Writing Worth Reading
Writing Worth Reading
Nabil Matar is a brilliant author. He’s cornered the market in revisionist history, looking at how Britain related to Barbary. He goes back to English sources in the 17th century that described “The Turk”, that sort of catch-all term for Muslims at the time. These sources are like a Daily Mail editorial, just as filled with bigotry and prejudice as our own responses to Islam today. And Matar holds a mirror up to western culture and shows how prejudiced we are about an entire civilisation.
More about the Barbary pirates with your next book.
Nabil Matar is a brilliant author. He’s cornered the market in revisionist history. He looks at how Britain related to Barbary. He goes back to English sources in the 17th century that described “The Turk”, that sort of catch-all term for Muslims at the time. These sources are like a Daily Mail editorial, just as filled with bigotry and prejudice as responses to Islam today. And Matar holds a mirror up to western culture and shows how prejudiced we are about an entire civilisation.
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Adrian Tinniswood is obsessed with all aspects of 17th-century history. When he was researching his last book, The Verneys: A True Story of Love, War and Madness in 17th-century England, he came across Sir Francis Verney, a Buckinghamshire squire who converted to Islam and became a Barbary Coast pirate. That is what led to his current fascination with pirates. Research for his new book, Enemies of Mankind: Tales of the Barbary Pirates, has shown him that the pirates of history are surprisingly similar to the pirates of today.
