The Infernal Library: On Dictators, the Books They Wrote, and Other Catastrophes of Literacy by Kalder, Daniel
The Infernal Library: On Dictators, the Books They Wrote, and Other Catastrophes of Literacy by Kalder, Daniel

The Infernal Library: On Dictators, the Books They Wrote, and Other Catastrophes of Literacy

A mesmerizing study of books by despots great and small, from the familiar to the largely unknown.--The...
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$49.83 AUD
SKU: 9781250181602
Product Type: Books
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Author: Daniel Kalder
Format: Paperback
Language: English
Subtotal: $49.83
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The Infernal Library: On Dictators, the Books They Wrote, and Other Catastrophes of Literacy by Kalder, Daniel

The Infernal Library: On Dictators, the Books They Wrote, and Other Catastrophes of Literacy

$49.83
The Infernal Library: On Dictators, the Books They Wrote, and Other Catastrophes of Literacy by Kalder, Daniel

The Infernal Library: On Dictators, the Books They Wrote, and Other Catastrophes of Literacy

$49.83
Author: Daniel Kalder
Format: Paperback
Language: English
Description

A mesmerizing study of books by despots great and small, from the familiar to the largely unknown.
--The Washington Post

A darkly humorous tour of dictator literature in the twentieth century, featuring the soul-killing prose and poetry of Hitler, Mao, and many more, which shows how books have sometimes shaped the world for the worse

Since the days of the Roman Empire dictators have written books. But in the twentieth-century despots enjoyed unprecedented print runs to (literally) captive audiences. The titans of the genre--Stalin, Mussolini, and Khomeini among them--produced theoretical works, spiritual manifestos, poetry, memoirs, and even the occasional romance novel and established a literary tradition of boundless tedium that continues to this day.

How did the production of literature become central to the running of regimes? What do these books reveal about the dictatorial soul? And how can books and literacy, most often viewed as inherently positive, cause immense and lasting harm? Putting daunting research to revelatory use, Daniel Kalder asks and brilliantly answers these questions.

Marshalled upon the beleaguered shelves of The Infernal Library are the books and commissioned works of the century's most notorious figures. Their words led to the deaths of millions. Their conviction in the significance of their own thoughts brooked no argument. It is perhaps no wonder then, as Kalder argues, that many dictators began their careers as writers.

Author: Daniel Kalder
Publisher: Picador USA
Published: 04/02/2019
Pages: 400
Binding Type: Paperback
Weight: 0.90lbs
Size: 9.00h x 5.80w x 1.00d
ISBN: 9781250181602

About the Author
Daniel Kalder is the author of Lost Cosmonaut and Strange Telescopes. He is also a journalist who has contributed to the BBC as well as to Esquire, The Guardian, The Times, The Dallas Morning News, and many other publications. Originally from Fife, Scotland, he lived in Moscow for ten years and currently resides in Central Texas.
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