Robin Leonard Bidwell facts for kids
Robin Leonard Bidwell (born in 1927 or 1929 in St Giles, London, and passed away in 1994 in Coney Weston or Bury St Edmunds) was a British expert on the Middle East and a writer. He was known for his many books about countries like Yemen and Arabia. He also wrote about the history of how France and Britain governed their colonies.
Early Life and Education
Robin Bidwell went to several schools, including Stonyhurst College and Downside School. He then studied at Pembroke College, Cambridge, which is a famous university. After his studies, he joined the Intelligence Corps. This meant he worked as a sergeant, gathering important information for the British military in the Suez Canal Zone.
Working in the Middle East
From 1955 to 1959, Robin Bidwell worked as a Political Officer in the Western Aden Protectorate. This area is now part of Yemen. As a Political Officer, he was a British official who helped manage and understand the local people and their leaders in this region.
After this, he became a travelling editor for Oxford University Press. This job took him all over the Middle East and North Africa. He visited many different countries, helping to find and develop books about the region.
Return to Cambridge
In 1965, Robin Bidwell went back to Cambridge University. He continued his studies there and earned his PhD in 1968. His special research was about how the French managed their rule in Morocco.
From 1968 to 1990, he held an important position at Cambridge University. He was the Secretary and Librarian of the Middle East Centre. This centre is part of the Faculty of Oriental Studies, which focuses on studying the cultures and histories of the Middle East and Asia.
His Major Work
From 1980 onwards, Robin Bidwell spent most of his time working on his most important book. This book was called Dictionary of Modern Arab History – An A to Z of over 2,000 entries from 1798 to the present day. It was a huge project that became his life's work. The dictionary provided detailed information about many events and people in modern Arab history.
