John Lukacs, Historian Extraordinaire

John Lukacs: 1924-2019

Certain authors don’t have to meet any tests to prompt me to buy their newly published books, and one of those is John Lukacs. By chance yesterday (I’ll explain later), I learned that Lukacs had published a new book, Last Rites, so off I went to Prairie Lights to buy it—no questions asked! In delving into the first chapter, “A Bad Fifteen Minutes,” I was not disappointed. The book contains both professional and personal recollections, and in this first chapter, Lukacs addresses issues arising from the practice and understanding of history. He discusses critical concepts such as “objectivity,” “subjectivity,” “idealism,” and “realism.” Lukac’s prose is not facile; he jumps and darts, eludes and asides, but it’s worth the effort because he is an extraordinary prose stylist. Lukacs argues against “historicism” (determinism in fancy dress) and for “historicity,” the sense that all human knowledge and activity grows out of history. Yet history is not a simple sequence of events, but a tangled stream of currents and eddies that do not always travel at the same speed or in the same direction.

I learned of this book because I’d finally started his book Historical Consciousness, or the Remembered Past (1968/1985), Lukacs's major book about history, historians, and historical thinking. I’d put off reading this vital text because Lukacs can prove quite daunting to read, at least when he’s reflecting as opposed to narrating, as, for instance, he does in Five Days in London or The Duel. In any event, I’ve set aside the older book now to dive into the newer, my attention span is sufficient (for the most part), but time is so limited. Like a dog with too many scents, I’m off. However, by addressing you, dear reader, I hope to preserve my trail so that I may find my way back.

Note: I'm linking to Amazon.com for the information on the book, not as an endorsement of Amazon. Nor, by saying this, am I denigrating Amazon. I prefer, whenever possible, to use local book stores (such as Prairie Lights, The Seminary Coop, etc.), but Amazon can prove useful. Best of all, they keep a wealth of information about titles, allow you to keep a list of books you're interested in, etc. So I link for the reader's convenience.

Rev'd 8.27.2019. Orignal 4.23.09