Spirit of the Phoenix : Beirut and the Story of Lebanon by Tim Llewellyn (I.B. Taurus)

Tim Llewellyn is a British writer who was the British Broadcasting Company’s (BBC) Middle East correspondent based in Beirut for about ten years. He has covered the Lebanese Civil War, the Palestinian question, and was the first reporter to break the news of the massacre at Sabra and Chantila in 1982. 

Spirit of the Phoenix is Llewellyn’s treatise on Beirut and the country of Lebanon. Before you even begin to read, he provides a chronology of important dates and events in Lebanon’s history, followed by a list of leading figures in the country. We are introduced to the people who settled the country - the Maronites, the Druze, the Shia, and the Sunni. 

Lebanon is part of the Levant - an area of the Middle East which includes areas of Lebanon, Jordan, Palestine, Israel, and Syria. It sometimes also includes current day Cyprus, Egypt, and parts of Turkey. 

“For all the beauty of its landscapes and the attractions of its people and culture, Lebanon has coursing through its enfeebled veins all the poisonous currents of international rivalries and regional aggression, and the religious and nationalistic fanaticisms these have engendered”, make this one of the most volatile regions in the world. 

Llewellyn hopes to explain that given all the animosity and strife that continues even to this day, how Lebanon and the Lebanese continue to survive. He has seen the changes in the country when Beirut was considered a modern and chic city and was still in the country when the Lebanese Civil War began. 

Llewellyn’s book is part travelogue, part history, and is also full of his personal anecdotes of what he has experienced living and working in the war-torn country. He revisits many of the places he has reported on and is able to talk to the people who still live there. He may not have the answer to the problems still facing the country, but he does help the reader have a better understanding of the region and its many problems. 

The most upsetting fact you will learn about the Levant is how the League of Nations divided up the Levant after the fall of the Ottoman Empire. There was a Mandate for Great Lebanon and Syria managed by France, and the Mandate for Palestine managed by the United Kingdom. It appears as if the two powerful countries were splitting the land as spoils of war. The creation of Israel on Palestinian soil in 1948 continues to be a sore point for the Palestians leading to creation of HAMAS and Hezbollah. 

Before I finished reading this book, I was shocked to discover how ignorant I was of Lebanon and the Middle East in general. The only thing I knew for certain was its location and that capital, Beirut, was once referred to as “Paris of the Middle East”. I was surprised to find that Lebanon had a large Christian population, the Maronites. As with a large number of people, my knowledge of the Middle East was divided into the Jewish state of Israel and the Arab countries surrounding it being Islamic. How wrong I was!

The only other thing I knew about Lebanon was that they made great food. I knew this because I used to live near a Lebanese restaurant during my university days. Whenever I’m asked, “What would be my ‘Last Supper’ I always answer, dejaj mashwi - Lebanese dish which is charbroiled chicken marinated in lemon and garlic and topped with a garlic sauce. It is also seasoned with allspice. 

Until the Middle East sorts out its differences without U.S. or other external interference, I’m afraid World Peace is still years from being achieved. ~Ernie Hoyt