Synopses & Reviews
A revelatory look at what happens when political Islam collides with the secular West Ian Buruma 's Murder in Amsterdam is a masterpiece of investigative journalism, a book with the intimacy and narrative control of a crime novel and the analytical brilliance for which Buruma is renowned. On a cold November day in Amsterdam in 2004, the celebrated and controversial Dutch filmmaker Theo van Gogh was shot and killed by an Islamic extremist for making a movie that "insulted the prophet Mohammed." The murder sent shock waves across Europe and around the world. Shortly thereafter, Ian Buruma returned to his native land to investigate the event and its larger meaning as part of the great dilemma of our time.
Review
"Fascinating . . . Characteristically vivid and astute."
-Timothy Garton Ash, The New York Review of Books
"[Murder in Amsterdam] is a work of philosophical and narrative tension, strikingly sharp and brooding, frank and openly curious."
-San Francisco Chronicle
"Shrewd, subtly argued."
-The New York Times Book Review
About the Author
Ian Buruma is currently Luce Professor at Bard College. His previous books include God's Dust, Behind the Mask, The Missionary and The Libertine, Playing the Game, The Wages of Guilt, Anglomania, and Bad Elements. He writes frequently for The New York Review of Books, The New York Times Magazine, The New Yorker, and the Financial Times.
Table of Contents
Murder in Amsterdam
One: Holy War in Amsterdam
Two: Thank You, Pim
Three: The Healthy Smoker
Four: A Dutch Tragedy
Five: Submission
Six: A Promising Boy
Seven: In Memoriam
Postscript
Acknowledgments
Notes
Index