Eric Hobsbawm seems to be writing from beyond the grave in what appears to be his last testament, Fractured Times, but I'm sure more unpublished manuscripts will follow. Hobsbawm proudly went down with a sinking ship in the Soviet Union, refusing to acknowledge the death of Socialism, at least in its grandest form, and remained ever on the attack of the corporate state. Nick Cohen describes Hobsbawm in his book review for the Guardian as one of those rarest of critics, the Conservative Communist, seemingly able to live comfortably in the British society he wrote so harshly about, even receiving the Order of the Companions of Honour from Queen Elizabeth herself. As usual, Hobsbawm's scope extends far beyond the British Isles as he once again charts the vicissitudes of the 20th century, including a chapter on "The American Cowboy, an International Myth?"
Sadly, it appears this isn't yet available in the US.
ReplyDeleteYou can always order it through amazon.co.uk. A little extra shipping.
ReplyDeleteI finally had a chance to read the sample chapter -- and the comments. Fascinating, although I'm surprised he missed the whole point of cowboys in reality being low-paid workers. But I did like the comment about western papers being filled with business opportunities -- no shootouts at the corral. I guess that's part of the gun debate, too.
ReplyDeleteThere is an interesting looking book out on the Searchers that might make for an interesting read:
ReplyDeletehttp://www.amazon.com/The-Searchers-Making-American-Legend/dp/1608191052
Looks like a great group read. Will make a separate post for the book.
ReplyDelete