Walter Laqueur has been writing and teaching for over six decades, primarily in the fields of twentieth century history and politics, always as a shrewd and thoughtful generalist in an age of specialization. In this engaging memoir, Laqueur focuses on the political and historical events that shaped his thinking and that have inspired his intellectual work throughout his life. He discusses living and attending school under Nazism; Marxism, the Soviet Union, and the part he played in Cold War politics; and the image his generation had of Zionism, Israel, and the Middle East. Laqueur shares his views on beltway politics and think tanks, and concludes with a look at guerrilla warfare and terrorism, and the future of Europe.
“Walter Laqueur’s calm and candid reflections deserve a wide readership among scholars, journalists, politicians, and anyone willing to cast an unflinching gaze at the past and present.”
The New Republic
Walter Laqueur has resolved the tension between being a highly respected historian, normally arms length from events themselves, and having been an active observer and player during ‘his’ twentieth century. With the knowledge and experience of his long life, he deserves the title of an ‘old wise man.
Walter Laqueur’s calm and candid reflections deserve a wide readership among scholars, journalists, politicians, and anyone willing to cast an unflinching gaze at the past and present.
WALTER LAQUEUR is a former director of the Institute of Contemporary History and the Wiener Library in London and founder and editor with George Mosse of the Journal of Contemporary History and of Survey. A professor of history of ideas at Brandeis University and Georgetown University, he has been visiting professor of history and government at Harvard, University of Chicago, Tel Aviv, and Johns Hopkins University. He has authored or co-authored dozens of books, including Generation Exodus: The Fate of Young Jewish Refugees from Nazi Germany and The Changing Face of Anti-Semitism: From Ancient Times to the Present Day.
Founded in 1971, Brandeis University Press is a nonprofit publisher dedicated to publishing innovative, high-quality books for a general audience, as well as scholarship that advances knowledge and promotes dialogue in the humanities, arts, and social sciences around the world.
© Copyright 2024, Brandeis University Press
Brandeis University Press
Goldfarb Library 69-235, MS 046
Brandeis University
415 South Street
Waltham, MA 02453
(781) 736-4547
pressinfo@brandeis.edu
Stay up to date with the newest titles and promotions from Brandeis University Press—while saving 20% on your first purchase.
