First published 2022
Christopher Clark, the historian behind The Sleepwalkers, gathers his most significant essays into a collection that questions how we understand the past. The book opens with German historical figures, analyzing Kaiser Wilhelm and Bismarck alongside the troubling case of General von Blaskowitz, a Prussian officer who adapted to Nazi rule. Clark explores the attempted conversion of Prussian Jews to Christianity and examines contemporary issues like Brexit through a historical lens. The centerpiece essay, "The Dream of Nebuchadnezzar," traces the nature of political authority across centuries. Clark challenges readers to consider both history's value and its dangers as a field of study, offering insights that span from ancient battles to modern political crises.
Genres: history, 20th-century, 21st-century, academic
Vibes: intimate, suspenseful, thought-provoking
Tropes: unreliable-narrator
Setting: Germany, Prussia
Period: 19th-century, 20th-century
320 pages · Hardcover · Galaxia Gutenberg, S.L.