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The final book of the brilliant historian and indomitable public critic Tony Judt, Thinking the Twentieth Century maps the issues and concerns of a turbulent age on to a life of intellectual conflict and engagement.
The twentieth century comes to life as an age of ideas--a time when, for good and for ill, the thoughts of the few reigned over the lives of the many. Judt presents the triumphs and the failures of prominent intellectuals, adeptly explaining both their ideas and the risks of their political commitments. Spanning an era with unprecedented clarity and insight, Thinking the Twentieth Century is a tour-de-force, a classic engagement of modern thought by one of the century’s most incisive thinkers.
The exceptional nature of this work is evident in its very structure--a series of intimate conversations between Judt and his friend and fellow historian Timothy Snyder, grounded in the texts of the time and focused by the intensity of their vision. Judt's astounding eloquence and range are here on display as never before. Traversing the complexities of modern life with ease, he and Snyder revive both thoughts and thinkers, guiding us through the debates that made our world. As forgotten ideas are revisited and fashionable trends scrutinized, the shape of a century emerges. Judt and Snyder draw us deep into their analysis, making us feel that we too are part of the conversation. We become aware of the obligations of the present to the past, and the force of historical perspective and moral considerations in the critique and reform of society, then and now.
In restoring and indeed exemplifying the best of intellectual life in the twentieth century, Thinking the Twentieth Century opens pathways to a moral life for the twenty-first. This is a book about the past, but it is also an argument for the kind of future we should strive for: Thinking the Twentieth Century is about the life of the mind--and the mindful life.
Foreword (Timothy Snyder) ix
1 The Name Remains: Jewish Questioner 1
2 London and Language: English Writer 46
3 Familial Socialism: Political Marxist 75
4 King's and Kibbutzim: Cambridge Zionist 106
5 Paris, California: French Intellectual 140
6 Generation of Understanding: East European Liberal 195
7 Unities and Fragments: European Historian 249
8 Age of Responsibility: American Moralist 284
9 The Banality of Good: Social Democrat 331
Afterword (Tony Fudt) 389
Works Discussed 399
Index 405
Anonymous
Posted April 13, 2012
I was disappointed in this book after reading two of his earlier works. The conversation and level of detail is just too academic and nuanced for me.
Tony, RIP.
1 out of 1 people found this review helpful.
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Posted March 15, 2012
Whether one agrees with Judt or not, this book is a monument to his determination to think for himself, against the grain, even if inviting criticism from those wanting different answers, more loyalty, or grander theories. His book-length conversation (before he died of ALS) with fellow historian Timothy Snyder interweaves the events of the past century with Judt’s own wonderfully told reminiscences and intellectual journey away from –isms (Zionism, communism) towards a more pluralistic ethics and politics. Judt’s observations on European and American history are quick witted, if sometimes acerbic, and lovely for their attentiveness to the small things that change an era (trains and public buses!). Perhaps this book will resonant more with readers familiar with Judt’s work. Regardless, he bequeaths us this conversation about how we reinterpret the past in light of a public responsibility “not to imagine better worlds but rather to think how to prevent worse ones.”
1 out of 1 people found this review helpful.
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Posted February 27, 2012
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Posted July 23, 2012
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Overview
The final book of the brilliant historian and indomitable public critic Tony Judt, Thinking the Twentieth Century maps the issues and concerns of a turbulent age on to a life of intellectual conflict and engagement.
The twentieth century comes to life as an age of ...