well and is working on a transition plan to help Iraqis regain their sovereignty. Probably elections will be held across Iraq in the near future to accommodate the concern of the Shiite community. After these elections, the mandated framers of the new Iraqi Constitution could proceed as follows: I. On Iraqis and their rights The U.S. Bill of Rights could serve as a source of inspiration to govern the relationships between Iraqi citizens and the state. However, the wording of some constitutional amendments should be slightly amended to be fully understandable to a 21st century audience. Although the predominantly Islamic character of Iraq could be stressed in the Fundamental Law as a concession to the Muslim clergy, the separation of religious institutions and state should be made very clear to preserve the rights of religious minorities. Finally, the incorporation of economic, social and cultural rights and their corresponding obligations into the Fundamental Law could be considered as well. II. On Power Separation of powers and checks and balances should define the legislative, executive and judiciary powers and their respective competences. The Constitution should also promulgate that the Iraqi federal authority only has power in the matters that are formally attributed to it by the Fundamental Law and the laws carried in pursuance of the Constitution itself. Finally, the Iraqi presidency could be modeled after the provisions of the German Fundamental Law because of the recent dictatorial past of the country. III. On Federal Iraq, its components and its territory The Belgian Constitution could serve as a useful model to regulate the relationships between the center and the regions as well as between regions in Iraq. Unlike other regions such as former Yugoslavia, Rwanda or Northern Ireland, to name a few, Belgium, sometimes branded as an "artificial state," has been very good at making possible for different communities to live at peace with one another for many years. The "Belgian compromise" could work wonders in a country under stress of centrifugal forces. IV. Energy-revenue management Because easy money encourages corruption in most energy-producing countries, Iraq should set up a fund after the example of Norway. Part of the money should be reinvested to modernize the aged Iraqi infrastructure; part of these funds should be redistributed directly to Iraqi citizens based on census data to strongly discourage manipulation of the fund. As Lawrence himself put it, "whether the (Iraqis) are fit for independence or not remains to be tried. Merit is no qualification for freedom. Freedom is enjoyed when you are so well armed, or so turbulent, or inhabit a country so thorny that the expense ... is greater than the profit (pg. 234)." Light at the end of the tunnel, hopefully, is in sight for Iraqis to rebuild their country with success after decades wasted by a variety of ineffectual dictators.
Rating:
Summary: Lawrence at the Crossroads of Legend and Reality
Review: In writing his book about Lawrence of Arabia, Lowell Thomas knew how to package a story for selling it to a wide variety of audiences. Thomas was, after all, a multi-media professional. Thomas sometimes took liberty with his subject such as how he recalled his first meeting with Lawrence (pg. 1). At other times, Thomas indulged in histrionics (for example when he grew emphatic about the most brilliant and spectacular military operation in the world's history) (pg. 179). Despite these shortcomings, "With Lawrence in Arabia" has the merit and talent to make a complex man accessible to the great majority of people. "Seven Pillars of Wisdom" by Lawrence himself, though a literary masterpiece, is not an easy read compared to Thomas's recollection of Lawrence's exploits. Furthermore, Thomas has defended himself with conviction when he reminds in his foreword that he has not created the myth of Lawrence of Arabia (xiv). Lord Beaverbrook put it nicely when he commented on vain attempts to smear Lawrence's reputation: Every great man is subject to vicious, venomous attack. There are no exceptions. The one who will suffer will be the author (xviii). Lawrence had admirers such as Winston Churchill, Field Marshal Viscount Allenby and Viceroy and Viscount Halifax, to name a few, who knew Lawrence's strengths and weaknesses from personal experience. Most Lawrence's detractors did not know him at this level. Most importantly, "With Lawrence in Arabia" gives contemporary readers valuable insights into the Middle East. The last chapters are probably the most fascinating and also the most actual of all. Thomas recalled how Lawrence helped his old friend, King Feisal, become king of Iraq after being kicked out of Syria by the French. Media-savvy, Lawrence convinced the British Empire to come to the realization that the occupation of Iraq was a burden both to the Imperial Exchequer and Mesopotamia (pg. 230-234). The Coalition in Iraq knows it very well and is working on a transition plan to help Iraqis regain their sovereignty. Probably elections will be held across Iraq in the near future to accommodate the concern of the Shiite community. After these elections, the mandated framers of the new Iraqi Constitution could proceed as follows: I.On Iraqis and their rights The U.S. Bill of Rights could serve as a source of inspiration to govern the relationships between Iraqi citizens and the state. However, the wording of some constitutional amendments should be slightly amended to be fully understandable to a 21st century audience. Although the predominantly Islamic character of Iraq could be stressed in the Fundamental Law as a concession to the Muslim clergy, the separation of religious institutions and state should be made very clear to preserve the rights of religious minorities. Finally, the incorporation of economic, social and cultural rights and their corresponding obligations into the Fundamental Law could be considered as well. II.On Power Separation of powers and checks and balances should define the legislative, executive and judiciary powers and their respective competences. The Constitution should also promulgate that the Iraqi federal authority only has power in the matters that are formally attributed to it by the Fundamental Law and the laws carried in pursuance of the Constitution itself. Finally, the Iraqi presidency could be modeled after the provisions of the German Fundamental Law because of the recent dictatorial past of the country. III.On Federal Iraq, its components and its territory The Belgian Constitution could serve as a useful model to regulate the relationships between the center and the regions as well as between regions in Iraq. Unlike other regions such as former Yugoslavia, Rwanda or Northern Ireland, to name a few, Belgium, sometimes branded as an "artificial state," has been very good at making possible for different communities to live at peace with one another for many years. The "Belgian compromise" could work wonders in a country under stress of centrifugal forces. IV. Energy-revenue management Because easy money encourages corruption in most energy-producing countries, Iraq should set up a fund after the example of Norway. Part of the money should be reinvested to modernize the aged Iraqi infrastructure; part of these funds should be redistributed directly to Iraqi citizens based on census data to strongly discourage manipulation of the fund. As Lawrence himself put it, "whether the (Iraqis) are fit for independence or not remains to be tried. Merit is no qualification for freedom. Freedom is enjoyed when you are so well armed, or so turbulent, or inhabit a country so thorny that the expense ... is greater than the profit (pg. 234)." Light at the end of the tunnel, hopefully, is in sight for Iraqis to rebuild their country with success after decades wasted by a variety of ineffectual dictators.
