Ariel Sharon, the Butcher of Lebanon, Revisited
Department
Art
Document Type
Editorial
Publication Date
2-6-2023
Abstract
For a long while now I have been an avid reader of Matthew Stevenson’s myriad and outstanding travel journals detailing his many experiences across the world. He joins an august list of travel literature writers that include Mark Twain, Ernest Hemingway, Jack Kerouac, V.S. Naipaul, Marco Polo, and Bill Bryson.
Whether by train, car, bus, or bicycle, I’ve accompanied Matthew through valleys, mountain ranges, desolate and verdant landscapes, large cities whose teeming and narrow streets come to life with the daily and commonplace affairs of locals in tableaus vibrant with quotidian color and activities.
Over the years Matthew invited me to partake in sparse and delectable meals. He invited me to join him on his many escapades in libraries, small and large museums, ticket counters, constricted hotel rooms, battlefield sites, and town squares. I survived bitterly cold and rainy days, enjoyed the balmy spring and fall moments, and dreaded the terribly hot, scorching summer days.
A salient image that glares through his many Counterpunch postings is his love affair with his trusted bicycle.
Because of his attention to detail and because his travel writing stands out in a class of its own, I’ve christened Matthew as the Ibn Battuta of modern times.
Publication Title
CounterPunch
Creative Commons License
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-No Derivative Works 4.0 International License.
Recommended Citation
Halaby, Raouf J. Professor Emeritus, "Ariel Sharon, the Butcher of Lebanon, Revisited" (2023). Articles. 381.
https://scholarlycommons.obu.edu/articles/381