The Free World: Art and Thought in the Cold War
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- Author：Louis Menand
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Summary
“An engrossing and impossibly wide-ranging project 。 。 。 In The Free World， every seat is a good one。” —Carlos Lozada， The Washington Post
“The Free World sparkles。 Fully original， beautifully written 。 。 。 One hopes Menand has a sequel in mind。 The bar is set very high。” —David Oshinsky， The New York Times Book Review
Named a most anticipated book of April by The New York Times， The Washington Post， and Oprah Daily
In his follow-up to the Pulitzer Prize–winning The Metaphysical Club， Louis Menand offers a new intellectual and cultural history of the postwar years。
The Cold War was not just a contest of power。 It was also about ideas， in the broadest sense—economic and political， artistic and personal。 In The Free World， the acclaimed Pulitzer Prize–winning scholar and critic Louis Menand tells the story of American culture in the pivotal years from the end of World War II to Vietnam and shows how changing economic， technological， and social forces put their mark on creations of the mind。
How did elitism and an anti-totalitarian skepticism of passion and ideology give way to a new sensibility defined by freewheeling experimentation and loving the Beatles？ How was the ideal of “freedom” applied to causes that ranged from anti-communism and civil rights to radical acts of self-creation via art and even crime？ With the wit and insight familiar to readers of The Metaphysical Club and his New Yorker essays， Menand takes us inside Hannah Arendt’s Manhattan， the Paris of Jean-Paul Sartre and Simone de Beauvoir， Merce Cunningham and John Cage’s residencies at North Carolina’s Black Mountain College， and the Memphis studio where Sam Phillips and Elvis Presley created a new music for the American teenager。 He examines the post war vogue for French existentialism， structuralism and post-structuralism， the rise of abstract expressionism and pop art， Allen Ginsberg’s friendship with Lionel Trilling， James Baldwin’s transformation into a Civil Rights spokesman， Susan Sontag’s challenges to the New York Intellectuals， the defeat of obscenity laws， and the rise of the New Hollywood。
Stressing the rich flow of ideas across the Atlantic， he also shows how Europeans played a vital role in promoting and influencing American art and entertainment。 By the end of the Vietnam era， the American government had lost the moral prestige it enjoyed at the end of the Second World War， but America’s once-despised culture had become respected and adored。 With unprecedented verve and range， this book explains how that happened。
“The Free World sparkles。 Fully original， beautifully written 。 。 。 One hopes Menand has a sequel in mind。 The bar is set very high。” —David Oshinsky， The New York Times Book Review
Named a most anticipated book of April by The New York Times， The Washington Post， and Oprah Daily
In his follow-up to the Pulitzer Prize–winning The Metaphysical Club， Louis Menand offers a new intellectual and cultural history of the postwar years。
The Cold War was not just a contest of power。 It was also about ideas， in the broadest sense—economic and political， artistic and personal。 In The Free World， the acclaimed Pulitzer Prize–winning scholar and critic Louis Menand tells the story of American culture in the pivotal years from the end of World War II to Vietnam and shows how changing economic， technological， and social forces put their mark on creations of the mind。
How did elitism and an anti-totalitarian skepticism of passion and ideology give way to a new sensibility defined by freewheeling experimentation and loving the Beatles？ How was the ideal of “freedom” applied to causes that ranged from anti-communism and civil rights to radical acts of self-creation via art and even crime？ With the wit and insight familiar to readers of The Metaphysical Club and his New Yorker essays， Menand takes us inside Hannah Arendt’s Manhattan， the Paris of Jean-Paul Sartre and Simone de Beauvoir， Merce Cunningham and John Cage’s residencies at North Carolina’s Black Mountain College， and the Memphis studio where Sam Phillips and Elvis Presley created a new music for the American teenager。 He examines the post war vogue for French existentialism， structuralism and post-structuralism， the rise of abstract expressionism and pop art， Allen Ginsberg’s friendship with Lionel Trilling， James Baldwin’s transformation into a Civil Rights spokesman， Susan Sontag’s challenges to the New York Intellectuals， the defeat of obscenity laws， and the rise of the New Hollywood。
Stressing the rich flow of ideas across the Atlantic， he also shows how Europeans played a vital role in promoting and influencing American art and entertainment。 By the end of the Vietnam era， the American government had lost the moral prestige it enjoyed at the end of the Second World War， but America’s once-despised culture had become respected and adored。 With unprecedented verve and range， this book explains how that happened。
Reviews
R。J。 Gilmour
，
Menand's book traces the history of culture and ideas in the period after World War II。 The book is a history of ideas， placing them in a larger historical and ideological context。 In order to understand the Cold War and how ideologies played such an important role， Menand uses each chapter to explore one aspect of post-war culture， dissecting it， by analyzing how the ideas developed and were disseminated。 An important book for anyone interested in culture after World War II。 "During those years Menand's book traces the history of culture and ideas in the period after World War II。 The book is a history of ideas， placing them in a larger historical and ideological context。 In order to understand the Cold War and how ideologies played such an important role， Menand uses each chapter to explore one aspect of post-war culture， dissecting it， by analyzing how the ideas developed and were disseminated。 An important book for anyone interested in culture after World War II。 "During those years， each nation accused the other of cynicism and hypocrisy。 Each claimed that the other was seeking to advance its own power and influence in the name of some grand civilizing mission。 But each nation also honestly believed that history was on its side and that the other was headed down a dead end。" 5"The anxiety that the liberal democracies could be sliding toward totalitarianism was shared by people who otherwise shared little。 It was equally a left-wing anxiety， a right-wing anxiety， a mainstream anxiety， and a countercultural anxiety。。。In the first two decades of the Cold War， many people therefore believed that art and ideas were an important battleground in the struggle to achieve and maintain a free society。 Artistic and philosophical choices carried implications for the way one lived one's life and for the kind of polity in which one wished to live it。 The Cold War charged the atmosphere。 It raised the stakes。" 6"Kennan is sometimes taken to be a member of what was eventually known as the Establishment， or （a term that similar mixed respect with mild sarcasm） the Wise Men。 