Two retired Princeton University professors win National Humanities Medal

Robert Fagles and Bernard Lewis attend White House ceremony

   Princeton scholars Robert Fagles, a renowned translator of Greek classics, and Bernard Lewis, one of the world’s leading authorities on the Middle East, have been awarded the National Humanities Medal by President George W. Bush.
   The medal honors those whose work has deepened the nation’s understanding of an engagement with the humanities or helped preserve and expand access to important resources in the humanities.
   The two recently retired professors were among 10 individuals and organizations presented with the award at a White House ceremony Nov. 9.
   "Bob Fagles and Bernard Lewis are exceptional scholars and gifted teachers with international reputations as leaders in their fields," said Princeton President Shirley M. Tilghman. "The world has benefited enormously from the insight and creativity of their scholarship, and generations of Princeton students and faculty have been inspired by their presence on our campus. We are delighted to see them receive this well-deserved recognition of their contributions to the humanities."
   Professor Fagles is the Arthur Marks ’19 Professor of Comparative Literature Emeritus. He is well known for his translations of Homer’s "The Iliad" and "The Odyssey," Sophocles’ "The Three Theban Plays" and Aeschylus’ "The Oresteia," which have sold more than 2 million copies, according to the university. He worked for nearly a decade on the translation of Virgil’s "The Aeneid," which was published earlier this month.
   Professor Lewis, the Cleveland Dodge Professor of Near Eastern Studies Emeritus, has been called the most eminent living historian of the Middle East and is considered one of the few scholars whose research and insight encompasses the entire Islamic world from the medieval to the current periods.
   His research includes major contributions to classical Islamic history, Ottoman and Turkish history and modern Near Eastern studies.
   He has written numerous books on the Middle East, including "From Babel to Dragomans: Interpreting the Middle East," "The Crisis of Islam: Holy War and Unholy Terror," "What Went Wrong: The Clash Between Islam and Modernity in the Middle East" and "The Middle East: A Brief History of the Last 2,000 Years."
   The National Humanities Medal, inaugurated in 1997, is sponsored by the National Endowment for the Humanities.