NOTES ON A CENTURY Reflections of a Middle East Historian

Bernard Lewis, a prominent and sometimes controversial historian, provides an engaging account of his very long life. Ralph Lister’s performance is absolutely perfect. The account begins with a narrative of Lewis’s early years in England during WWII and the years after. After his migration to the U.S., the narrative turns into a series of fragments and scenes that are interesting but not always clearly delineated with respect to time. Lewis enjoys humor, particularly one-liners—some are quite good. Lister’s reading is always well paced, and his British accent works wonderfully. He captures the perceptive and occasionally irascible scholar and his changing views over a lifetime. F.C. © AudioFile 2012, Portland, Maine [Published: JULY 2012]