Rom Landau

Romauld (Rom) Landau (1899–1974) was born in Poland, but later became a British citizen whilst serving as a volunteer in the Royal Air Force during the Second World War. He was a sculptor, author, educator, Foreign Service officer, and a specialist on Arab and Islamic culture. His particular area of interest was Morocco. He was also an art critic and book reviewer for several newspapers and periodicals, including The Spectator.

Born of Polish-German parents, Landau studied philosophy, art, and religion at various European schools and universities—notably in Germany—and spent his early years travelling and working as a sculptor. In 1922, whilst living in Berlin, he became the pupil of Georg Kolbe, then Germany's leading sculptor. During the late 1920s and early 1930s Landau established a minor reputation in Europe as a writer. His themes were art history, Polish biography (notably, Ignacy Jan Paderewski and Józef Klemens Piłsudski), and comparative religion. Landau's best known book from these years was God is My Adventure (1935).

Rom Landau first visited Morocco in 1924. From that time he became a student of Islamic culture. Landau taught himself Arabic and spent as much time as he could afford living and travelling in North Africa and the Middle East. In 1937 he visited King Ibn Saud of Saudi Arabia, King Abdullah I of Jordan, and other secular and religious leaders of the Middle East. Landau subsequently published a book, Arm the Apostles (1938), about his trip in which he advocates arming the Arabs so that they might aid the British and French in the coming war with Nazi Germany.

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