These were the pragmatic and largely non-partisan internationalists who played a major role in the running of American foreign policy in the first two thirds of the twentieth century。 It was a clan-like group。 Most were Yale graduates， and most had successful careers as Wall Street bankers and lawyers。 They believed in something that a later generation would regard as a hypocritical oxymoron: the altruistic use of American power。" 8"The Long Telegram was Kennan unbound。 Yes， he said， American capitalism and Soviet Communism were incompatible systems: Washington shouldn't have been surprised to her Stalin say so。 But Stalin's speech had more to do with the nature of Russia than with the nature of Communism。" 22"Power always thinks it has a great Soul，" John Adams wrote to Thomas Jefferson。" 34"Power， Mills [Charles Wright Mills] argued， was now in the hands of three "institutions": "the political directorate，" "the corporate rich，" and the military。" The power of the first group， the politicians， had waned relative to the power of the other two （he called them "corporate chieftains" and "professional warlords"）， but the significant thing was that the three groups did not have rivals interests。 Groups with rivals interests serve as a check on power。" 52"Existentialism became something more than a philosophy。 It became a fashion， a mode of thought-even the name for a way of life。 It flooded the cultural field。 Existentialism gave postwar life a Sartrean vocabulary: anxiety， authenticity， bad faith。" 91"Totalitarian movements are simply "mass organizations of atomized isolated individuals。 Totalitarian ideology explains everything by means of a superhuman law-that is its appeal to the atomized individual。 In Nazi Germany， this was a law of nature: in the Soviet Union， it was a law of history。 And it was the superhuman laws that made the individual-even the totalitarian leader himself-superfluous。 Those laws are the wind from the future。 Nothing can resist the blast。" 107"This was the views that the American political system was a protector of liberty， but American society was a dangerous realm of conformity。 Arendt adopted this view soon after she arrived in the United States。" 113"But a key perception of The Liberal Imagination is that most human beings have ideologies， just not in the form of a distinct ideas。 Trilling's notion of ideology bore some resemblance to Hannah Arendt's。 "Ideology is not acquired by thought，" as he put it， "but by breathing the haunted air。。。[it] is a strange submerged life of habit and semihabit in which to ideas we attach strong passions but no very clear awareness of the concrete reality of their consequences。" 170"The Cold War and decolonization were coterminous。 They are the duck-or-rabbit of postwar world history。 The Cold War can be explained as ideologically camouflaged imperial rivalry， in which anti-colonial struggles functioned as a great power proxy wars。 Or the great-power conflict can be understood as a reaction to the undoing of colonialism， which put a quarter of the globe into motion and drew the United States and the Soviet Union， by trying to manage the outcome， into repeated confrontations。" 197-198 。。。more
Dennis Tra
，
This book really makes you think of America 's role in the world This book really makes you think of America 's role in the world 。。。more
Zuo Wells
，
As a reader without leaving China， the book provides a news sight to learn the history of postwar in west world。 They the artists， the politicians， the writers， the actives， are to improve the world for justice， to revise the evils， although someone has a bad customs。
Delway Burton
，
This is an encyclopedic book focusing on the arts and social trends in the period from 1945 （and before） to about 1980ish。 Menand is a very smart fellow， I having read the Metaphysical Club。 Parts of this book held no interest for me， although much of what he discussed was out of my sphere of interest。 Firstly， art is subjective。 Like ice cream。 What one realizes is art in the US all flows from NYC。 The artists， their circles， the critics， the dealers， the publishers， the galleries， etc。 He spen This is an encyclopedic book focusing on the arts and social trends in the period from 1945 （and before） to about 1980ish。 Menand is a very smart fellow， I having read the Metaphysical Club。 Parts of this book held no interest for me， although much of what he discussed was out of my sphere of interest。 Firstly， art is subjective。 Like ice cream。 What one realizes is art in the US all flows from NYC。 The artists， their circles， the critics， the dealers， the publishers， the galleries， etc。 He spends a lot of time on abstract impressionism， which to my thinking is the emperor's new clothes。 The most interesting part is the rise of rock n' roll and the music business。 He often focuses on individuals， i。e。 the Beatles and Elvis， and many of his discussed persons are news to me。 And they are quickly forgotten。 He also leaves some holes。 For example he only discussed comic books and censorship。 There's no discussion of illustrators， comic， graphic， computer-generated， and animation art。 The movies are focused on the French cinema。 Television is mentioned in passing only。 An instructive， but albeit tedious read。 。。。more
Elliot T。
，
The Free World feels less like a book and more like a graduate course in 20th Century thought - not as dry as most textbooks but just as comprehensive。 It weaves together so many artists， authors， and philosophers I’d read about （or， in some cases， read） in college， but in a way that was much more appealing this time around。 Part of that is down to my lack of motivation as an undergraduate – I was curious enough about French existentialism and modern art to learn about them but not curious enoug The Free World feels less like a book and more like a graduate course in 20th Century thought - not as dry as most textbooks but just as comprehensive。 It weaves together so many artists， authors， and philosophers I’d read about （or， in some cases， read） in college， but in a way that was much more appealing this time around。 Part of that is down to my lack of motivation as an undergraduate – I was curious enough about French existentialism and modern art to learn about them but not curious enough to penetrate the layers of obfuscatory jargon that encrusted the original ideas by the time I found them。 Now that the reading isn’t required， I’m much more willing to work at it， but Menand is so skilled at stripping away the academese and effectively translating the ideas without dumbing them down that reading about them never felt like work。 Part of what makes the book work is the thoroughness with which it contextualizes each figure or school of thought。 There are no lone geniuses here; only human beings as susceptible to vanity， careerism， and error as the rest of us， embedded in political， economic， and intellectual milieus。 Though Menand occasionally debunks the myths that inevitably surround such great figures （as any good reporter or researcher would）， he’s no killjoy。 For every myth debunked， there is a new light shed on overly-familiar cultural phenomena。 Once you’re freed of the responsibility of having to deify or demonize Warhol， Kerouac， or Baldwin， you can tell their stories in new ways。 