Lawrence in Arabia

War, Deceit, Imperial Folly and the Making of the Modern Middle East

By: Scott Anderson

Narrated by: Malcolm Hillgartner

NAMED ONE OF THE BEST BOOKS OF THE YEAR BY
New York Times • Christian Science Monitor • NPR • Seattle Times • St. Louis Dispatch

National Book Critics Circle Finalist -- American Library Association Notable Book

A thrilling and revelatory narrative of one of the most epic and consequential periods in 20th century history – the Arab Revolt and the secret “great game” to control the Middle East

The Arab Revolt against the Turks in World War One was, in the words of T.E. Lawrence, “a sideshow of a sideshow.” Amidst the slaughter in European trenches, the Western combatants paid scant attention to the Middle Eastern theater. As a result, the conflict was shaped to a remarkable degree by a small handful of adventurers and low-level officers far removed from the corridors of power.

Curt Prüfer was an effete academic attached to the German embassy in Cairo, whose clandestine role was to foment Islamic jihad against British rule. Aaron Aaronsohn was a renowned agronomist and committed Zionist who gained the trust of the Ottoman governor of Syria. William Yale was the fallen scion of the American aristocracy, who traveled the Ottoman Empire on behalf of Standard Oil, dissembling to the Turks in order gain valuable oil concessions. At the center of it all was Lawrence. In early 1914 he was an archaeologist excavating ruins in the sands of Syria; by 1917 he was the most romantic figure of World War One, battling both the enemy and his own government to bring about the vision he had for the Arab people.

The intertwined paths of these four men – the schemes they put in place, the battles they fought, the betrayals they endured and committed – mirror the grandeur, intrigue and tragedy of the war in the desert. Prüfer became Germany’s grand spymaster in the Middle East. Aaronsohn constructed an elaborate Jewish spy-ring in Palestine, only to have the anti-Semitic and bureaucratically-inept British first ignore and then misuse his organization, at tragic personal cost. Yale would become the only American intelligence agent in the entire Middle East – while still secretly on the payroll of Standard Oil. And the enigmatic Lawrence rode into legend at the head of an Arab army, even as he waged secret war against his own nation’s imperial ambitions.

Based on years of intensive primary document research, LAWRENCE IN ARABIA definitively overturns received wisdom on how the modern Middle East was formed. Sweeping in its action, keen in its portraiture, acid in its condemnation of the destruction wrought by European colonial plots, this is a book that brilliantly captures the way in which the folly of the past creates the anguish of the present.

OK

Started well, minute detail along the way and a little disjointed presentation I felt. I couldn't get into it after about 12 hours of listening.
It is a great biography of TE Lawrence.

You simply canmot separate Lawrence from Arabia

Very detailed story. Very informative. Very interesting. For those seeking to learn about history and the man that made it.

Great background to the Mideast of today

Excellent history of this most difficult part of the world, and how so many of its troubles were generated back in the early 20th century.

Great companion to Seven Pillars

This is an excellent follow-up companion to Lawrence's much better Seven Pillars of Wisdom, but not a substitute for it.

A Captivating Tale of Systemic Failure

This is one of the most eloquent depictions of history I have ever read/listened to. The book takes an unbiased approach to garner truths of the middle eastern conflict during WWI. Additionally, provides an excellent analysis on the thought process and decisions of many of the key players which shaped history.