The Left Bank: Writers, Artists, and Politics from the Popular Front to the Cold War
by Herbert R. Lottman
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Description
This story begins in the Paris of the 1930s, when artists and writers stood at the center of the world stage. In the decade that saw the rise of the Nazis, much of the thinking world sought guidance from this extraordinary group of intellectuals. Herbert Lottman's chronicle follows the influential players—Gide, Malraux, Sartre, de Beauvoir, Koestler, Camus, and their pro-Fascist counterparts—through the German occupation, Liberation, and into the Cold War, when the struggle between show more superpowers all but drowned out their voices. "Surprisingly fresh and intense. . . . A retrospective travelogue of the Left Bank in the days when it was the setting for almost all French intellectual activity. . . . Absorbing."—Naomi Bliven, New Yorker "As an introduction to a period in French history already legendary, The Left Bank is superb."—Michael Dirda, Washington Post Book World "An intellectual history. A history of the interaction between politics and letters. And a rumination on the limitless credulity of intellectuals."—Christopher Hitchens, New Statesman show lessTags
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Member Reviews
It was interesting to learn about the behavior of intellectuals before, during and after the occupation; but on the whole, the book is flat and fails to show the relevance of these thinkers to the broader world. It's a history of relationships and not ideas.
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Author Information
20+ Works 891 Members
Herbert Lottman was a journalist, biographer, and historian of French intellectual life. After World War II, he moved to Paris, France. He wrote a variety of articles and reviews for several American periodicals including Harper's, Saturday Review, the New York Times, and the New York Times Book Review. He was Publisher's Weekly's European show more correspondent for more than 30 years. After leaving Publisher's Weekly, he began contributing a regular European column to Bookseller. He wrote several books about France and its literary culture. He also wrote a series of authoritative studies of French authors Camus, Flaubert, Colette, and Jules Verne. After suffering through several degenerative diseases including Parkinson's and Alzheimer's, he died on August 27, 2014 at the age of 87. (Bowker Author Biography) show less
Common Knowledge
- Canonical title*
- La Rive gauche. Du Front populaire à la guerre froide
- People/Characters
- André Gide; Andre Malraux; Jean-Paul Sartre; Simone de Beauvoir; Arthur Koestler; Albert Camus
- Important places
- The Left Bank; Paris, France
- Original language*
- Anglais (Etats-Unis) (Etats-Unis)
*Some information comes from Common Knowledge in other languages. Click "Edit" for more information.
Classifications
- Genres
- History, Nonfiction, General Nonfiction, Art & Design
- DDC/MDS
- 944.36 — History & geography History of Europe France and Monaco Champagne; Ile de France; Lorraine Île-de-France
- LCC
- DC752 .L43 .L67 — History of Europe, Asia, Africa and Oceania France – Andorra – Monaco History of France Local history and description Paris
- BISAC
Statistics
- Members
- 102
- Popularity
- 317,688
- Reviews
- 1
- Rating
- (3.90)
- Languages
- 6 — English, French, Italian, Polish, Portuguese, Spanish
- Media
- Paper
- ISBNs
- 14
- ASINs
- 1