Rating:
Summary: Excellent Biography, Great Geography
Review: Lowell Thomas launched a first step toward a great career as an author, journalist, and eventually radio commentator with this book revealing the exploits of T.E. Lawrence in Arabia. In David Lean's great film "Lawrence of Arabia" a facsimile of Thomas was presented with the journalist played by Arthur Kennedy who came from New York to cover the great desert warrior's exploits. In addition to providing readers with a firsthand look at the enigmatic, always colorful Lawrence, Thomas also gives us a good look at the geographical milieu of an ancient and fascinating land. He also provides excellent information on tribal leaders, complete with illuminating thumbnail sketches, such as his portrait of the fabled legend in his own time, Auda, who, when told that his false teeth had come from the country he hated, Turkey, smashed them with a rock and was compelled to take his meals through a straw for two weeks. After having learned a great deal about Lawrence elsewhere, what I found truly unique about Thomas' biographical study was his analysis of the desert warrior's brilliant strategy of bringing disparate tribes together for a common goal. He stressed to tribal leaders, making proper pragmatically individualized approaches, how important it was to overcome Turkey's Ottoman Empire in Arabia. Lawrence emphasized that disunity had been their major stumbling block in failing to meet their objectives as Arabs. Lawrence's diplomatic skills resulted in at least a temporary unity, with even the headstrong inidivdualist, Auda, joining the cohesive effort to overthrow the Ottoman regime.
Rating: 
Summary: The harm in poetic license
Review: Reporters have been known, now and then, to play fast and loose with the facts to entertain their readers or elevate themselves. This phenomenon is not limited to our own age. For proof, look no further than this fanciful volume. In 1917, Lowell Thomas was a 25-year-old part-time instructor at Princeton, a "fledgling showman from Ohio who had knocked about North America in search of fame, fortune and adventure," according to historian David Fromkin (A Peace to End All Peace). Thomas then raised enough money to travel to Britain and the Middle East front as a World War I cameraman. With this coverage began the Lawrence of Arabia myth. Thomas was "in search of a salable story with romance and color," Fromkin writes. He found one in Lawrence, who dressed in Arab robes and lived with Arabs. Thomas altered the facts to meet his own mercenary needs. Backed by the New York Globe, Thomas returned to New York with a false story of an Arab revolt he claimed had destroyed the Ottoman empire. At Century Theater in 1919, Thomas played a slide show and lecture, which soon moved to Madison Square Garden, then to London's Royal Opera House and Albert Hall. It eventually became With Lawrence in Arabia. Unfortunately, many readers still accept as gospel the Lawrence of Arabia myth that stemmed largely from Lowell Thomas' hype. This was long ago debunked, along with critical points in Lawrence's own Seven Pillars of Wisdom, but not everyone seems to know it. Fromkin writes that in 1920, when poet and scholar Robert Graves proposed to describe the liberation of Damascus, Lawrence himself warned Graves, "I was on thin ice when I wrote the Damascus chapter...." A onetime junior officer in the Cairo Arab Bureau, Lawrence admitted that Seven Pillars of Wisdom included a false tale of Arab bravery to aggrandize the followers of Sharif Hussein of Mecca and his son Feisal. As early as 1818, reputable newsmen reported that the Australian Light Horse division liberated Damascus from Ottoman control, not Feisal's Arab troops, who marched in afterwards, for show. Efraim and Inari Karsh write (Empires of the Sand) that Lawrence's victory in Damascus was "less heroic" than he pretended: Feisal was "engaged in an unabashed exercise in duplicity and none knew this better than Lawrence, who whole heartedly endorsed this illicit adventure and kept most of its contours hidden from his own superiors." Yet Lawrence basked in the limelight, attending at least five of Thomas' London lectures. By 1921, Fromkin writes, Winston Churchill was in charge of Britain's Arab policy in Mesopotamia and tapped John Evelyn Shuckburgh to head a new Middle East department and Foreign Office man Hubert Winthrop Young to assist him. They arranged transport and supplies for Feisal's Arab army, earning hearty endorsement from Churchill's Masterson Smith committee, which simultaneously took grave exception to T.E. Lawrence as a proposed Arab affairs adviser. The committee considered Lawrence "not the kind of man fit to easily fit into any official machine." Fromkin reports that Lawrence was frequently insubordinate, went over his superiors and in 1920 publicly disparaged Britain's Arab policy in the London Sunday Times as being "worse than the Turkish system." He also accused Britain of killing "a yearly average of 100 Arabs to maintain peace." This was of course untrue. Those who want to know what really happened should consult A Peace to End All Peace and the Karsh's Empires of the Sand. Clearly, With Lawrence in Arabia is well written. But Thomas took liberties, to say the least. William Carlos Williams and Archibald MacLeish, two of his contemporaries, became more famous as poets than as journalists. Yet unlike Thomas, they wisely kept poetic license out of their reporting. Alyssa A. Lappen
