The German Genius: Europe's Third Renaissance, the Second Scientific Revolution, and the Twentieth Century
Jun 2010 · Harper Collins
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About this ebook
A “compelling” history of German cultural and intellectual development from 1750 to the twentieth century (Financial Times).
From the end of the Baroque era and the death of Bach to the rise of Hitler, Germany was transformed from a poor relation among Western nations into a dominant intellectual and cultural force. By 1933, Germans had won more Nobel Prizes than the British and Americans combined. Yet this remarkable genius was cut down in its prime by Adolf Hitler and his disastrous Third Reich—a brutal legacy that has overshadowed the nation’s achievements ever since.
In this absorbing cultural and intellectual history, Peter Watson goes back through time to explore the origins of the German genius, explaining how and why it flourished, how it shaped our lives, and, most important, how it continues to influence our world. Watson’s virtuoso sweep through modern German thought and culture will challenge and confound both the stereotypes the world has of Germany and those that Germany has of itself.
Praise for The German Genius
“[A] love letter to the all-stars of the Teutonic intellect.” —The New Yorker
“[An] engrossing, vast chronicle of ideas, humanists, scientists, and artists: Bach, Goethe, Hegel, Gauss, and many more. . . . English now dominates the arts and sciences, but Watson writes an absorbing account of a time not so long ago when German ruled.” —Publishers Weekly (starred review)
“Watson has . . . a gift for accessibly presenting the vast and varied material. . . . The author demonstrates the breadth, volume, and influence of German output in philosophy, science, industry, art, literature, and all forms of scholarly activity. . . . Comprehensive, erudite.” —Kirkus Reviews (starred review)
From the end of the Baroque era and the death of Bach to the rise of Hitler, Germany was transformed from a poor relation among Western nations into a dominant intellectual and cultural force. By 1933, Germans had won more Nobel Prizes than the British and Americans combined. Yet this remarkable genius was cut down in its prime by Adolf Hitler and his disastrous Third Reich—a brutal legacy that has overshadowed the nation’s achievements ever since.
In this absorbing cultural and intellectual history, Peter Watson goes back through time to explore the origins of the German genius, explaining how and why it flourished, how it shaped our lives, and, most important, how it continues to influence our world. Watson’s virtuoso sweep through modern German thought and culture will challenge and confound both the stereotypes the world has of Germany and those that Germany has of itself.
Praise for The German Genius
“[A] love letter to the all-stars of the Teutonic intellect.” —The New Yorker
“[An] engrossing, vast chronicle of ideas, humanists, scientists, and artists: Bach, Goethe, Hegel, Gauss, and many more. . . . English now dominates the arts and sciences, but Watson writes an absorbing account of a time not so long ago when German ruled.” —Publishers Weekly (starred review)
“Watson has . . . a gift for accessibly presenting the vast and varied material. . . . The author demonstrates the breadth, volume, and influence of German output in philosophy, science, industry, art, literature, and all forms of scholarly activity. . . . Comprehensive, erudite.” —Kirkus Reviews (starred review)
Ratings and reviews
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June 17, 2011
Dr. Jukka Kemppinen:
This book is almost as good as "Modern Mind". The idea that many of the reviewers seem to have missed is coupling science with liberal arts. The secondary plot is the narrative of the mindset of middle-class. In Germany the changes have been extreme.
This kind of information and insight is almost impossible to gather from literature or the Internet.
I have studied the topic in depth in German, English and French and vouch that there is no competition for this kind of book - possibly Egon Friedell (1930ies).
I give four stars instead of five therefore that Watson could have easily considered the two-way contacts of Germany with the Baltic states (19th century) and Sweden (20th century). Being myself a Finn I am accustomed with the fact that we are not mentioned, although most of our academic training came from Germany, especially in medicine, law, engineering and theology. The generation of my teachers regularly spent some years in Heidelberg, Göttingen or Berlin.
About the author
Peter Watson has been a senioreditor at the London Sunday Times, a New York correspondentof the London Times, a columnist for theLondon Observer, and a contributor to the New YorkTimes. He has published three exposés on the world ofart and antiquities, and is the author of several booksof cultural and intellectual history. From 1997 to 2007he was a research associate at the McDonald Institutefor Archaeological Research at the University of Cambridge.He lives in London.
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