Product Description

A selection of Robert Fisk's finest 'Comment' pieces from the Saturday 'Independent'. Robert Fisk has amassed a devoted readership over the years, with his insightful, witty and always outspoken articles on international politics and mankind's war-torn recent history. He is best known for his writing about the Middle East, its wars, dictators and international relations, but these 'Comment' articles cover an array of topics, from his soldier grandfather to handwriting to the titanic - and of course President Bush, terrorism and Iraq.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #45989 in Books
• Published on: 2008-04-01
• Original language: English
• Binding: Paperback
• 320 pages

Review
'500 pages of his truthful scorn left me wanting more. O brave old world, that has such journos in it.' The Independent 'What Fisk writes, in his often brilliant, highly authoritative prose is a wake-up call. Read 'God damn that democracy' and 'Gold-plated taps' back to back and you have, in a nutshell, the brutal truth of the Middle East problem succinctly expressed, together with proof that Fisk at his best is a hard act to match.' Scotsman From reviews for 'The Great War for Civilisation': 'Brilliant!this powerfully-written book is filled with accounts of horror, pain and injustice. His triumph is that he has turned a slightly dubious and over-romanticised craft into a honorable vocation.' Independent 'His forte is straight reporting, such as his three interviews with Osama bin Laden. At least as good are his meetings with Saddam Hussein, Khomeini and Sadeq Khalkhali, the hanging judge of the Iranian revolution, and his close-ups of the Soviet invasion of Afghanistan, the launch of Saddam's war against Iran, an ambush by Islamists of an Algerian police patrol, and a lift into trouble in an Apache attack helicopter on the Iraq/Turkey border.' Guardian 'A stimulating and absorbing book, by a man who speaks Arabic, who has known the region better than most, and has met the leading players, from Bin Laden to Ahmad Chalabi. A formidable production.' New York Times 'Full of furious, vivid and highly personalised writing!An important book by an intrepid and talented writer.' Literary Review '500 pages of his truthful scorn left me wanting more. O brave old world, that has such journos in it.' Frank McLynn, The Independent

The Sunday Business Post
`Fisk is an impressive polymath...'

About the Author
Robert Fisk is a bestselling author and journalist based in Beirut as Middle East Correspondent of the 'Independent'. He has lived in the Middle East for three decades and holds more British and international journalism awards than any other foreign correspondent. His last book, 'The Great War for Civilisation', a history of his career and the numerous conflicts he has covered, was published internationally to great critical acclaim. He is also the author of 'Pity the Nation', a history of the Lebanese war.

Customer Reviews

"There is no remedy against the truth of language"
The age of the warrior, contains a collection of selected writings from Robert Fisk's articles that were published in the Independent during the period spanning between August 1998 and January 2008. The book contains over one hundred articles, which are grouped according to their common theme rather than the publication's date. There are 12 themes in total and they cover topics related to the war in Iraq, Lebanon, The Jewish Holocaust, the Armenian's genocide and the ethnic cleansing of Palestine. The author has also included a couple of thought provoking themes about the misuse and abuse of language in today's reporting on events related to the Middle East and the relationship between blockbuster feature films and the reality that they are supposed to portray.

Robert Fisk is passionate about the issues that he writes about, and this comes across very clearly to the reader throughout the book. Unlike the majority of reporters today, who are doing their best to fall in line and conform (unquestionably) to the ideals of the state and authority, Mr Fisk provide an independent and honest view on the various topics that he covers; especially in relation to crimes against humanity, where he is dedicated to exposing and criticising the offenders regardless of their nationality or religion.

Although the articles are mainly focused on political events and personalities, there are number of articles that give the reader a brief glimpse into the private world of Robert Fisk through some childhood events and his early days in journalism.

Overall, this is a great collection of articles; educational, informative and a valuable resource for anyone who has an interest in the politics of the Middle East or journalism in general.

Brilliant essays on the age we live in
This book is a selection from Robert Fisk's Saturday columns in the Independent from 1998 to 2007. These writings cover films and novels, the World Wars, the first British war of occupation of Iraq, the wars in Iraq, Lebanon and Afghanistan, the Turkish genocide of Armenians, and many other themes.

He sums up this period as the age of the warrior, describing how Bush changed the US Army's official `Soldier's Creed' to "I am a warrior" whose sole mission is `to destroy the enemies of the United States of America'. An American veteran wrote that the new creed "allows no end to any conflict except total destruction of the `enemy'. It ... does not allow one ever to stop fighting (lending itself to the idea of `the long war'). It says nothing about following orders, it says nothing about obeying laws or showing restraint. It says nothing about dishonourable actions ..." Change the word American in the creed to Muslim and it could be bin Laden's creed.

The American veteran wrote that this new creed encouraged the committing of atrocities. For example, the CIA had videos of prisoners being waterboarded, recently admitting that it had destroyed them. Americans in authority believe, wrongly, that `Torture works', as one Special Forces major put it.

Fisk notes how politicians impose policies against our national interest and against all morality, and how they use power to terrorise us. But our consent is not unthinking or automatic; the thought is that `authority is trustworthy', despite the evidence. He noted that some of his fellow journalists refuse to see cruelty and use the notion of `balance' to avoid the truth. He also notes the growing efforts to censor criticism, whether of Israel or of Islam.

Bush tells us that `we' are fighting `evil', so his wars are nothing to do with the occupation of Palestinian land, Afghanistan and Iraq. He tells us that `we' must blame `them' for the violence that threatens us all.

But if we keep the same Middle East policies, there will be more bombings, followed by harsher laws. As Fisk wrote of the Middle East, "the Americans must leave if peace was to be restored and the sooner they left the better."

a REAL journalist
Robert Fisks book is different than his others, a selection of articles and writings dating from before 2000 to the present year 2008, relating to the Middle East.
Reading it one can see the story unfold, the plots, sub plots, and chapters new in the story of the conquest of the Middle East, where events affect us here in Britain, warping our minds enough for us to wish total annihilation upon our 'enemy' - hence we live in the 'Age of the Warrior', where we're all involved!
As usual it's riveting reading, Fisks writing style is beyond any other journalist I've come across before and hits you right between the eyes with its brutal portrayal of reality. A brilliant work, enlightening and honest.