George Bernard Shaw was called, with good reason, the "English
Nietzsche". Though Nietzsche was an aristocrat and Shaw a socialist,
both cherished the dream of the superman and looked forward to the day
when he would be realised. Both, however, were characterised by their
mordant wit and intellectual cynicism, in which "Man and Superman"
abounds. Shaw manages to compress a number of disparate themes into a
relatively taut dramatic format, even throwing in a scene in which Don
Juan, the Devil and a gang of anarchist brigands make an appearance.
The central event of the plot involves the wealthy Tanner, a member of
the "Idle Rich Class" making himself subservient to the Life Force and
seeking the perfect woman to marry, who would guarantee him a very
special offspring, his ideal, the superman himself.
The Arabs in History - Bernard Lewis 'Whoever lives in our country, speaks our language, is brought up in
our culture and takes pride in our glory is one of us.'
Thus ran a
declaration of modern leaders of Arab states. But what exactly is an
Arab, and what has been their place in the course of human history? In
this well-established classic, Professor Lewis examines the key issues
of Arab development - their identity, the national revival which
cemented the creation of the Islamic state, and the social and economic
pressures that destroyed the Arab kingdom and created the Islamic
empire. He analyses the forces which contributed to that empire's
eventual decline, and the effects of growing Western influence. Today,
with the Arab world facing profound social and political challenges, it
constitutes an essential introduction to the Arabs and their history.