You can include amusing tangents， bring to the surface obscure debates in academic journals that informed popular novels and film， highlight points of intersection across fields and cultures （e。g。， Black Mountain College）， expose linkages between poets and politicians， pop art and legal doctrine。 There isn’t even much of an attempt to make a grand statement about this era， and the book is all the richer for this absence。 The ostensible through-line， as the title suggests， concerns the Cold War between the West and the Soviet Union， the background against which the intellectual foment of the post-war world took place。 But it is mostly so far in the background that it disappears， which allows many individual stories to come to the fore。 I've read critiques of The Free World's sprawl （"a mile long and an inch deep，" as one reader puts it）， but this is what I love about it。 It doesn't need to convince us of any one person's or idea's importance over any other's， only briefly making the point that "ideas mattered" during this era more than they did in any other era （a point I don't agree with， but didn't need to agree with in order to love the book）。 It's not merely an erudite version of I Love the 50s-60s。 It preserves what was exciting about the ideas in the first place， and makes me want to skip the biographies and analyses of Susan Sontag or John Cage and go right back to the original works。The other analogy that sprung to mind as I was reading The Free World was Menand’s articles as cultural critic for The New Yorker， which was my point of entry for reading this book。 The book is， essentially， an 800-page version of one of his articles， none of which attempt to be the last word on any person， place， or era， but still offer a perspective and invite the reader to explore another corner of culture for themselves。 If you enjoy those articles， you’ll likely enjoy this book。 。。。more
Bob Peru
，
a book for people who don’t own tv’s。
Shannon
，
Read this for novel-theme purposes and then Russia invaded the Ukraine and felt I was reading for current-events purposes。 Anyway can’t say I loved it but I learned loads。
Tim
，
A stunning achievement and nearly unfailingly interesting。 This book， about American cultural life after World War II until the end of the tragedy of the Vietnam War， is really far-reaching: post-war art from abstract expressionism to pop art， literature， architecture， music， race relations and civil rights， politics， the CIA， structuralism， movies， publishing （the paperback revolution is particularly fascinating） -- and on and on。 The scope alone is daunting and it's probably best read somewhat A stunning achievement and nearly unfailingly interesting。 This book， about American cultural life after World War II until the end of the tragedy of the Vietnam War， is really far-reaching: post-war art from abstract expressionism to pop art， literature， architecture， music， race relations and civil rights， politics， the CIA， structuralism， movies， publishing （the paperback revolution is particularly fascinating） -- and on and on。 The scope alone is daunting and it's probably best read somewhat piecemeal （it took me a few months of sporadic reading to finish these 700-plus pages）， but "The Free World" is a tour de force backed by extensive research （including， interestingly， lots of statistics about sales and other metrics about consumption of art and the expansion of education） as well as critical acumen。This is a must-read for anyone with an interest in post-War American （and European） culture and history。 It's a big-ass book filled with big-ass ideas。 It reads quite well but it would also be good as a reference book; want to understand Paul de Man and structuralism？ Just look up the relevant chapters。I loved it！ 。。。more
Bob Finch
，
A curiously unique and wide-ranging survey of American （that is， US） art and culture during the first half of the Cold War （post WWII to the the Vietnam War， roughly 1945-1969）。 Menand draws from a remarkable array of sources to describe how the politics and policies of that era influenced music， visual art， literature， movies， science， and education。 The author weaves a complex， interconnected web of influences across genres。 While each chapter can stand alone as a deep dive into one or a few r A curiously unique and wide-ranging survey of American （that is， US） art and culture during the first half of the Cold War （post WWII to the the Vietnam War， roughly 1945-1969）。 Menand draws from a remarkable array of sources to describe how the politics and policies of that era influenced music， visual art， literature， movies， science， and education。 The author weaves a complex， interconnected web of influences across genres。 While each chapter can stand alone as a deep dive into one or a few related cultural histories （e。g。， see Gage’s review in Foreign Affairs Magazine）， the cross linkages between genres is also made apparent。 I found the treatment across chapters a bit uneven， and I struggled at times with a few chapters about subjects I had limited interest in （e。g。， Pop Art and Hollywood movies）， although every chapter revealed to me new insights。 I felt the first several chapters and the final chapter were the most interesting。 My main complaint is that the book could have benefited from some kind of epilogue or concluding chapter， something to synthesize the reader’s journey （and at 800+ pages， a long one） and to provide some （additional） context about this period’s impact on the latter half of the Cold War and end of the 20th century。 I guess the author felt the astute reader wouldn’t need that。 Or maybe he was just exhausted！ 。。。more
Cgallozzi
，
A history of the Post War Era within the United States。 Some areas covered include art， literature， music and thought from 1945 thru 1965。 Discussions about who and what were the 'cultural winners' during that period。 Cultural winners are defined as people/ideas whose fame is readopted by successive generations。Menand highlights areas where 'cultural winners' succeeded via a 'cult of personality'， by not crediting the complex origins from which they may have appropriated some material （Elvis Pre A history of the Post War Era within the United States。 Some areas covered include art， literature， music and thought from 1945 thru 1965。 Discussions about who and what were the 'cultural winners' during that period。 Cultural winners are defined as people/ideas whose fame is readopted by successive generations。Menand highlights areas where 'cultural winners' succeeded via a 'cult of personality'， by not crediting the complex origins from which they may have appropriated some material （Elvis Presley's "Hound Dog" recording by Morton） and finally the 'luck' of good timing。Menand interweaves art， literary and intellectual history for this period。Menand postulates that Post War America became a cultural triumph because of America's wealth and aggressive foreign policy。 In economic terms after the War - America had 5% of the world's population yet produced approximately 50% of the Worlds G。D。P。 In like manner the 'Cultural Center' of the world shifted usually away from Europe and towards the U。S。Menand documents that in some cases Cultural success is a function of self-promotion， the artist or idea being adopted by larger "systems" - some with other agendas （$ or political）。