Description
Book SynopsisTrade Review"A richly illuminating study ... [and] a timely meditation on the vicissitudes of abstract, purist ideals under the pressure of savage real-world events."--George Prochnik, New York Times Book Review "[A] finely grained portrait."--Robert E. Norton, Times Literary Supplement "A thorough and fascinating chronicle."--Brendan Simms, Wall Street Journal "Robert Lerner ... relates this amazing story with both carefully researched detail and engaging verve."--Michael D. Bailey, Montreal Review "A labour of love inspired by youthful sightings of its charismatic subject... Lerner's admirable study suggests that our understanding of the mind of the 20th century might be enriched by looking back at Kantorowicz's brilliant, if recondite scholarship, alongside this tribute to its author."--Stoddard Martin, Jewish Chronicle "Lerner's accessible, conversational tone and deft use of quotation bring Kantorowicz to life, showing the man behind the scholar and the development of a brilliant mind over a lifetime. Throughout, Kantorowicz's voice is sharply present. Lerner admits that, posthumously, motivations are impossible to discern, but his discernment is a gift in this unflinching treatment of Kantorowicz's legacy."--Letitia Montgomery-Rodgers, Foreword "[Robert Lerner] sets Kantorowicz in the context of his time, uniting heroic archival research, including numerous interviews with Kantorowicz's associates and friends, with discerning judgments to trace his remarkable odyssey. The result is a valuable contribution to modern European and American intellectual history."--Jacob Heilbrunn, The National Interest
Table of ContentsList of Figures ix Acknowledgments xi Abbreviations xiii Introduction 1 1. Old Posen and Young Ernst 8 2. "With Rifle and Gun" 23 3. Fine Fever 41 4. Heidelberg 55 5. St. George 68 6. The Castle Hill 84 7. Frederick II 101 8. Center of Attention 117 9. Becoming a Professional 133 10. Frankfurt 145 11. Year of Drama 158 12. Oxford 172 13. "Leisure with Dignity" 184 14. Flight 201 15. "Displaced Foreign Scholar" 214 16. "Without Any Desire for Europe" 225 17. Laudes Regiae 240 18. Fight for Employment 252 19. "Hyperborean Fields" 268 20. "Scarcely Wants to Go to Germany" 284 21. "Land of Lotus-Eaters" 294 22. The Fundamental Issue 312 23. Advanced Study 329 24. The King's Two Bodies 344 25. "Eka Is Sick of Eka" 358 26. Last Years 376 Afterword 386 Index 389
