CONVERSATIONS WITH ISAIAH BERLIN

In these conversations Isaiah Berlin, one of the most renowned thinkers of our time, discusses the development of his ideas and political philosophy, interspersing it with many personal reminiscences. He talks about Machiavelli, Marx, Vico, Herder and Herzen to name but a few of those who have influenced him. The conversations follow him from Petrograd to Oxford, from Washington to Moscow, from London to Jerusalem. He speaks of his friends and contemporaries, W.H. Auden, Stephen Spender, Igor Stravinsky, A.J. Ayer, Bertrand Russell and many others. He talks about his moving encounters with Anna Akhmatova, Boris Pasternak and Chaim Weizmann. He also shares with the reader his passion for music and literature, giving us an insight into his life and personality.

What began as an interview of the noted British philosopher and historian of ideas, conducted by the Iranian philosopher Jahanbegloo for the journal Esprit , grew into a series of five conversations, comprising a sort of intellectual memoir. They range over Berlin's writings on historicism, pluralism, and liberty as well as the ideas of thinkers such as Vico, Herder, and Herzen. Berlin also speaks of his many friends and acquaintances among the important thinkers and artists of the 20th century. Both urbane and opinionated, these conversations provide an able introduction to Berlin's thought that ultimately sends us back to his many books and essays. A fitting history of the ideas of the great historian of ideas.
- T.L. Cooksey, Armstrong State Coll., Savannah, Ga.
Copyright 1992 Reed Business Information, Inc.