Broken down into chapters - with each chapter covering a Post War Personality/Luminary or 'thought' - model - the chapter is introduced; middleman are described。 Each chapter is a biography is about a school of thinking or a trend of a cultural work。 Then a series of "connect the dots" - who was who; what influenced what， when and how。 There is a definite question here as to whether cultural success if a function of the availability of 'connections between people' - rather than absolute quality of the work。。。。。Topics include The Beats， British Invasion， Pop-Art and Artists。The book covers some detailed subject areas - this book is not "dumbed down" - there is some very 'heavy lifting required - especially about structural composition in music and Great Power Rivalries。After having read this book I came away with the viewpoint - that the Post War Culture that I grew up with was no more "committed to finding truth and beauty" than FaceBook and Twitter （and other influencers） are today。。。I learned a great deal about Menand's model - concerning this subject area - it provides additional context and perspective about the world that is relevant today。As I write this Russian troops have invaded Ukraine - some argue for U。S。 to militarily intervene - Menand details other times - Russian invasion of Czechoslovakia 1956 among others - where the U。S。 encouraged Freedom in other countries but did not support it militarily。 I'm not sure what has changed in this regard since 1956。Carl GallozziCgallozzi@comcast。netThere were some nostalgic moments - I read fondly about Foreign Film theaters （now called Art Houses） - I fondly remember a few of them near my home town and the films they presented in the 1960's "400 Blows" "Phaedra" and etc。 。。。more
Frank Stein
，
Louis Menand's The Metaphysical Club remains one of my favorite books。 It combines lucid insights into the evolution of pragmatic philosophy with the real life biographies of its main thinkers。 It demonstrated how life and thought intersected and influenced each other。 This book makes a similar effort。 It tries to show how intellectual thought， art， and life all intersected in the years from 1945 to 1965。 While the first book centered on the insular world of Boston， this one centers on New York， Louis Menand's The Metaphysical Club remains one of my favorite books。 It combines lucid insights into the evolution of pragmatic philosophy with the real life biographies of its main thinkers。 It demonstrated how life and thought intersected and influenced each other。 This book makes a similar effort。 It tries to show how intellectual thought， art， and life all intersected in the years from 1945 to 1965。 While the first book centered on the insular world of Boston， this one centers on New York， where an explosion of small magazines and cheap paperback books gave non-academic intellectuals a surprising influence over the public。The basic premise of the book is that "freedom" was the defining attribute of all intellectual and cultural movements in this period， and it makes its case。 Of course the influence of both Nazi and Soviet Totalitarianism made freedom particularly important， but the book also shows that the movement of many intellectuals away from the Popular Front politics of the 1930s， and often from direct Communist Party memebership， led them to renounce cultural politics in general， except insofar as those politics were focused on individual liberation。 A surprising number of these intellectuals revolved around the Great Books scholar Lionel Trilling at Columbia University， who was a Communist fellow-traveller under Sidney Hook until， who， along with Hook， retreated in face of what Trilling called the "Stalinoid mind of our time，" which they thought was spreading in the U。S。。 Allen Ginsburg was Trilling's student， and much of the early Beats lionized him （the feeling was not mutual。） Trilling was later close to writers like Isiah Berlin of Oxford， Norman Podhertz of Commentary and Norman Mailer of the Village Voice （Trilling signed a letter in Time along with Alfred Kazin， James Baldwin， Jason Epstein （founder of Anchor books "quality paperbacks"） and others that Mailer's stabbing of his wife should not dent his literary reputation。） Trilling had earlier gone to DeWitt Clinton High School in the Bronx along with Irving Howe （founder of Dissent magazine）， where later James Baldwin went。 A large number of artists， on the other hand， went through Black Mountain College in North Carolina。 Started by a Classics Professor John Andrew Rice in 1933， it was later lead by Josef Albers of the Bauhaus and attracted pepole like Robert Rauschenberg， Cy Twombly， and John Cage。A lot the book has this sense of an endless series of intellectual chains and squabbles。 It's a "higher gossip" on some level。 The problem is that so much that emerged from this world seems trivial， or， to use a term I usually avoid， decadent。 John Cage's music and Merc Cunnigham's associated anti-ordered dancing seem gimicky， as does much of the Abstract Expressionists and John Jaspers and Robert Rauschenberg inflected pre-pop artists。 The "New Poets" and the Beats are near unreadable today。 The "structrualist" through emerging out of Levi-Strauss and reworked by Jacques Derrida is impenetrable （the Paris connection remained another strong one is this book， often through Paul Statre， whose 1945 post-liberation lectures cemented the idea of self-justifying freedom and living "for oneself。"） All of these authors' and artists' desire for "personal expression" over all led them to excuse the inexcusable， from Martin Heideigger's and Paul de Man's Nazism to Norman Mailer's abuse to Eldrige Cleaver's rape and on and on。 As Menand seems to recognize himself in his last chapter on the 1960s student movement， where Tom Hayden could ask for revolution just for personal satisfaction， this goal of untrammeled freedom seemed to be an intellectual and political dead in。 In any case， many of these artists and intellectuals returned a form of Marxism or "New Left" cultural Marxism， inflected with that sense of personal freedom and enlightenment from the earlier movements， after the Vietnam war politicized everything again。 So it's to Marxism and back-again， but with a new individualistic tinge。Although the book generates sparks it cannot rival the Metaphysical Club because the output of the intellectual movements he describes are not of the same caliber as those in the earlier book， and most of these artists' work served to separate art from the people themselves。 The fact that so many of these people dominated intellectual and artistic life， at least as they increasingly defined these worlds' themselves， remains even more mystifying after I finished the book than before。 。。。more
Lukas Evan
，
Like the Cold War， it went on way too long。
05450003081322
，
