A doomed homosexual passion shaped a great Orientalist’s entire life

Evidence

But weirder, less straightforwardly academic contacts also shaped Massignon’s mind. In 1906 on the boat out from Marseilles to Alexandria, he had encountered an aristocratic young Spanish homosexual, Luis de Cuadra, for whom he conceived a great passion. De Cuadra was a convert to Islam and during their time together in Alexandria and Cairo he sought to introduce Massignon to the interior life of Islam. Despite his religious conversion, de Cuadra led a wild life. In 1913 he fell seriously ill from typhus, whereupon Massignon prayed for his recovery, for his return to Christianity and the adoption of a less hedonistic life. Though de Cuadra recovered from the typhus, he did not otherwise improve. In 1921 Luis committed suicide in prison in Spain and his suicide was swiftly followed by that of his father. This tragedy was to mark Massignon for the rest of his life. — Robert Irwin, For Lust of Knowing, 396

Categorization

• SHARE: Interesting biography detail worth sharing with a friend interested in queer history or the biographies of famous scholars.