Synopses & Reviews
Peter Watson's virtuoso sweep through modern German thought and culture, from 1750 to the present day, will challenge and confound both the stereotypes the world has of Germany and those that Germany has of itself.
From the end of the Baroque era and the death of Bach to the rise of Hitler in 1933, Germany was transformed from a poor relation among Western nations into a dominant intellectual and cultural forcemore creative and influential than France, Britain, Italy, Holland, and the United States. In the early decades of the twentieth century, German artists, writers, scholars, philosophers, scientists, and engineers were leading their freshly unified country to new and unimagined heights. By 1933, Germans had won more Nobel Prizes than any other nationals, and more than the British and Americans combined. Yet this remarkable genius was cut down in its prime by Adolf Hitler and his disastrous Third Reicha brutal legacy that has overshadowed the nation's achievements ever since.
How did the Germans transform their country so as to achieve such pre-eminence? In this absorbing cultural and intellectual history, Peter Watson goes back through time to explore the origins of the German genius, and he explains how and why it flourished, how it shaped our lives, and, most important, how it continues to influence our world. As he convincingly demonstrates, it was German thinkingfrom Beethoven and Kant to Diesel and Nietzsche, from Goethe and Wagner to Mendel and Planck, from Hegel and Marx to Freud and Schoenbergthat was paramount in the creation of the modern West. Moreover, despite World War II, figures such as Joseph Beuys, JÜrgen Habermas, and Joseph Ratzinger ensure that the German genius still resonates intellectually today.
Review
“Reveals several surprises. . . . A remarkable book on many levels. The research is first-rate and it is surprisingly accessible.” Tucson Citizen
Review
“Watsons story is vibrating with life. It is unputdownable. It contains a lot one didnt know. So much enlightenment and so much that moves.” Frankfurter Rundschau
Review
“A joy, for its ambition, its seriousness and its moral integrity.” The Scotsman
Review
“The German Genius present a huge corpus of scholarship in easily digestible form, and its range is astonishing. No professor, least of all a German one, would have dared to essay such a synthesis; so much the worse for the professors.” Standpoint
Review
“He has an enviable gift of explaining lucidly and cogently ideas that are complicated or profound (or both). . . . Everyone interested in the sufferings and greatness of modern culture will be informed, entertained and provoked by it.” Literary Review
Review
“[An] engrossing, vast chronicle. . . . English now dominates the arts and sciences, but Watson writes an absorbing account of a time not so long ago when German ruled.” Publishers Weekly (starred review)
Review
“Few wasted words-a welcome resource for students of modern history, literature and cultural studies.” Kirkus Reviews
Review
“[A] colossal encyclopaedia. . . . Heroic. . . . Watson derives the German genius from deep springs.” The Guardian
Review
“A tour de force. . . . It is impossible not to be impressed by his range and versatility as he bounds across the disciplines. . . . This intelligent book presents a breathtaking panorama.” Sunday Times (London)
Review
“Watson tells how the Nazis first artistic blacklist appeared just six weeks after Hitler assumed power in 1933 - and how his catastrophic handling of his intellectual inheritance has unfairly overshadowed the country ever since. This exhaustive and virtuoso sweep through history goes some way to restoring the balance.” Press Association
Review
“A compilation of essential German contributions to philosophy, theology, mathematics, natural and social science and the arts since 1750. Watson enshrines a vast pantheon of creative thinkers... [including] compressed summaries of some exceedingly difficult ideas. The range of subjects is impressive, from painters to physicists.” New York Times Book Review
Review
“[The German Genius is] Watsons eight-hundred-and-fifty-page love letter to the all-stars of the Teutonic intellect…his élan generates its own momentum… The books breadth is part of the point.” The New Yorker
Review
“Watsons book is intended to subvert the negative German stereotypes. Though it checks in at just short of 1,000 pages, it is a usefully concise introduction to the principal themes and personalities of German scientific, philosophical, social, literary and artistic culture since 1750.” The Times (London)
Review
“Assembles such a wealth of information, based on an impressive range of sources, that The German Genius will be an essential work...for years to come.” The Independent
Review
“A powerful and vivid opus. . . . Watsons story is brimming with life. You can barely put the book aside.” Berliner Zeitung.
