About the Author

Best-selling author and journalist Robert Fisk, based in Beirut as Middle East Correspondent of "The Independent," has lived in the Middle East for almost three decades and holds more British and international journalism awards than any other foreign correspondent. His last book, "Pity the Nation," a history of the Lebanon war, was published to great critical acclaim.

Reviews

"Notable for [its] depth of observation and insight and for the vividness of [its] descriptions of particular events and people. [Fisk has] a strong affection and respect for the suffering majority of Palestinians and Israelis inexorably caught up in the storm of violence, fear, mythology, and hatred that the former territory of Palestine has become . . . His extraordinarily readable book depicts a vast historical landscape . . . For all his erudition and his passion for the subject, Fisk is primarily a journalist, and his book, among many other things, is an important account of what a journalist actually does or tries to do, especially during wars . . . Fisk's powers of observation make his war reporting particularly vivid [and he] has developed a network of friends and acquaintances throughout the region who provide background and depth for his stories . . . Shocking . . . Deeply moving."
-Brian Urquhart, "New York Review of Books"
"Combining a novelist's talent for atmosphere with a scholar's grasp of historical sweep, foreign correspondent Fisk has written one of the most dense and compelling accounts of recent Middle Eastern history yet . . . Fisk, who has lived in and reported on the Middle East since 1976, first for the (London) "Times" and now for the "Independent, " possesses deep knowledge of the broader history of the region . . . It is his capacity for visceral description--he has seen, or tracked down firsthand accounts of, all the major events of the past 25 years--that makes this volume unique . . . A stunning achievement."
--"Publishers Weekly "(starred review)
"The most comprehensive survey of 25 years of Middle Eastern conflict."-"Library Journal"
"An epic account . . . a rich tapestry of the contemporary Middle East [and an] engagingly thorough tour of the region's turmoil."
-"Newsweek International"
"Fisk is a gifted writer and an accomplished storyteller, so those who have not read him before will enjoy [the

"Notable for Ýits¨ depth of observation and insight and for the vividness of Ýits¨ descriptions of particular events and people. ÝFisk has¨ a strong affection and respect for the suffering majority of Palestinians and Israelis inexorably caught up in the storm of violence, fear, mythology, and hatred that the former territory of Palestine has become . . . His extraordinarily readable book depicts a vast historical landscape . . . For all his erudition and his passion for the subject, Fisk is primarily a journalist, and his book, among many other things, is an important account of what a journalist actually does or tries to do, especially during wars . . . Fisk's powers of observation make his war reporting particularly vivid Ýand he¨ has developed a network of friends and acquaintances throughout the region who provide background and depth for his stories . . . Shocking . . . Deeply moving."
-Brian Urquhart, "New York Review of Books"
"Combining a novelist's talent for atmosphere with a scholar's grasp of historical sweep, foreign correspondent Fisk has written one of the most dense and compelling accounts of recent Middle Eastern history yet . . . Fisk, who has lived in and reported on the Middle East since 1976, first for the (London) "Times" and now for the "Independent," possesses deep knowledge of the broader history of the region . . . It is his capacity for visceral description--he has seen, or tracked down firsthand accounts of, all the major events of the past 25 years--that makes this volume unique . . . A stunning achievement."
--"Publishers Weekly "(starred review)
"The most comprehensive survey of 25 years of Middle Eastern conflict."-"Library Journal"
"An epic account . . . a rich tapestry of the contemporary Middle East Ýand an¨ engagingly thorough tour of the region's turmoil."
-"Newsweek International"
"Fisk is a gifted writer and an accomplished storyteller, so those who have not read him before will enjoy Ýthe¨wealth of hard-won narrative detail accumulated over the decades of intrepid reporting."
--"The Economist"
"A magisterial report from the shifting front lines of the Middle East. It deserves to be read by all those who are concerned with what is happening in Iraq today."
-"Boston Sunday Globe"
"The book seals Robert Fisk's place as a venerable, indispensable contributor to informed debate in and about the Middle East."
-"The Nation"