Tad Szulc (1926–2001)

An account of Chopin's life that emphasizes his time in Paris.in Paris. As a young man, Chopin entered the great city of music and composed beautiful works while interacting with some of the greatest musicians and artists of his era. I was most interested in his interactions with George Sand, Liszt, and Delacroix. All things considered, this is a delightful journey into the realm of music and art in Chopin's Paris.

I'm not sure why this book popped into my head all of a sudden. What I DO remember is that this is the book that started it all. I had purchased a copy of this in the late seventies and dragged (it's a big one) it along on the California Zephyr to my dad's in California, and I remember being totally enthralled with the machinations of Nixon and Kissinger and the interference of the United States in Chilean politics and how utterly despicable it all was.

I was lying on the floor, reading show more (talk about bizarre reading positions -- if I did that today, I probably couldn't get back up) thinking about how I needed to remember all this good stuff and decided to grab some notebook paper and begin taking notes. Confound it, I've been taking notes and compiling notebooks ever since. Of course, the great irony is that I can't find my notes to this book. So there.

I DO remember this being a terrific book that hooked me and would not let go. show less

1698 Czechoslovakia Since World War II, by Tad Szulc (read 6 Mar 1982) When I started this book I did not expect much. After all, this story is not new to me, having read a couple of books of the subject in April of 1981. But this book, though footnoteless, really seems to tell its story. Its author was with the New York Times in Czechoslovakia till he was expelled in December 1968. The book tells the incredible story of Communist rule in Czechoslovakia, and one is just astounded by the show more account: how can people seriously defend the official Communist line on events there? I kept thinking of those soapbox speeches I used to listen to in New York in 1953, and wondered if there were in the same square during 1968 those who defended Russia's actions in Czechoslovakia. I cannot believe there were. It is a sad, sad story, and I don't think anything has improved since 1971, when this excellent account was published. show less

2811 Pope John Paul II: The Biography, by Tad Szulc (read 24 Dec 1995) Some of this book was very interesting, but the recent years of this pontificate concern me. I am disturbed by some of the Pope's rigidity--forbidding even discussion of women priests seems far out. Certainly a new Pope will be more flexible in some things. But I presume we'll see a new century before we see a new Pope. [These are my recorded reactions to the book--which I have not edited in inserting this "review."]