Fortune's Lament - Cressler, John D.

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Résumé :
Much of modern Spain was under Muslim control for nearly 800 years (from 711 to 1492 C.E.). Medieval Islamic Spain was deeply influential in world history, for a multitude of reasons, including the rediscovery, translation, and dissemination of the lost works of medicine, science, and philosophy of the ancient Greeks. The Muslim Umayyads (with roots tracing back to Syria), were lovers of books and learning, and helped launch a cultural revolution in C?rdoba which transformed the western world. An exceptional 200+ year period of peaceful coexistence occurred between Judaism, Christianity, and Islam under Muslim Umayyad rule, providing a powerful lesson in the practice of multiculturalism for our 21st-century world. Fortune's Lament is the third release in the Anthems of al-Andalus series, which break open this largely forgotten and fascinating history for modern readers. All three historical novels are love stories set at pivotal moments in the history of medieval Islamic Spain. Fortune's Lament is set in Granada's Alhambra Palace, 120 years after Emeralds of the Alhambra, and tells the story of Danah, a young Muslim woman who aspires to be the first female physician in the city. Love unexpectedly blossoms between Danah and Yusef, a valiant prince of court from a rival clan, during the bloody final conquest of Granada by King Ferdinand and Queen Isabella of Christian Spain. As the light of Islamic Spain dims, the Inquisition looms large on the horizon, as does the coming voyage of Columbus to discover the Americas.

Biographie:
John D. Cressler is Schlumberger Chair Professor of Electronics in the School of Electrical and Computer Engineering at Georgia Tech, Atlanta, Georgia, USA. He received his Ph.D. from Columbia University, New York, in 1990. His academic research interests center on the creative use of nanoscale-engineering techniques to enable new approaches to electronic devices, circuits and systems. Dr. Cressler and his students have published over 600 scientific papers in this field and he has received a number of awards for both his teaching and his research, including the 2010 Class of 1940 W. Howard Ector Outstanding Teacher Award (Georgia Tech's top teaching honor) and the 2013 Class of 1934 Distinguished Professor Award (the highest honor that can be bestowed on a faculty member at Georgia Tech). His previous books include: Silicon-Germanium Heterojunction Bipolar Transistors (2003), Reinventing Teenagers: the Gentle Art of Instilling Character in Our Young People (2004), Silicon Heterostructure Handbook: Materials, Fabrication, Devices, Circuits and Applications of SiGe and Si Strained Layer Epitaxy (2006), Silicon Earth: Introduction to the Microelectronics and Nanotechnology Revolution (2009), Extreme Environment Electronics (2012), and Emeralds of the Alhambra (2013), his debut historical novel. Shadows in the Shining City is the second release in the Anthems of al-Andalus Series. He and his wife, Maria, have been married for 31 years and are the proud parents of three: Matthew (and now Mary Ellen), Christina (and now Michael), and Joanna. They are the doting grandparents of two little angels: Elena Giess Cressler and Owen Michael Gawrys.