Review
and#8220;Levenson presents a balanced picture that is neither apologetic of the German intellectual tradition nor indulges in the simplistic construction of an antisemitic German and#8216;national character.and#8217; . . . The book is very interesting throughout, carefully argued and documented, and well-written. It should be widely read.and#8221;and#8212;Marcel Stoetzler, German Studies Review
Review
and#8220;A vigorous defense of philosemitism as a moral and intellectual category in the history of German-Jewish relations from Bismarck to Hitler.and#8221;and#8212;Central European History
Review
and#8220;Levensonand#8217;s analysis is penetrating and his conclusions . . . are well worth considering.and#8221;and#8212;Daniel J. Rettberg, Association of Jewish Libraries Newsletter
Review
and#8220;Whether addressing voices in the German peace movement, authors of works of fiction, missionaries, or supporters of Herzlian Zionism, Levenson detects a common thread of otherness preventing any mutually constructive German-Jewish symbiosis from emerging. In the shadow of the Holocaust, Levenson demonstrates that all shades of anti-semitism were present in the German culture . .and#160;. the complex matrix of social interaction that made the Holocaust possible.and#8221;and#8212;D. A. Meier, Choice
Synopsis
Between 1750 and 1933, Germany, formerly considered the backwards neighbor of more "enlightened" countries like England or France, came into its own as an intellectual powerhouse. Goethe, Mozart, Mendel, Schopenhauer and Einstein are just a few of the many German scientists, philosophers and artists who came to dominate their respective fields. Following the devastating effects of the Third Reich and World War II, German thinkers have once again begun to make significant contributions to the world of ideas.
The German Genius follows the development of German intellectualism and its tremendous influence on the Western world. From the arts and humanities to science and philosophy, acclaimed historian Peter Watson presents a lively and accessible review of more than 250 years of German intellectual history.
Peter Watson was educated at the universities of Durham, London, and Rome. He has written for the Sunday Times, the Times, the New York Times, the Observer, and the Spectator, and is the author of War on the Mind, Wisdom and Strength, The Caravaggio Conspiracy, and other books. He lives in London.
"Watson enshrines a vast pantheon of creative thinkers ... including] compressed summaries of some exceedingly difficult ideas. The range of subjects is impressive, from painters to physicists." -- New York Times Book Review
--The Independent
Synopsis
From the end of the Baroque era and the death of Bach to the rise of Hitler, Germany was transformed from a poor relation among Western nations into a dominant intellectual and cultural force. By 1933, Germans had won more Nobel Prizes than the British and Americans combined. Yet this remarkable genius was cut down in its prime by Adolf Hitler and his disastrous Third Reich—a brutal legacy that has overshadowed the nations achievements ever since.
In this absorbing cultural and intellectual history, Peter Watson goes back through time to explore the origins of the German genius, explaining how and why it flourished, how it shaped our lives, and, most important, how it continues to influence our world. Watsons virtuoso sweep through modern German thought and culture will challenge and confound both the stereotypes the world has of Germany and those that Germany has of itself.
Synopsis
The German Genius is a virtuoso cultural history of German ideas and influence, from 1750 to the present day, by acclaimed historian Peter Watson (Making of the Modern Mind, Ideas). From Bach, Goethe, and Schopenhauer to Nietzsche, Freud, and Einstein, from the arts and humanities to science and philosophy, The German Genius is a lively and accessible review of over 250 years of German intellectual history. In the process, it explains the devastating effects of World War II, which transformed a vibrant and brilliantly artistic culture into a vehicle of warfare and destruction, and it shows how the German culture advanced in the wars aftermath.
Synopsis
Philosemitism, as Alan T. Levenson explains, is and#8220;any pro-Jewish or pro-Judaic utterance or act.and#8221; The German term for this phenomenon appeared in the language at roughly the same time as its more famous counterpart,
antisemitism, and its emergence signifies an important, often neglected aspect of German-Jewish encounters.
Between Philosemitism and Antisemitism is the first assessment of the non-Jewish defense of Jews, Judaism, and Jewishness from the foundation of the German Reich in 1871 until the ascent of the Nazis in 1932, when befriending Jews became a crime.
Levenson takes an interdisciplinary look at fiction, private correspondence, and published works defending Jews and Judaism in early twentieth-century Germany. He reappraises the missionary Protestant defense of Judaism and advocacy of Jewry by members of the German peace movement. Literary analysis of popular novels with positive Jewish characters and exploration of the reception of Herzlian Zionism further illuminate this often overlooked aspect of German-Jewish history.
Between Philosemitism and Antisemitism reveals the dynamic process by which a generally despised minority attracts defenders and supporters. It demonstrates that there was sympathy for Jews and Judaism in Imperial and Weimar Germany, although its effectiveness was limited by the values of a bygone era and scattered across the political and social spectrum.
Levensonand#8217;s new afterword vividly surveys the past decade of philosemitism studies, and in a reading of Die Weltband#252;hne, Weimar Germanyand#8217;s most celebrated leftwing intellectual journal, he justifies the widely contested term of philosemitism.and#160;
About the Author
Peter Watson has been a senioreditor at the London Sunday Times, a New York correspondentof the London Times, a columnist for theLondon Observer, and a contributor to the New YorkTimes. He has published three exposés on the world ofart and antiquities, and is the author of several booksof cultural and intellectual history. From 1997 to 2007he was a research associate at the McDonald Institutefor Archaeological Research at the University of Cambridge.He lives in London.