The Arts of Intimacy: Christians, Jews and Muslims in the Making of Castilian Culture - Hardcover

Dodds, Jerrilynn D.; Menocal, Maria Rosa; Balbale, Abigail Krasner

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 0300106092 ISBN 13: 9780300106091

Publisher: Yale University Press, 2008

Synopsis

Named a Book of the Year by the Times Literary Supplement, this lavishly illustrated work explores the vibrant interaction among different and sometimes opposing cultures, and how their contacts with one another transformed them all. It chronicles the tumultuous history of Castile in the wake of the Christian capture of the Islamic city of Tulaytula, now Toledo, in the eleventh century and traces the development of Castilian culture as it was forged in the new intimacy of Christians with the Muslims and Jews they had overcome.

The authors paint a portrait of the culture through its arts, architecture, poetry and prose, uniquely combining literary and visual arts. Concentrating on the eleventh and twelfth centuries, the book reveals the extent to which Castilian identity is deeply rooted in the experience of confrontation, interaction, and at times union with Hebrew and Arabic cultures during the first centuries of its creation. Abundantly illustrated, the volume serves as a splendid souvenir of southern Spain; beautifully written, it illuminates a culture deeply enriched by others.

About this title

About the Author:

Jerrilynn D. Dodds is distinguished professor and senior faculty advisor to the provost for undergraduate education, City College of New York. She lives in New York City. Marķa Rosa Menocal is director, Whitney Humanities Center, and Sterling Professor of the Humanities, Yale University. Her previous book, The Ornament of the World: How Muslims, Jews, and Christians Created a Culture of Tolerance in Medieval Spain, has been translated into seven languages. She lives in New York City. Abigail Krasner Balbale is a candidate for the Ph.D. in history and Middle Eastern studies at Harvard University, where she focuses on the cultural history of medieval Iberia. This is her first book.

 

Review:

 “The art, the architecture, and the poetry produced in the medieval Iberian peninsula are of such astonishing quality that a survey, especially when it is as intelligent and well presented as this one, can hardly fail both to illuminate and instruct.” –J.H. Elliott, New York Review of Books (J.H. Elliott New York Review of Books 2009-08-13)

"Jerrilynn D.Dodds’, Maria Rosa Menocal and Abigail Krasner’s Balbale’s Arts of Intimacy: Christians, Jews, and Muslims in the Making of Castilian Culture stands out in every respect: it is challenging, thorough, and compelling. Its importance lies in conveying the unique cultural and linguistic polyphony of the nascent Castilian culture. Iconographic testimonies from architecture, epigraphy and calligraphy orchestrate the historical voices expressed in an unprecedentedly rich multilingual poetry. A startling and provocative book that puts an end to any essentialist claim to be laid on this exceptional part of Europe."—Angelika Neuwirth (Angelika Neuwirth)

"A delightful blend of poetry and solid science. How a nation was born out of fascination for the enemy it was victoriously fighting, gaining momentum 'with each meal shared, or bridle admired, each textile or ivory box received in tribute', and with each story told."—Gabriel Martinez-Gros
(Gabriel Martinez-Gros)

"All Medievalists should welcome and treasure this splendid book. Here we see, in an innovative and eminently convincing perspective, the unique phenomenon of medieval Iberia, as a collaborative and also as a conflictive creation of Castilians belonging to the three religions. As much for scholars interested in literature and language, as for those concerned with art and architecture, this book will be 'must' reading. Dodds, Menocal, and Krasner Balbale deserve our thanks and our congratulations."—Samuel G. Armistead
(Samuel G. Armistead)

“The Arts of Intimacy creates a composite close-up of a part of Spain usually associated with rock-solid Catholic oppression and authority...explored here subtly and richly.”--Times Literary Supplement
(Marina Warner Times Literary Supplement 2009-11-27)

“The compelling story of the complex entangling of Christian, Muslim, and Jewish history, culture, literature and art in medieval Iberia has been told many times before...But it has never been told like this...A rich tapestry of a book that brings to vivid life the dialectic of acculturation and assimilation in which medieval Spain’s three religious groups were enmeshed.”--Jill Ross, Times Higher Education (UK)
(Jill Ross Times Higher Education (UK) 2009-09-03)

“...beautiful and gorgeously illustrated. . . .this is a fascinating trawl through a forgotten time.”--Catholic Herald
(Catholic Herald)

"Richly illustrated. . . . Deliberately accessible. . . . Through its clear narrative and its elegant style , and thanks to its affordable price, Arts of Intimacy works to render a fascinating and complex topic more widely accessible to a general readership."—Andrea Weisl-Shaw, Medium Aevum (Andrea Weisl-Shaw Medium Aevum)

"Beautifully written and lavishly illustrated, the book represents a distinguished contribution to our understanding of the cosmopolitan world of medieval Iberia."--Catholic Historical Review
(Catholic Historical Review)

"[The Arts of Intimacy] unfolds as a complex interlacing of literary, visual, and historical evidence that challenges the idealized notion of medieval Iberian convivencia, or peaceful coexistence, with nuanced interpretations of crossdisciplinary evidence. The text's high points are thoroughly enjoyable."—Marķa Judith Feliciano, Speculum--A Journal of Medieval Studies (Marķa Judith Feliciano Speculum--A Journal of Medieval Studies)

About this edition

• Publisher: Yale University Press
• Publication date: 2008
• ISBN 10: 0300106092
• ISBN 13: 9780300106091
• Binding: Hardcover
• Edition number: 1
• Number of pages: 395