Explaining Hitler: The Search for the Origins of His Evil - Softcover

Rosenbaum, Ron

Softcover

ISBN 10: 006095339X ISBN 13: 9780060953393

Publisher: Perennial, 1999

Synopsis

When Hitler's war ended in 1945, the war over Hitler--who he really was, what gave birth to his unique evil--had just begun. Hitler did not escape the bunker in Berlin but, half a century later, he has managed to escape explanation in ways both frightening and profound. Explaining Hitler is an extraordinary quest, an expedition into the war zone of Hitler theories. This is a passionate, enthralling book that illuminates what Hitler explainers tell us about Hitler, about the explainers, and about ourselves.

About this title

Review

Debates concerning the historical and moral significance of Adolf Hitler have gone on since the beginning of his rise to power in Germany. In the decades after his bunker suicide, those debates elevated to arguments over the very nature and existence of evil. An integral part of the arguments has been the ongoing attempt to understand the why of Hitler. In this engaging work of literary journalism, Ron Rosenbaum travels the world to converse with some of the historians, philosophers, filmmakers, and others who have attempted to make sense of Hitler's actions, to find a root cause for the Holocaust.

Rosenbaum methodically examines the evidence for and against all the major hypotheses concerning the origin of Hitler's character. He sifts through all the rumours--including his alleged Jewish ancestry and what biographer Alan Bullock refers to as "the one-ball business"--and the attempts to derive some psychological cause from them. Various Hitlers emerge: Hitler as con-man and brutal gangster, Hitler the unspeakable pervert, Hitler the ladies' man and Hitler as modernist artist working in the medium of evil. But Rosenbaum's portrayals of those who would define Hitler are as fascinating as the shifting perspectives on the Führer. Here we see the brave journalists of the Munich Post who attempted to reveal Hitler's evil to the world as early as the 1920s. We witness Shoah, director Claude Lanzmann's imperious attempts to stifle analysis of Hitler and the Holocaust, branding such historical inquiries as "obscene." We see the effects, on a frazzled Daniel Jonah Goldhagen, of the controversy surrounding the publication of his Hitler's Willing Executioners. We see the interior crises of Hitler apologist David Irving and philosopher-novelist George Steiner, among others, as they struggle with the ramifications of their work and thought. And, best of all, we have Rosenbaum to serve as an informed, intimate, and on occasion witty guide. In White Noise Don DeLillo depicted the satirical academic discipline of "Hitler studies;" Ron Rosenbaum breathes a life into the field that no fiction can match. --Ron Hogan , Amazon.com

Review

A "New York Times" Bestseller

"Brilliant...restlessly probing and deeply intelligent"--"Time"

"A remarkable journey by one of the most original journalists and writers of our time"--David Remnick, author of "Lenin's Tomb"

"Fascinating...A provocative work of cultural history that is as compelling as it is thoughtful, as readable as it is smart.... Mr. Rosenbaum has made an important contribution to our understanding not just of Hitler, but of the cultural processes by which we try to come to terms with history as well.... He has written an exciting, lucid book informed by old-fashioned moral rigor and common sense."--Michiko Kakutani, "New York Times"

"Glistens with insight and intelligence and shimmers with originality."--Gabriel Schoenfeld, "Commentary"

"Cultural criticism served up as riveting narrative history...with words and ideas that surprise, amuse, and even elevate the reader."--Marc Fisher, "Washington Post"

"A work of importance and fascination"--George Steiner, "The Observer" (UK)

"Intriguing, thought provoking, and intelligent"--Ian Kershaw, author of "Hitler: 1889-1936: Hubris", in "The Guardian" (UK)
A "New York Times" Bestseller
"Brilliant...restlessly probing and deeply intelligent""Time"
"A remarkable journey by one of the most original journalists and writers of our time"David Remnick, author of "Lenin's Tomb"
"Fascinating...A provocative work of cultural history that is as compelling as it is thoughtful, as readable as it is smart.... Mr. Rosenbaum has made an important contribution to our understanding not just of Hitler, but of the cultural processes by which we try to come to terms with history as well.... He has written an exciting, lucid book informed by old-fashioned moral rigor and common sense."Michiko Kakutani, "New York Times"
"Glistens with insight and intelligence and shimmers with originality."Gabriel Schoenfeld, "Commentary"
"Cultural criticism served up as riveting narrative history...with words and ideas that surprise, amuse, and even elevate the reader."Marc Fisher, "Washington Post"
"A work of importance and fascination"George Steiner, "The Observer" (UK)
"Intriguing, thought provoking, and intelligent"Ian Kershaw, author of "Hitler: 1889-1936: Hubris," in "The Guardian" (UK)
"Financial Times"
""Explaining Hitler" [is] a work of almost uncanny percipience and stamina."
"

A "New York Times" Bestseller
"Time"
"Brilliant...restlessly probing and deeply intelligent"
David Remnick, author of "Lenin's Tomb"
"A remarkable journey by one of the most original journalists and writers of our time"
Michiko Kakutani, "New York Times"
"Fascinating...A provocative work of cultural history that is as compelling as it is thoughtful, as readable as it is smart.... Mr. Rosenbaum has made an important contribution to our understanding not just of Hitler, but of the cultural processes by which we try to come to terms with history as well.... He has written an exciting, lucid book informed by old-fashioned moral rigor and common sense."
Gabriel Schoenfeld, "Commentary"
"Glistens with insight and intelligence and shimmers with originality."
Marc Fisher, "Washington Post"
"Cultural criticism served up as riveting narrative history...with words and ideas that surprise, amuse, and even elevate the reader."
George Steiner, "The Observer" (UK)
"A work of importance and fascination"
Ian Kershaw, author of "Hitler: 1889-1936: Hubris," in "The Guardian" (UK)
"Intriguing, thought provoking, and intelligent"
"Financial Times"
""Explaining Hitler" [is] a work of almost uncanny percipience and stamina."
"New York Times," 1/8/16
Considered one of the definitive examinations of the Nazi dictator s mind. "

Edition details

• Publisher: Perennial
• Publication date: 1999
• Language: English
• ISBN 10: 006095339X
• ISBN 13: 9780060953393
• Binding: Paperback
• Number of pages: 444