Thinking the Twentieth Century - Softcover

"Timothy Snyder's initiative has prompted a sparkling dialogue which, through following the stages of Tony Judt's life and emergence as an exceptional historian, offers important reflections on major currents of political thinking in the 20th century" (Ian Kershaw)

"There is much brilliance here to enjoy ... The best kind of book" (David Aaronovitch The Times)

"Brilliant to the bitter end...Tony Judt was combative and razor-sharp even as he was dying...A moving, enlightening and provocative read...It is impossible not to marvel at the dying man's extraordinary mental recall and moral integrity ... This book, bristling with learning, is a staggering achievement" (Dominic Sandbrook Sunday Times)

"Thinking the Twentieth Century is a substantial achievement" (Tony Barber Financial Times)

"Brilliantly eloquent" (Neil Ascherson Guardian)

Two explorers set out on a journey from which only one of them will return. Their unknown land is that often fearsome continent we call the 20th Century. Their route is through their own minds and memories. Both travellers are professional historians still tormented by their own unanswered questions. They needed to talk to one another, and the time was short.

This is a book about the past, but it is also an argument for the kind of future we should strive for. Thinking the Twentieth Century is about the life of the mind - and the mindful life.