The infernal library: on dictators, the books they wrote, and other catastrophes of literacy
(Book)
"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.
Notes
Kalder, D. (2018). The infernal library: on dictators, the books they wrote, and other catastrophes of literacy. First edition. New York, Henry Holt and Company.
Chicago / Turabian - Author Date Citation (style guide)Kalder, Daniel, 1974-. 2018. The Infernal Library: On Dictators, the Books They Wrote, and Other Catastrophes of Literacy. New York, Henry Holt and Company.
Chicago / Turabian - Humanities Citation (style guide)Kalder, Daniel, 1974-, The Infernal Library: On Dictators, the Books They Wrote, and Other Catastrophes of Literacy. New York, Henry Holt and Company, 2018.
MLA Citation (style guide)Kalder, Daniel. The Infernal Library: On Dictators, the Books They Wrote, and Other Catastrophes of Literacy. First edition. New York, Henry Holt and Company, 2018.
Record Information
Last Sierra Extract Time | Apr 16, 2024 10:13:25 AM |
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Last File Modification Time | Apr 16, 2024 10:19:10 AM |
Last Grouped Work Modification Time | Apr 23, 2024 02:10:41 AM |
MARC Record
LEADER | 01629cam 2200409 i 4500 | ||
---|---|---|---|
001 | 2017009633 | ||
003 | DLC | ||
005 | 20180331064551.0 | ||
008 | 170727s2018 nyua b 001 0deng | ||
010 | |a 2017009633 | ||
020 | |a 9781627793421 | ||
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245 | 1 | 4 | |a The infernal library :|b on dictators, the books they wrote, and other catastrophes of literacy /|c Daniel Kalder. |
250 | |a First edition. | ||
264 | 1 | |a New York :|b Henry Holt and Company,|c 2018. | |
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504 | |a Includes bibliographical references (pages 355-364) and index. | ||
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