Author:Isaiah Berlin
'Over a hundred years ago, the German poet Heine warned the French not to underestimate the power of ideas: philosophical concepts nurtured in the stillness of a professor's study could destroy a civilisation' - Isaiah Berlin, Two Concepts of Liberty, 1958.
The nineteen essays collected here show Isaiah Berlin at his most lucid: these short, introductory pieces provide the perfect starting point for the reader new to his work. Their linking theme is the crucial social and political role of ideas, and of their progenitors. The subjects vary widely - from philosophy to education, from Russia to Israel, from Marxism to romanticism - and the appositeness of Heine's warning is exemplified on a broad front.
The contents include Berlin's last essay - a retrospective autobiographical survey and the classic statement of his Zionist views. As a whole the book exhibits the full range of his expertise, and demonstrates the enormously engaging individuality, as well as the power, of his own ideas.
Each of these essays fulfils Raymond Carver's criterion for the short story: to leave the reader's body temperature a degree higher or lower than when the book was opened
—— Nicholas Fearn , Independent on SundayShows how seriously he took the task of inspiring the general reader...displays the full breadth of his learning and experience
—— Daniel Johnson , Daily TelegraphBerlin's description of Jews in contemporary Western society is brilliant, indeed dazzling
—— David Hillel-Ruben , Jewish ChronicleStunning
—— The New YorkerTakes us into the heart of the Hasidic community in New York, where two Hungarian-Romanian Jewish children orphaned during the barbarity of the Second World War are set to begin new lives
—— Elmore Leonard , Glasgow Sunday HeraldFascinating... Offers a glimpse into the real world of Hasidic life
—— Kerstin HogeOutstanding novel
—— Benjamin Evans , Sunday Telegraph (Seven)Using the language of the scriptures, Markovits depicts religion’s potential for both beauty and cruelty, and the inevitability of transgression even in the most devout life
—— Maria Crawford , Financial TimesThe writing is stunning, the execution flawless and the plot utterly gripping (4 stars)
—— Helen Cullen , StylistAn unusual, beautifully written novel
—— The LadyA bittersweet rumination on first love ... The language soars, full of the beauty of nature and the sadness of loss
—— Marie ClaireBanville perfectly captures the spirit of adolescence, the body yearning for sexual experience, the mind blurring eroticism and emotion ... Banville is a Nabokovian artist, his prose so rich, poetic and packed with startling imagery that reading it is akin to gliding regally through a lake of praline: it's a slow, stately process, delicious and to be savoured ... This is a luminous breathtaking work
—— Independent on SundayAncient Light also bears resemblance to Lolita that extend beyond the obvious hallmark ecstatic prose..different periods of his life blending into a single meditation of breathtaking beauty and profundity on love and loss and death, the final page of which brought tears.
—— The Financial TimesA beautifully written tale of youthful passion
—— Good HousekeepingA novel about sexual awakening and the tricks that memory plays. Banville's lushly gorgeous prose enhances a mood of brooding passion in a place of secrets
—— The IA sumptuous novel. Read it for the sentences and smarts, and for the copious sexy parts
—— Richard Ford , Guardian, Books of the YearEverything I want from a love story: sexy, convincing, baffling, funny, sad and unforgettable
—— Juliet Nicholson , Evening Standard, "Books of the Year"Banville's exquisitely written novel unravels the deceptions of memory with wit and pathos
—— Telegraph
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