The Infernal Library: On Dictators, the Books They Wrote, and Other Catastrophes of Literacy - Softcover

Kalder, Daniel

  • 3.62 out of 5 stars
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9781250181602: The Infernal Library: On Dictators, the Books They Wrote, and Other Catastrophes of Literacy
Softcover
ISBN 10: 1250181607 ISBN 13: 9781250181602
Publisher: Picador, 2019

Synopsis

"A mesmerizing study of books by despots great and small, from the familiar to the largely unknown."
―The Washington Post

A darkly humorous tour of "dictator literature" in the twentieth century, featuring the soul-killing prose and poetry of Hitler, Mao, and many more, which shows how books have sometimes shaped the world for the worse

Since the days of the Roman Empire dictators have written books. But in the twentieth-century despots enjoyed unprecedented print runs to (literally) captive audiences. The titans of the genre―Stalin, Mussolini, and Khomeini among them―produced theoretical works, spiritual manifestos, poetry, memoirs, and even the occasional romance novel and established a literary tradition of boundless tedium that continues to this day.

How did the production of literature become central to the running of regimes? What do these books reveal about the dictatorial soul? And how can books and literacy, most often viewed as inherently positive, cause immense and lasting harm? Putting daunting research to revelatory use, Daniel Kalder asks and brilliantly answers these questions.

Marshalled upon the beleaguered shelves of The Infernal Library are the books and commissioned works of the century’s most notorious figures. Their words led to the deaths of millions. Their conviction in the significance of their own thoughts brooked no argument. It is perhaps no wonder then, as Kalder argues, that many dictators began their careers as writers.

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About the Author

Daniel Kalder is the author of Lost Cosmonaut and Strange Telescopes. He is also a journalist who has contributed to the BBC as well as to Esquire, The Guardian, The Times, The Dallas Morning News, and many other publications. Originally from Fife, Scotland, he lived in Moscow for ten years and currently resides in Central Texas.

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Publisher
Picador
Publication date
2019
Language
English
ISBN 10 
1250181607
ISBN 13 
9781250181602
Binding
Paperback
Number of pages
400
Rating
  • 3.62 out of 5 stars
    503 ratings by Goodreads

Other Popular Editions of the Same Title

9781627793421: The Infernal Library: On Dictators, the Books They Wrote, and Other Catastrophes of Literacy

Featured Edition

ISBN 10:  1627793429 ISBN 13:  9781627793421
Publisher: Henry Holt and Co., 2018
Hardcover