Charting the history of Quranic translations in Europe during the 18th and early 19th Centuries, Elmarsafy shows that a number of key Enlightenment figures - including Voltaire, Rousseau, Goethe, and Napoleon - drew both inspiration and ideas from the Quran. Controversially placing Islam at the heart of the European Enlightenment, this lucid and well-argued work is a valuable window into the interaction of East and West during this pivotal epoch in human history.
