Name: Jerusalem
Rating: 3.6 (10 reviews)
ISBN: 9783596176311

Simon Montefiore

die Biographie

Jerusalem

Simon Sebag Montefiore

Jerusalem is the universal city, the capital of two peoples, the shrine of three faiths; it is the prize of empires, the site of Judgement Day and the battlefield of today's clash of civilisations. From King David to Barack Obama, from the birth of Judaism, Christianity and Islam to the Israel-Palestine conflict, this is the epic history of 3,000 years of faith, slaughter, fanaticism and coexistence. How did this small, remote town become the Holy City, the 'centre of the world' and now the key to peace in the Middle East? In a gripping narrative, Simon Sebag Montefiore reveals this ever-changing city in its many incarnations, bringing every epoch and character blazingly to life. Jerusalem's biography is told through the wars, love affairs and revelations of the men and women - kings, empresses, prophets, poets, saints, conquerors and whores - who created, destroyed, chronicled and believed in Jerusalem. As well as the many ordinary Jerusalemites who have left their mark on the city, its cast varies from Solomon, Saladin and Suleiman the Magnificent to Cleopatra, Caligula and Churchill; from Abraham to Jesus and Muhammad; from the ancient world of Jezebel, Nebuchadnezzar, Herod and Nero to the modern times of the Kaiser, Disraeli, Mark Twain, Rasputin and Lawrence of Arabia. Drawing on new archives, current scholarship, his own family papers and a lifetime's study, Montefiore illuminates the essence of sanctity and mysticism, identity and empire in a unique story of the city that many believe will be the setting for the Apocalypse. This is how Jerusalem became Jerusalem: the only city that exists twice - in heaven and on earth.

The Biography

Frederik Van den Bril

"A history of Jerusalem is the history of the world." This book is an epic undertaking. Fascinating and very, very well written. However after a while (400 pages in) I got a bit bored by the constant taking, retaking, plundering, pillaging, backstabbing, destroying, burning, raping, pillaging, executions, not to mention the royal intrigues, political maneuvers, treason, betrayel, incest, etc etc etc. Poor city and above all, poor citizens! I don't understand why people read Game of Thrones, if you're looking for medieval-like sex, politics and murder; look no further!

On a more serious note: I was also disappointed by the last chapters (1948 until now); lots of things were left unsaid. I feel like the author tried to be a bit too diplomatic in order not to offend his potential Israeli readership. Writing about modern history proves to be a much more difficult and contentious undertaking.

Jerusalem die Biographie

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