Description
Book SynopsisIn this eloquent and thought-provoking "autohistory," John Lukacs, distinguished historian and writer, describes the history of his own convictions and beliefs. The journey takes us from the Hungary of the 1930s and the ravaged Budapest of World War II to Lukacs’s discovery of the New World, his forays into the intellectual life of New York City, and finally his settling in Philadelphia.
Along the way, Lukacs examines many of the major currents of our period, including fascism, communism, democracy, anti-Semitism, and the Christian realism from which springs the book’s title. What emerges is a mind that brings to bear on the conflicts of the twentieth century the erudition of the European heritage and the independence of the American.
In prose as elegant as it is supple, Confessions of an Original Sinner is at once the vivid account of one man’s voyage and an important contribution to that small library that brings into sharp focus the major intellectual developments of our time.
Trade Review"... beautifully written, full of trenchant observations, and - once you break through the solemn wrappings of the introduction - exceedingly funny.... His 'confessions' give the reader an experience rather akin to gazing at a brilliant stained-glass window only to discover a small hilarious cartoons worked out in the corners. Do not neglect the footnotes. They are as entertaining as the main text." - 'New York Times Book Review "He is an often witty and always fascinating - even entertaining writer." - 'Washington Post' "....a superb guidebook to a rich intellect." - 'Wall Street Journal'