Rating:
Summary: Debunking the debunkers
Review: Thomas' book is worth reading because it's a nice antidote to the Lawrence revisionism that reached it's hysterical peak in the late eighties with David Fromkin. A Peace to End All Peace, which has been quoted on this website as some kind of definitve debunking of Lawrence, is now sixteen years old, an eternity in the world of Lawrence ebb and flow. I know of five biographies of Lawrence published since then including Jeremy Wilson's definitive work. The pendulum has been swinging back the other way for over a decade and the mainstream thought now among military historians is that inspite of one or two exaggerations, Lawrence's masterpiece, Seven Pillars of Wisdom, is an accurate account of one of the most remarkable military adventures of modern times. Lowell Thomas, who was an eye witness to some of Lawrence's exploits, also captures the essence of why Lawrence was important. If you had to read only one, of course you should read Seven Pillars. In the March 1, 2004 London Times there are actually two different articles addressing the vital relevance of Seven Pillars of Wisdom for those fighting Arab guerrillas in Irag today. It seems the sales of this great work has exploded. In the Oxford Companion to Military History published in 2002, Lawrence is given credit for virtually inventing effective modern guerrilla warfare (see the entry "guerrilla warfare"). According to this distinguished reference book, every formidable guerrilla fighter from Mao, to Che, to the Israeli guerrillas of the forties, to the Arabs, to the Viet Namese etc., have used Lawrence's writings and experiences as a model for their efforts. Lawrence is back and very relevant, so Thomas' account should be read as an enthusiatic if flawed version of an extremely important development in military and middle eastern history. A word about Fromkin and some of the other out dated debunkers. Lawrence stepped on a lot of Arab, Zionist and British Establisment toes. It's as important to examine the motives of a revisionist as it is to scrutinize the intergrity of an enthusiast.
Rating:
Summary: Debunking the debunkers
Review: Thomas' book is worth reading because it's a nice antidote to the Lawrence revisionism that reached it's hysterical peak in the late eighties with David Fromkin. A Peace to End All Peace, which has been quoted on this website as some kind of definitve debunking of Lawrence, is now sixteen years old, an eternity in the world of Lawrence ebb and flow. I know of five biographies of Lawrence published since then including Jeremy Wilson's definitive work. The pendulum has been swinging back the other way for over a decade and the mainstream thought now among military historians is that inspite of one or two exaggerations, Lawrence's masterpiece, Seven Pillars of Wisdom, is an accurate account of one of the most remarkable military adventures of modern times. Lowell Thomas, who was an eye witness to some of Lawrence's exploits, also captures the essence of why Lawrence was important. If you had to read only one, of course you should read Seven Pillars. In the March 1, 2004 London Times there are actually two different articles addressing the vital relevance of Seven Pillars of Wisdom for those fighting Arab guerrillas in Irag today. It seems the sales of this great work has exploded. In the Oxford Companion to Military History published in 2002, Lawrence is given credit for virtually inventing effective modern guerrilla warfare (see the entry "guerrilla warfare"). According to this distinguished reference book, every formidable guerrilla fighter from Mao, to Che, to the Israeli guerrillas of the forties, to the Arabs, to the Viet Namese etc., have used Lawrence's writings and experiences as a model for their efforts. Lawrence is back and very relevant, so Thomas' account should be read as an enthusiatic if flawed version of an extremely important development in military and middle eastern history. A word about Fromkin and some of the other out dated debunkers. Lawrence stepped on a lot of Arab, Zionist and British Establisment toes. It's as important to examine the motives of a revisionist as it is to scrutinize the intergrity of an enthusiast.
<< 1 >>
|
