Title

Neoconservatism : the autobiography of an idea

Description

Neoconservatism is the movement that has provided the intellectual foundation for the resurgence of American conservatism in our time. And if neoconservatism can be said to have a father or an architect, that person is Irving Kristol. Neoconservatism is the most comprehensive selection of Kristol's influential writings on politics and economics, as well as the best of his now-famous essays on society, religion, culture, literature, education, and - above all - the "values" issues that have come to define the neo-conservative critique of contemporary life.These essays provide an unparalleled insight into the 50-year development of Kristol's social and political ideas, from an uneasy socialism tempered with religious orthodoxy, to a vigilant optimism about the future of the American experiment. Those already familiar with Kristol's work will especially enjoy the new autobiographical essay that introduces this volume; it is sprinkled with personal recollections about such luminaries as Lionel Trilling, Leo Strauss, Saul Bellow, Sidney Hook, Daniel Patrick Moynihan, and historian Gertrude Himmelfarb (who is also Mrs. Kristol). Those relatively new to Kristol's writings will be treated to some of the most lucid, insightful, entertaining, and intellectually challenging essays of our time.

Identifier

551048

28740211

Creator

Kristol, Irving

Source

Brian Lamb Booknotes Collection

Gift of Brian Lamb, 2011.

Catalog record

Language

eng

Date

1995

Program air date: September 24, 1995

Publisher

Free Press

George Mason University. Libraries. Special Collections & Archives

Text

Transcription of Annotations
Notes on back fly sheet: Lists of frequently cited names with the number of references: 16 presidents; 14 luminaries--including historians, political theorists, and writers. Underlinings/Notes: Underlinings: Lamb underlines names/interests of 'Commentary' colleagues, names of Kristol's friends, jobs, impact of writings, political beliefs, magazines for which he wrote/edited, neo-conservatism, concepts of capitalism, public morality, and liberty. Notes: Handwritten chart opposite table of contents shows the number of publications by decade/year for the 41 pieces in the collection. Lamb has added the year of publication to each of the titles listed in the table of contents. "Republican party alien to us: 1. a party of business; 2. small town America; 3. little use for intellectuals; 4. economic policy stopped short of a balanced budget; 5. campaigning against New Deal; 6. isolationist." "Neo, Jewish Orthodox," "mother died at 16," "holocaust," "God, faith," "Sidney Hook," "Lionel Trilling, "Leo Strauss," "Bible," "helpless," "Dostoevsky, Austen," "Auden," "troika," "Bea," "53rd," "Irving Howe," "existentialism," "Commentary," "Mary McCarthy, Hannah Arendt, Diana Trilling," "Stalinist views of liberals," "country clubs," "1952 McCarthyism," "article creates storm," "tumult & shouting," "Fortune 'no'," "Sidney Hook," "garlic passed out," "1953 London," "Malcolm Muggeridge," "Michael Oakeshott," "The Reporter," "1958 New York," "Moynihan," "Meg Greenfield," "Tocqueville," "Basic Books," "student rebellion," "Geo. McGovern," "Wall Street Journal," "easy life," "Michael Harrington," 1976-77--my economic education," "Bork, Scalia, Silberman, Jude W.," "Jack Kemp," "1987 N.Y.C. boring," "one part town," "Wash v. New York--comity," "The National Interest," "75 yrs. old, 53 yrs married," "American civilization, Western civilization," "religios-moral traditions v. secular-nationalist culture," "Milton Friedman," "Hayck," "ideas matter," "liberty," "'Wealth of Nations,'" "Henry Adams," "19th amendment conservative," "Hofstadter, Meyers, Elkins," "Oakeshott 600 copies," "not read 'Road to Serfdom," "local school boards," "liberal media."

Subject

"Conservatism--United States--History--20th century."

Relation

Original Booknotes interview

Rights

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