"The Orientalist : Solving the Mystery of a Strange and Dangerous Life" by Tom Reiss

A good non-fiction novel is distinguished from the rest by the depth of its sources. And I have no complaints about the number of resources used in this book (the references list goes on for nearly 50 pages). From this perspective, Tom Reiss has done a great job. Congratulations.

Has justice been done to the legacy of one of the most mysterious literary figures of the twentieth century– well that remains an unanswered question. True, Reiss introduced the name to us, told us about his childhood, his schooling and his marriage. But beyond that, more questions remain than answers. For one, Reiss hits but misses big on the one major thing a reader would expect to find– what are the personal characteristics of this mysterious writer? And what better way to learn that for ourselves than read and analyze some of his works? Without this we could piece together an image of the man’s qualities, look at some pictures, learn about his family, or follow him on a trip (most of us could only dream of), but in the end I ask what about the analysis of Lev’s writings? As a reader of the biography of a fellow writer, I expected to see more about the hero of Lev’s works (certainly more than just the occasional reference of this or that book). Since I never read any of Lev’s works, I remain confused and a bit irritated. Lev still remains more of a mystery to me now than before. I still find myself asking the question - who was Lev? And in my opinion, one needs to look deeper into Lev’s works (one thing Mr. Reiss avoids doing) to find out.

Overall the book is not really worth exploring unless it’s required for homework assignment or needs to be used for its rich references.

-by Simon Cleveland