In the preface， Menand states this is not a book about "the use of cultural diplomacy as an instrument of foreign policy" or "art and ideas as reflections of Cold War ideology and conditions"， but is rather a personal reflection on the artists and thinkers of his generation， a generation of "freedom"。 I， unfortunately， am the reader who finds either of the first two ideas far， far more compelling than the third。 That's my fault for not reading enough about the book before starting - I wanted to In the preface， Menand states this is not a book about "the use of cultural diplomacy as an instrument of foreign policy" or "art and ideas as reflections of Cold War ideology and conditions"， but is rather a personal reflection on the artists and thinkers of his generation， a generation of "freedom"。 I， unfortunately， am the reader who finds either of the first two ideas far， far more compelling than the third。 That's my fault for not reading enough about the book before starting - I wanted to read about the cultural and intellectual aspects of the Cold War， the way Western and Soviet thought clashed and competed。 The structure and conceit of this book is kind of scatter-shot， and there are sections that I found more illuminating than others。 I， predictably， was generally engaged by the sections on philosophy and modern art， and was pretty indifferent to the sections on Beats and pop music （did we need another Ginsberg or John Lennon piece）。 I think this book lacks focus or a clear reason for being written， though the prose and research are adequate。 。。。more
Tom
，
This book is brilliant。 It is an exuberant exploration of ideas and personalities in the post-war world。 It is a slight misnomer titling the book， "The Free World"。 Though the book is primarily concerned with the shift of cultural dominance from Europe to the United States， much of that shift was expressed through the influx of European artists and intellectuals into the United States as a result of the Second World War and the domination of half of Europe by the Soviet Union。I generally categor This book is brilliant。 It is an exuberant exploration of ideas and personalities in the post-war world。 It is a slight misnomer titling the book， "The Free World"。 Though the book is primarily concerned with the shift of cultural dominance from Europe to the United States， much of that shift was expressed through the influx of European artists and intellectuals into the United States as a result of the Second World War and the domination of half of Europe by the Soviet Union。I generally categorize great thought as either associative or linear。 Menand's books is both。 It is linear in that it follows history， thought， and culture through a series of sequential events。 Yet， it is associative in that it shows the strands of intellectual thought in post-war culture as crossing over and over again from one discipline to another。There is another arresting element in this book and that is its fascinating recounting of the personalities of the artistic and intellectual icons of the post-war period。 It is so chockablock full of the idiosyncrasies and foibles of these icons that the book can read like a tell-all magazine。 This makes the book all the more interesting and the breadth of Menand's approach breathtaking。 All the great thinkers and artists have an all too human side。The breadth of Menand's intellectual palate， the depth of his research， the originality and astuteness of his observations and interpretations make this book， as unlikely as it sounds， a page turner。I can't recommend this book enough。 。。。more
Patrick Alexander
，
A wide-ranging and engaging intellectual history of the Cold War era that resists a totalizing theory and instead inspires multiple forking paths of further reading （Sontag， Baldwin， Kennan， Morganthau， de Beauvoir， Greenberg， Kael）。
Lara
，
I really loved Menand's The Metaphysical Club as well as his writing for The New Yorker so was excited to read this book that covers so much I am interested in。 It's a huge topic and Menand had to choose where to focus in on。 Each chapter is almost a stand-alone lecture or essay， making it easy to read some and put it down and then come back to it。 Some chapters were more successful than others。 I really enjoyed the earlier chapters around Existentialism and the responses to Fascism by Hannah Ar I really loved Menand's The Metaphysical Club as well as his writing for The New Yorker so was excited to read this book that covers so much I am interested in。 It's a huge topic and Menand had to choose where to focus in on。 Each chapter is almost a stand-alone lecture or essay， making it easy to read some and put it down and then come back to it。 Some chapters were more successful than others。 I really enjoyed the earlier chapters around Existentialism and the responses to Fascism by Hannah Arendt and others。 In general， I think Menand is much stronger on philosophy whereas the art chapters could get a little dry with litanies of people and places。 I haven't read much long-form content about art so I wonder if it's harder for me to read about a visual art。 Not sure。 Of the later chapters， I loved the ones centered around Levi-Strauss/Structuralism ， Isaiah Berlin， and James Baldwin's involvement in the Civil Rights Movement。 Overall， a very good book and Menand is one of those people who knows so much about so much that it's inspiring to be in his presence 。。。more
John Williams
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This is a brilliant book。Menand has written a history of ideas- in all their manifestations --- from the conclusion of WW2 to the beginning of the Vietnam War。 Subtitled "art and thought in the cold war"， this book is specifically about "art and thought" in the West， primarily New York， secondarily， Paris。 Each chapter introduces a different venue of art and thought and Menand deftly introduces the creators and thinkers in brief biographies and then presents the innovation they brought to their This is a brilliant book。Menand has written a history of ideas- in all their manifestations --- from the conclusion of WW2 to the beginning of the Vietnam War。 Subtitled "art and thought in the cold war"， this book is specifically about "art and thought" in the West， primarily New York， secondarily， Paris。 Each chapter introduces a different venue of art and thought and Menand deftly introduces the creators and thinkers in brief biographies and then presents the innovation they brought to their field， and why it was revolutionary。 The fact that many of these creators and thinkers were forced to flee Nazi Germany only underscores the idea that freedom benefits culture。The political scientist in me would have liked more political history of the era， but that story is told elsewhere。 What Menand delineates here is the prolific expansion of art and creative thought in post-war America--- Pollock， Ginsberg， Arrendt and countless others -- and presumably， how the freedom of America allowed this creative post-war blossoming。 Menand also， where appropriate， describes how certain technological changes affected the use and distribution of various mediums。 The chapter on the rise of paperback books was especially interesting in this regard。In many ways this book is about the world， though past， that we in America have inherited and are living in now。 I just saw an exhibition of Jasper Johns at the Whitney。 I just saw "Bonnie and Clyde" on turner classic movies。 Although i was familiar with nearly everyone Menand brought forward here， I had never seen them all collectively encompassed in one volume。 In the first half I found myself， as someone who lives half the year in Germany， feeling devastated by the loss of creative brain power the nazi regime caused。 Although the book is purportedly about the "cold war" era， it does not end in 1989， but in the 70s， with America's involvement in Vietnam。 Nearly in tears in the final pages， i thought i perhaps finally realized Menand's point all along。 Freedom is the ultimate form of art and thought， the light which inspires and sustains all growth。 And it is priceless， until you spend it。 。。。more
