The Desire for Syria in Medieval England

In June 1458, two boats were cornered by pirates off the coast of Malta. Their captain - Robert Sturmy - proved no match for the notorious Genoese freebooter Giuliano Gattilusio and was summarily killed by him. The precious cargo for which Sturmy paid with his life contained stealable goods but also cultural significance. Sweet wines, spices, silks, jewels, and minerals - these alluring commodities gripped the medieval English imagination. E. K. Myerson utilises this dramatic incident of Mediterranean plunder to reveal the impact of Syrian imports on medieval art, language, and everyday life. They argue that the cultural category of 'Syriana' became a powerful tool, used to evoke both the sacred sites of the Holy Land and the global marketplaces of the Mamluk Empire. Myerson's innovative book draws on their research into medieval archives, conceptual art, and postcolonial and queer theory, showing how medieval 'Syriana' transformed English society in ways which continue to resonate today.

E. K. Myerson is an artist, writer, and curator, currently studying at the Royal College of Art. Their academic and creative writing has appeared in publications including GLQ, The TLS, Wasafiri Magazine, New Medieval Literatures, postmedieval, and Wellcome Collection Stories. They were a Genesis Jewish Book Week Emerging Writer in 2021-2. They received their PhD in medieval literature from Birkbeck College in 2022, and have held postdoctoral fellowships at the Wellcome Trust / ISSF Fund, the Parker Library, and Emmanuel College, Cambridge. Their essay-film 'submerged reliquary of a Kentish saint', made with artist Sophie Mei Birkin at the Jarman Lab, was screened at the Birkbeck Institute of the Moving Image in 2022 and 2023.