Harvey, L.P. 1929- (Leonard Patrick Harvey)

PERSONAL:

Born 1929. Education: Holds an M.A. and a Ph.D.

CAREER:

Writer, historian. Retired from teaching at King's College, University of London, London, England.

WRITINGS:

(Compiler, with Brian Dutton and Roger M. Walker) Cassell's Compact Spanish-English, English-Spanish Dictionary, Funk & Wagnalls (New York, NY), 1969, new edition, Collier Books (New York, NY), 1986.

(Compiler and editor) Samuel Miklos Stern, Hispano-Arabic Strophic Poetry: Studies, Clarendon Press (Oxford, England), 1974.

Cassell's Concise Spanish-English, English-Spanish Dictionary, Macmillan (New York, NY), 1977.

Islamic Spain, 1250 to 1500, University of Chicago Press (Chicago, IL), 1990.

Muslims in Spain, 1500 to 1614, University of Chicago Press (Chicago, IL), 2005.

SIDELIGHTS:

Born in 1929, L.P. Harvey is a writer and a historian, as well as a retired faculty member of King's College of the University of London in London, England. His primary areas of academic and research interest include the medieval and Renaissance eras in Spain, periods that were characterized by the Islamic and Muslim influences on the nation. Harvey has the added advantage of being fluent not only in Spanish, but in Arabic, enabling him to access a wealth of research sources that might not otherwise be available to him. Harvey has worked on the compilation of several Spanish/English dictionaries, but is best known for his volumes on Spanish history, Islamic Spain, 1250 to 1500 and Muslims in Spain, 1500 to 1614.

Islamic Spain, 1250 to 1500, considered to be the definitive book on Spanish history during this period, is heavily influenced by the materials that Harvey was able to access in Arabic. The book details the creation of Granada, the kingdom of Nasrid, which was sur- rounded by other Spanish regions that were purely Christian. Harvey goes into detail about the Muslims who found themselves living in these Christian realms, and the ways in which they dealt with the cultural differences. Over the course of the book, Harvey maintains a primarily Islamic perspective on Spanish history, one that is appropriate for this time period and had not been readily available before. Harvey provides a geographical overview of the country so that readers have a sense of perspective, then moves on to look at the Muslim communities and how they were affected both politically and legally as they were surrounded by the Christian settlements, as well as a thorough survey of the reigns that covered this period of history up to 1492. John Edwards, in a contribution for the English Historical Review, remarked that "what is impressive about this book is its determination to give proper respect and regard to the experience of Muslim Spaniards in the late Middle Ages." He found some of the details lacking, however, leading to a disappointing read, and of course mentioned the flip side of the coin that accompanies Harvey's knowledge of Arabic: "The skeptic cannot help wondering whether the Arab sources have been trusted too much."

Muslims in Spain, 1500 to 1614 serves as a sequel to Islamic Spain, 1250 to 1500. It picks up after the fall of Granada and the conquest of the Iberian Peninsula. During this period, religious fervor overtook many Christians and it was decided that the best way to deal with the Moorish peoples was to force them to assimilate by making them convert to Christianity. Not only were they to give up their own religion, but they were to change all of the cultural aspects of their personalities, including the way they dressed, their customs, and their language. Harvey discusses the difficulties that the Christians encountered as they attempted to implement their plan. All through the book, he maintains the point of view of the Muslims, showing their strength in the face of adversity as well as the ultimate resilience of their culture as many books and treasures survived this time intact. James Casey, in a review for the Historian, commented that "it is one of the characteristics of a good book that it makes us aware of the gaps in our knowledge, and Harvey's outstanding study will be of interest both to researchers and to the general student for its sensitive recreation of the last phase of Moorish Spain." Renaissance Quarterly reviewer James B. Tueller declared that "overall, the book introduces the history of an engaging and important topic." James Brooks-McDonald, in a contribution for Reviews in Religion & Theology, dubbed the book "a scholarly analysis and interpretation of Spanish history as the Middle Ages were closing, but is accessible to anyone who is interested in the relationship between Islam and Christianity."

BIOGRAPHICAL AND CRITICAL SOURCES:

PERIODICALS

American Historical Review, December 1, 2005, David Nirenberg, review of Muslims in Spain, 1500 to 1614, p. 1606.

Choice: Current Reviews for Academic Libraries, March 1, 2006, M.A. Burkholder, review of Muslims in Spain, 1500 to 1614, p. 1295.

English Historical Review, September 1, 1994, John Edwards, review of Islamic Spain, 1250 to 1500, p. 998.

First Things: A Monthly Journal of Religion and Public Life, November 1, 2006, Robert Louis Wilken, review of Muslims in Spain, 1500 to 1614, p. 58.

Hispanic Review, January 1, 1993, Maria Rosa Menocal, review of Islamic Spain, 1250 to 1500, p. 91.

Historian, June 22, 2007, James Casey, review of Muslims in Spain, 1500 to 1614, p. 379.

History Today, February 1, 1992, Angus Mackay, review of Islamic Spain, 1250 to 1500, p. 54.

International Journal of Middle East Studies, November 1, 1992, Olivia Remie Constable, review of Islamic Spain, 1250 to 1500, p. 740.

Journal of Early Modern History, 2007, Volume 11, issue 1-2, Amina Elbendary, review of Muslims in Spain, 1500 to 1614, pp. 132-136.

Journal of Interdisciplinary History, June 22, 1992, Thomas F. Glick, review of Islamic Spain, 1250 to 1500, p. 150.

Journal of Religion, October 1, 2006, review of Muslims in Spain, 1500 to 1614.

Library Journal, November 1, 1990, Roger B. Beck, review of Islamic Spain, 1250 to 1500, p. 110.

Mediterranean Quarterly, fall, 2006, Marijan Gubic, review of Muslims in Spain, 1500 to 1614, pp. 160-163.

Middle East Journal, September 22, 1991, Andrew C. Hess, review of Islamic Spain, 1250 to 1500, p. 693.

Renaissance Quarterly, March 22, 2006, James B. Tueller, review of Muslims in Spain, 1500 to 1614, p. 166.

Reviews in Religion & Theology, January, 2007, James Brooks-McDonald, review of Muslims in Spain, 1500 to 1614, pp. 33-34.

Sixteenth Century Journal, June 22, 2006, James S. Amelang, review of Muslims in Spain, 1500 to 1614, p. 494.

Speculum: A Journal of Medieval Studies, October 1, 1992, Kenneth Baxter Wolf, review of Islamic Spain, 1250 to 1500, p. 976.

Times Higher Education Supplement, January 17, 1992, Richard Hitchcock, review of Islamic Spain, 1250 to 1500, p. 22.

Times Literary Supplement, February 10, 2006, "Moors of La Mancha," p. 28.

ONLINE

Times Onlinehttp://entertainment.timesonline.co.uk/ (June 26, 2005), Felipe Fernandez-Armesto, review of Muslims in Spain, 1500 to 1614.