Steve Horton
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I am early into it， but Menand does not disappoint。 The narrative flows and historical figures are perfectly contextualized to support the author's thesis。 It is so good I am in no hurry to finish。SH I am early into it， but Menand does not disappoint。 The narrative flows and historical figures are perfectly contextualized to support the author's thesis。 It is so good I am in no hurry to finish。SH 。。。more
Harry Moskowitz
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A breathtaking sweep of post ww2 intellectual thoughtHow did the author accomplish this book。 Extremely well written and the excellent grasp of foreign policy， art，civil rights， is something to admire。 The author provides short sketches of individuals that biographies do in hundreds of pages。 The book is over 700 pages yet Menand I is judicious in his selection of what is important。 Should be a full year college course。
Colby Woodis
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Menand has once again taken an overwhelming and expansive topic， treated it with a biographical lens， and yielded a powerhouse book。I learned so much about the intellectual and artistic history of the middle years of the 20th century of Western thought。 I’ve gained new topics of interest from reading this book and drawn connections in unforeseen places。 The chapters dedicated to the Abstract Expressionists and Pop Art were particularly fascinating， and I suspect they will hold up over time as be Menand has once again taken an overwhelming and expansive topic， treated it with a biographical lens， and yielded a powerhouse book。I learned so much about the intellectual and artistic history of the middle years of the 20th century of Western thought。 I’ve gained new topics of interest from reading this book and drawn connections in unforeseen places。 The chapters dedicated to the Abstract Expressionists and Pop Art were particularly fascinating， and I suspect they will hold up over time as being essential readings for their respective topics。I think Menand would say this book is written by an academic for other academics， but I know average citizens can find value within its pages; I know this one has！ 。。。more
Katherine Kinney
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This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers。 To view it， click here。 I enjoyed reading this。 It never felt long or overwhelming。 Each chapter take a center of post war culture and traces the concept of freedom or the search for "freer forms，" as Jonas Mekas put it。 The chapters have a kind of reel dance structure， where the story is handed partner to partner。 Menard makes some pretty startling claims， without always making clear what is his argument--it's all stated as fact， amid a very impressive ability to condense large bodies of information。 His mastery of st I enjoyed reading this。 It never felt long or overwhelming。 Each chapter take a center of post war culture and traces the concept of freedom or the search for "freer forms，" as Jonas Mekas put it。 The chapters have a kind of reel dance structure， where the story is handed partner to partner。 Menard makes some pretty startling claims， without always making clear what is his argument--it's all stated as fact， amid a very impressive ability to condense large bodies of information。 His mastery of statistics， for example on women's education and employment， or English departments in the growth of the university， or magazine publishing， for example is insightfully offered。 I admire the ambition。 But there's an aura of omniscience， with everything in his grasp， in the telling that invites skepticism。 。。。more
Peter
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One of the most exhaustive and brilliant works of nonfiction I have ever read。 The title is misleading: while this book is framed around “art and thought in the Cold War” the scope is more specific: WW2 up to the Vietnam War。 Primarily， you can expect exhaustive research into the art world， the literary world， the benefactors who funded and allowed those worlds to prosper， musicians， anthropologists， philosophers， critics， emigration patterns from the Second World War， and marketing and consumpt One of the most exhaustive and brilliant works of nonfiction I have ever read。 The title is misleading: while this book is framed around “art and thought in the Cold War” the scope is more specific: WW2 up to the Vietnam War。 Primarily， you can expect exhaustive research into the art world， the literary world， the benefactors who funded and allowed those worlds to prosper， musicians， anthropologists， philosophers， critics， emigration patterns from the Second World War， and marketing and consumption habits。This book is extremely comprehensive， but what I found interesting is that for all it explores， it becomes obvious which gaps are missing。 This book is nearly 900 pages long， so that is hardly a criticism。The book is bookended by political ideology that guided American practices， and is not the centerpiece of the subject matter。 While Menand does a stellar job exploring the major players in Cold War thought， the lack of a succinct ending is probably the weakest point of this book， and kind of left me in a lurch。For a book that makes claims around ideology， why is only Vietnam mentioned as a country where America lost its stakes in the rest of the world when I know what happened in Latin America？ Why was the French New Wave highlighted while Hollywood took a back seat？ Why are politics so underrepresented throughout the book？ What did life look like to the average American during this period？ What was going on in the Soviet Union， or non-Western countries？ Pivoting from pop culture to the outer rings of intellectual academic circles， Menand does not follow a neatly organized timeline around subjects。 But he is a goddamn great storyteller。 He writes like he is weaving an elaborate tapestry， brilliant though incomplete。And maybe it isn’t fair to bring up these missing elements。 So much is going on， and the form of a book limits how much can really be addressed。 When Menand really dives into a topic， no tea is unspilled。 He connects hundreds of players together in a way that may not be neat， but is clearly a work of genius。A behemoth of a book that is by no means comprehensive， but illustrates just how impossible that aim is。 This is an essential reference text for understanding the interconnectivity of everything roughly encompassing a period of 30 years。 Asking for more may just be an insane ask - could this have been tied together？ 。。。more
Peter
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Encyclopedic review of art and culture from 1940s to 1970s。One to buy and keep on the shelf for reference。
PottWab Regional Library
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SM
Julia Kipp
