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Synopsis
A landmark biography of one of the twentieth century's most important liberal philosophers follows the life of Isaiah Berlin from his birth in czarist Russia to his death in 1997 and examines the seminal influence of his thinking on the evolution of liberalism. 20,000 first printing. Tour.
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Review
Russian by birth, Jewish by descent, English by choice, Isaiah Berlin (1909-97) knit together three identities into a cosmopolitan sensibility that informed his contributions as one of the 20th century's most influential and important intellectuals. Based on his experiences as a child during the Russian Revolution and his friendships with such beleaguered writers as Boris Pasternak and Anna Akhmatova, Berlin affirmed the superiority of individual freedom and judgment to Marxist totalitarianism. But he made fellow liberals uncomfortable with his unwelcome reminders that their ideals--liberty, equality, social justice--inevitably conflicted and required painful tradeoffs. London-based journalist Michael Ignatieff, who spent 10 years interviewing Berlin before his death, adeptly captures an appealing man: lighthearted, spontaneous, a brilliant conversationalist and lecturer (one of Oxford University's most popular professors), able to savor private happiness despite an essentially tragic view of political life. Ignatieff admires Berlin's views without accepting them uncritically; similarly, he acknowledges personal failings while appreciating the serenity Berlin achieved against considerable odds. This lucidly written, thoughtfully argued work is a model of the well-balanced biography, carefully evaluating the complex interplay of character and conviction in one remarkable individual. --Wendy Smith
About the Author
Michael Ignatieff is a regular contributer to The New Yorker and The New York Review of Books. He is the author of The Warrior's Honor (see Owl catalog, page 32), The Russian Album (winner of the Governor General's Award), The Needs of Strangers, and Scar Tissue, a novel shortlisted for the Booker Prize.
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- PublisherMetropolitan Books
- Publication date1998
- ISBN 10 0805055207
- ISBN 13 9780805055207
- BindingHardcover
- Number of pages356
- Rating
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