The Future of History by John Lukacs (2008). Lukacs is a relatively recent discovery, but what a discovery he’s been! Like Arendt, he’s a refugee from Europe, although he’s younger, coming after the Second World War from Hungry. Like Arendt, his thinking can prove a bit obscure to me at times, but I think it because he's just a whole lot smarter than I am. His range intrigues me, from Five Days in London: May 1940 to the whole calling of history as a human endeavor and way of knowing. His thoughts about history as a calling have proven most insightful and unique. Lukacs argues, in my paraphrase, that all knowledge is history and therefore history is the master trope of knowledge and scholarship. These insights are fascinating. He’s a bit of well-kept secret, but any of his books proves worthwhile. Even though English is not his native tongue, he’s a master stylist who can write with the grace and skill of a novelist.
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