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This book is chock full interesting historical facts。 I listened to the book， but I would recommend buying an actual copy so that it’s easier to google people snd events to get a better understanding of their significance。 I found the art and literature information more interesting than the historical parts。 The discussion of movie making， especially of the movie Bonnie and Clyde was very informative。
Radiantflux
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2nd book for 2022。The conceit of the book is that it is a cultural history of thought and culture in the "free world" during the Cold War period。 This is book is not comprehensive—either in time or space。 Menand does offer an excellent， if limited cultural history of the US （in particularly New York） as well as Europe （nearly exclusively the UK or Paris） between the end of Second World War and the late 1960s。 This is a book about books， and is an excellent starting point for those who want a bro 2nd book for 2022。The conceit of the book is that it is a cultural history of thought and culture in the "free world" during the Cold War period。 This is book is not comprehensive—either in time or space。 Menand does offer an excellent， if limited cultural history of the US （in particularly New York） as well as Europe （nearly exclusively the UK or Paris） between the end of Second World War and the late 1960s。 This is a book about books， and is an excellent starting point for those who want a broad outline of new Western ideas， and the people behind them， in the first two-and-a-half decades after the end of the Second World War。Personally， I have added Claude Lévi-Strauss Tristes Tropiques and Hannah Arendt The Origins of Totalitarianism to my reading list for 2022—as well as some French New Wave and Bonnie and Clyde。5-stars。 。。。more
David Sogge
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This is a large moveable feast， a smorgasbord of facts and commentary prepared over years in a kitchen stocked with facts and commentary by historians and other observers of American， English and Parisian intellectual and artistic life。 Bracketing the main chapters on culture are opening chapters about totalitarianism and Cold War politics， notably the origins of US containment-of-communism policy， and a closing chapter about protests against the war in Vietnam， and US defeat there。 In the openi This is a large moveable feast， a smorgasbord of facts and commentary prepared over years in a kitchen stocked with facts and commentary by historians and other observers of American， English and Parisian intellectual and artistic life。 Bracketing the main chapters on culture are opening chapters about totalitarianism and Cold War politics， notably the origins of US containment-of-communism policy， and a closing chapter about protests against the war in Vietnam， and US defeat there。 In the opening bits the tone is upbeat， while the closing is pessimistic。 Containment didn’t meet the author’s expectations。 Indeed he implies that the US pursuit of that policy had been cowardly。 Apart from this retrospective editorializing， the rest of the book can be enlightening and often entertaining。 It can be， that is， if you skip over the fluffy stuff， such as the tittle-tattle about cult figures like John Cage and his love life。 You can also skip the book's many gratuitous factoids， such as who The Beatles employed as drummer before Ringo Starr。 The author pays far to much attention to cultural has-beens， such as those unthreatening rebels The Beats。 Preposterously， he discusses them in not just one， but two major chapters。 The author's most enaging and meaningful chapters discuss weighty intellectual/cultural celebrities， notably Eliot， Orwell， Sartre， de Beauvoir， Sontag， Ginsberg， Trilling and Baldwin。 His account of Isiah Berlin’s thinking， and of the reactionary I’ll-take-my-stand critics of the American South in the 1930s， are much clearer than other accounts I’ve come across。 Evidently， Menand is ready to probe roots of post-war culture in the pre-war days。 Why then does he ignore monumental public efforts such as the Roosevelt era Works Progress Administration， whose big investments in literary， musical， visual arts and architectural activities were， after all， seedbeds for flourishing cultural production in mid-century America？ He further ignores other drivers of post-war American cultural life。 Here are a few: organized religion and secularization; magazines such as Life， Look， National Geographic & Reader’s Digest that carried major influence on political and visual culture; radio news， sports， drama and Cold War propaganda。 Automobile culture gets a look-in， but only on superficial questions of design， not econo-cultural matters of mobility， urban sprawl and architecture。 Among further omissions， those related to economic life stand out。 While it's true that he does pay attention to business dimensions of a few cultural industries， namely recorded music and film-making， he neglects the ways in other cultural and intellectual branches were financed and made money。 In many places， therefore， the reader is told only half the story。 For example， Menand calls attention dozens of times to Marshall aid for Europe， but makes no mention whatever of the huge post-war flow of capital fleeing Europe and fattening US bank balances。 That capital flight by rich elites almost certainly offset American largesse for Europe。 American economic power， which worked as a kind of ‘vacuum cleaner’ to draw resources from abroad to support American cultural and military consumption， is completely ignored。 In sum， despite the title and references to the anti-communist crusade， the book turns out to be only tangentially related to the Cold War。 Rather， it is an eclectic mix of cultural commentary and potted biography。 There is no binding theme or argument。 Now having recently read Stuart Jeffries's Everything， All the Time， Everywhere: How We Became Postmodern， I see that it’s possible to lay out an extensive smorgasbord of cultural topics， but at the same time present a solid argument around them。 As a writer for The New Yorker， Menand's prose is clear and witty; he can brilliantly set scenes and deftly sketch profiles。 But those strengths don't in themselves produce a coherent， convincing history of the times。 。。。more
Bob
