The infernal library: on dictators, the books they wrote, and other catastrophes of literacy
Description
"A mesmerizing study of books by despots great and small, from the familiar to the largely unknown."
—The Washington Post
A darkly humorous tour of "dictator literature" in the twentieth century, featuring the soul-killing prose and poetry of Hitler, Mao, and many more, which shows how books have sometimes shaped the world for the worse
Since the days of the Roman Empire dictators have written books. But in the twentieth-century despots enjoyed unprecedented print runs to (literally) captive audiences. The titans of the genre—Stalin, Mussolini, and Khomeini among them—produced theoretical works, spiritual manifestos, poetry, memoirs, and even the occasional romance novel and established a literary tradition of boundless tedium that continues to this day.
How did the production of literature become central to the running of regimes? What do these books reveal about the dictatorial soul? And how can books and literacy, most often viewed as inherently positive, cause immense and lasting harm? Putting daunting research to revelatory use, Daniel Kalder asks and brilliantly answers these questions.
Marshalled upon the beleaguered shelves of The Infernal Library are the books and commissioned works of the century's most notorious figures. Their words led to the deaths of millions. Their conviction in the significance of their own thoughts brooked no argument. It is perhaps no wonder then, as Kalder argues, that many dictators began their careers as writers.
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9781427294364
9781627793438
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Grouping Information
Grouped Work ID | 2379b4b7-c71b-47c7-8c32-d315cbaee908 |
---|---|
Grouping Title | infernal library on dictators the books they wrote and other catastrophes of literacy |
Grouping Author | daniel kalder |
Grouping Category | book |
Grouping Language | English (eng) |
Last Grouping Update | 2024-09-07 02:15:45AM |
Last Indexed | 2024-09-07 02:28:44AM |
Solr Fields
Carmichael
Central
Martin Luther King Jr.
Southgate
Carmichael
Central
Martin Luther King, Jr.
Southgate
"A mesmerizing study of books by despots great and small, from the familiar to the largely unknown."
—The Washington Post
A darkly humorous tour of "dictator literature" in the twentieth century, featuring the soul-killing prose and poetry of Hitler, Mao, and many more, which shows how books have sometimes shaped the world for the worse
Since the days of the Roman Empire dictators have written books. But in the twentieth-century despots enjoyed unprecedented print runs to (literally) captive audiences. The titans of the genre—Stalin, Mussolini, and Khomeini among them—produced theoretical works, spiritual manifestos, poetry, memoirs, and even the occasional romance novel and established a literary tradition of boundless tedium that continues to this day.
How did the production of literature become central to the running of regimes? What do these books reveal about the dictatorial soul? And how can books and literacy, most often viewed as inherently positive, cause immense and lasting harm? Putting daunting research to revelatory use, Daniel Kalder asks and brilliantly answers these questions.
Marshalled upon the beleaguered shelves of The Infernal Library are the books and commissioned works of the century's most notorious figures. Their words led to the deaths of millions. Their conviction in the significance of their own thoughts brooked no argument. It is perhaps no wonder then, as Kalder argues, that many dictators began their careers as writers.
eAudiobook
eBook
Books
eBook
9781627793421
9781627793438
Carmichael
Central
Martin Luther King Jr.
Southgate
Henry Holt and Company
Macmillan Audio
Dictatorship -- History
Revolutionary literature -- Authorship
The infernal library : on dictators, the books they wrote, and other catastrophes of literacy / Daniel Kalder
Dictators as authors
Dictatorship
History
Literary Criticism
Nonfiction
Politics
Revolutionary literature
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