Ignaz Goldziher & His Oriental Diary: A Translation & Psychological Portrait

by Raphael Patai, Ignaz Goldziher

The early diary of Ignaz Goldziher, the founder of Islamology, provides a psychological portrait of the young savant. Written in 1873 and 1874 when Goldziher was twenty-three, the journal reveals Goldziher the man and scholar, as well as Arab life at a time when the Muslim lettered classes were on the verge of Westernization. In tracing the development of Islamic thought, Goldziher speaks from experience. He is a participant in the rapidly changing course of Muslim theology. Goldziher writes of his impressions and adventures in the two great centers of Islamic learning, Damascus and Cairo. He describes his relationship with Arab scholars and tells of his admission to al-Azhar, the centuries-old school of Islam. As the first non-Muslim ever permitted to study at the prestigious school, Goldziher offers a rear glimpse of al-Azhar, "The Splendid." Ignaz Goldziher was a complex character. His hatreds earned him the reputation of being a roshe, an evil man, and his paranoia caused him untold misery. The Oriental Diary, along with Raphael Patai's detailed introduction and annotations, reveals an early profile of a genius who, despite his flaws, earned recognition, honors, and admiration throughout the scholarly world.

160 pages, Hardcover

Published December 1, 1986

About the author

Raphael Patai (Hebrew רפאל פטאי; born Ervin György Patai, was a Hungarian-Jewish ethnographer, historian, Orientalist and anthropologist.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Raphael...