Two retired profs honored at White House

Two recently retired Princeton professors were among the 10 National Humanities Medal winners President Bush received at the Oval Office last Thursday.

Comparative literature professor emeritus Robert Fagles and Near Eastern studies professor emeritus Bernard Lewis joined renowned scholars from across the country who earned the award, the highest honor in the humanities the U.S. government bestows.

The medal recognizes those whose commitment to their field has deepened the nation's understanding of, and desire to engage in, the humanities. Fagles is a renowned translator and classicist, while Lewis is considered one of the greatest Middle East scholars in the world.

"He deserves it. He's the most wonderful colleague," comparative literature professor April Alliston said of Fagles, with whom she has worked for several years.

Fagles, a member of the faculty from 1960 to 2002, started his career in the English department. In 1975 he became the founding chair of the Program in Comparative Literature. Among other honors, Fagles has received the Academy Award for Literature and the University's Howard T. Behrman Award for Distinguished Achievement in the Humanities.

Fagles' award-winning Greek and Latin translations of works like Homer's "The Iliad" and "The Odyssey," Sophocles' "The Three Theban Plays" and Aeschylus' "The Oresteia" have sold more than two million copies. His most recent project, a translation of Virgil's "The Aeneid," was published earlier this month.

"The Aenied translation is the best thing he's ever done," said Denis Feeney, chair of the classics department.

Lewis, a World War II veteran, taught and studied in his hometown of London until coming to Princeton in 1974. His interest in history was sparked at his bar mitzvah, when he received a book on Jewish history. His field of study has since expanded to include classical Islamic history, Ottoman and Turkish history and modern Near Eastern studies.

He has been widely sought-after in recent years for his extensive studies on Islam and the Middle East. His most recent work is titled "From Babel to Dragomans: Interpreting the Middle East."

Robert Finn, a Wilson School and Near Eastern studies professor and former U.S. ambassador to Afghanistan and Tajikistan, was Lewis' student in 1974 while studying for his doctorate at Princeton.

"He's brilliant. He has a depth of knowledge that very few people have," Finn said. "I'm happy both [Fagles and Lewis] received the award. They are truly exceptional scholars."

Whether he is delivering a lecture or teaching his freshman seminar, Finn said he uses Lewis' works often, especially "The History of the Emergence of Modern Turkey."

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The National Endowment for the Humanities (NEH) honored seven other individuals and one organization this year. The NEH is an independent grant-making agency of the U.S. government that has sponsored the National Humanities Medal since 1997.

Other winners included Middle Eastern studies scholar Fouad Ajami, economist James Buchanan, historian Nickolas Davatzes, classicist Mary Lefkowitz, religious historian Mark Noll, biographer Meryle Secrest and the Hoover Institution.