Thoughts about Ian Kershaw?
Thoughts about Ian Kershaw?
What exactly do you think about the work of the historian Ian Kershaw? After all, I am currently reading a couple of his books (Hitler: 1889-1936 and Fateful Choices) and I certainly enjoy his writing style a lot.
Re: Thoughts about Ian Kershaw?
Anyone?
Re: Thoughts about Ian Kershaw?
I found him biased and boring.
Regards
Regards
Re: Thoughts about Ian Kershaw?
Biased in favor of whom, though?Boby wrote:I found him biased and boring.
Regards
- Jeff Leach
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Re: Thoughts about Ian Kershaw?
I've read his book the 'The End: Germany, 1944-45' and found it insightful and an enjoyable read. It is possible there are other posts about this author - roughly, his later works have a different tone than his earlier ones.
Re: Thoughts about Ian Kershaw?
I've read "The End" too, and used it critically for my own work: it's a solid piece of historical research, well documented and easy to read.
I've also read "Fateful Choices", which I found an un-necessary book. It is made of successive political sequences, which Kershaw describes based on other people's work. It does not bring much if you happen to know the topic already. It is accurate though (no mistake, state of the art perspective), but the reader wonders what exactly the value add of the book is.
I've also read "Fateful Choices", which I found an un-necessary book. It is made of successive political sequences, which Kershaw describes based on other people's work. It does not bring much if you happen to know the topic already. It is accurate though (no mistake, state of the art perspective), but the reader wonders what exactly the value add of the book is.
Re: Thoughts about Ian Kershaw?
I would have to say I enjoyed his two book biography of Hitler, it was excellent, of the two ,Hubris (Vol.2) I enjoyed most.
Fateful decisions - again an excellent read as was "the End".
"The Hitler Myth" - to me one of his best works, you can pick it up open read and enjoy at any point.
His book on Perceptions of the Third reich , to be honest I found it heavy going.
Fateful decisions - again an excellent read as was "the End".
"The Hitler Myth" - to me one of his best works, you can pick it up open read and enjoy at any point.
His book on Perceptions of the Third reich , to be honest I found it heavy going.
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Re: Thoughts about Ian Kershaw?
Kershaw is a disciple of Martin Broszat, who is one of the leading historians of the IfZ Munich. So if you said Kershaw is biased, yes he is indeed biased to the viewpoints of Broszat.Boby wrote:I found him biased and boring.
Regards
Kershaw's book is indeed boring (I would say second to Richard Evans in the list of the most boring historical works ever written in the history of humanity) although it is well researched especially his biography on Adolf Hitler. I have a couple of his books and suffice to say that it is good source of information but I will never re-read it again entirely because it is too bland, too academic, too dry to enjoy reading it.
Kershaw lacked the writing prose sophistication of Antony Beevor's (Stalingrad, Berlin: The Downfall), Perry Biddiscombe (The SS Hunter Battalions) whose latter books would make you read and re-read and still enjoy it very much even if it is a serious historical work.
If there is a English version of Rolf Hinze's level of blandness in the history of the Third Reich, Ian Kershaw would certainly be the undisputed choice