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Summary: An intellectual and cultural history of the forces and figures whose creations contributed to the emergence of the United States as an intellectual and artistic leader in the years between 1945 and 1965。The years between 1945 and 1965 were a time of transformation in the United States。 The return of servicemen from the war fueled a boom in university education。 An influx of intellectual and artistic refugees from Europe sparked a dynamic mix of ideas and artistic development。 The boom i Summary: An intellectual and cultural history of the forces and figures whose creations contributed to the emergence of the United States as an intellectual and artistic leader in the years between 1945 and 1965。The years between 1945 and 1965 were a time of transformation in the United States。 The return of servicemen from the war fueled a boom in university education。 An influx of intellectual and artistic refugees from Europe sparked a dynamic mix of ideas and artistic development。 The boom in education and culture was accompanied by an economic and technological boom， fueling a widespread interest in music， art， books， museums and and the rapid growth of publishing and music and film industries。 Something had happened in the country， where ideas mattered， and culture engaged， with an urgent and widespread interest。The Free World is an account of the institutions， the people， and the cultural movements and moments of this period。 The title is significant in two respects。 One is an emphasis on the United States， fueled by Western Europe thinkers and artists， becoming a center of intellectual and artistic culture in a way it had never before。 The second is the idea of freedom， that in a variety of ways was a theme running through the “slices” as Menand calls them of this history。Menand’s approach to this sprawling intellectual and cultural history is to take slices， focusing on a particular aspect of that history and a particular network of key figures and their relationships。 He begins with the advent of the Cold War， and the intellectual architect of America’s doctrine of Cold War， George Kennan， and the “Wise Men’ surrounding him， transitioning into a discussion of thinkers about power， anti-totalitarian George Orwell， and anti-communist James Burnham whose The Managerial Revolution foresaw the rise of the bureaucratic totalitarianism of mass culture。Meanwhile， in occupied and post-war France， the existentialists （Sartre， de Beauvoir， Camus） looked into the void， seeing nothing but absurdity， developing the philosophy of authenticity and radical personal choice and responsibility。 Political and social theorists continued to wrestle with the connection between mass culture and totalitarianism。 Hannah Arendt， influenced by Heidegger and the horrors of the Nazi camps wrote The Origins of Totalitarianism and sociologist David Riesman The Lonely Crowd on group conformity and how this would undermine personal autonomy， little realizing it also made room for alternative visions。 Meanwhile， Claude Levi-Strauss， a pioneer in anthropology joined Roman Jakobson in developing Structuralism， a system for analyzing languages and cultural systems， eclipsing the concepts of freedom on which existentialism rested。In the arts， a constellation of individuals led by Jackson Pollock and Clement Greenberg， along with other artists like Willem de Kooning， were trying to break out of the strictures of painting and art criticism （in the case of Greenberg）。 Menand chronicles the introduction of Pollock’s drip paintings and other similar works and the galleries and shows and the patronage of figures like Peggy Guggenheim that made this revolution possible。 Meanwhile， the thinkers and writers were at work， a circle that included professor Lionel Trilling of The Liberal Imagination， poet Allen Ginsberg， and beat writer Jack Kerouac。 Menand returns in a later “slice” to these figures and the further development of their work into the early post-modern deconstructive thought of Barthes and Derrida and the literature that followed。Another arts movement， centered at Black Mountain College sought to implement a hands-on experimental approach， breaking with the strictures of theory in art， music， and dance under the influence of Josef Albers。 Visual artists Jasper Johns and Robert Rauschenberg， composer John Cage， and dancer Merce Cunningham all were part of this circle。 Menand does a masterful job describing the innovations of each of these figures。 Meanwhile， rock ‘n’ roll was breaking onto the scene。 Menand chronicles the unpremeditated recording of “That’s All Right， Mama” that launched the career of Elvis Presley and the intersecting growth of the record industry and disc jockeys who got them air time， often for pay， and the growth of television。 He explains how all these factors created the environment for the surprising U。S。 success of the Beatles。 A later chapter on consumer sovereignty shows mass culture applied to advertising by McLuhan and the marketing of everything from pop art to cars with fins。One of the most interesting chapters is the one on “Concepts of Liberty，” moving from the high philosophy of Isaiah Berlin in “Two Concepts of Liberty” exploring both negative and positive freedom （“freedom from” and “freedom to”） to the paperback revolution， and their covers and content and what constraints can be placed on this form of expression。 This is followed by a discussion of the embrace of “freedom” as a key rallying cry in the Civil Rights movement。In later chapters， Menand traces further developments in feminism and pop art and the central figures of Betty Friedan， Andy Warhol and Susan Sontag， the freedom literature of James Baldwin and Ralph Ellison， and the shift of cinematic artistry from Europe to America， advocated by critic Pauline Kael， who wanted films both smart and entertaining and how Bonnie and Clyde was a watershed film in this regard。The last chapter comes full circle with George Kennan testifying in the Senate against American expansion of the Vietnam War in 1965， which he and the other Wise Men thought contrary to not only American interests but unnecessary for “containment” of communism in a country trying to free itself from colonialism。 But the real story of “This is the End” was that the diversion of intellectual and cultural energy from the intellectual and cultural awakening of the previous twenty years。Menand does us an incredible service in chronicling this intellectual and cultural history in “just” 727 pages。 It could have actually taken far more， and with commendable concision he summarizes complex ideas and multi-faceted movements and the contributions of a variety of key people。 The one thing I miss is the religious element of the country’s intellectual culture。 Reinhold Niebuhr is mentioned in one line on a single page but was a formidable influence on Kennan and many others。 Howard Thurman played a key role in shaping Martin Luther King， Jr。 Paul Tillich and Jewish theologian Abraham Joshua Heschel did major intellectual work during this year， addressing the themes of freedom in this work。Menand concludes his preface musing， “As I got older， I started to wonder just what freedom is， or what it can realistically mean。 I wrote this book to help myself， and maybe you， figure that out。” He does not draw conclusions as he ends the work。 He challenged me to think。 Arendt， Riesman， and Berlin all have concerns about how mass culture， under the guise of expressive individualism can lead to tyranny。 Yet by and large， the freedom of thinkers and culture-makers in this work， is the freedom of throwing off of constraints。 And when we are indeed shackled physically or by unjust practices like colonialism， racism， or sexual discrimination， removing constraints is necessary to human flourishing。 But the religious outlook would also recognize some constraints enable us to flourish both individuals and societies to flourish–constraints upon evil or unchecked and undisciplined affections， that in extreme form can lead to tyranny。 But Menand is spot on in identifying freedom as an important theme for our cultural life， and one worthy of consideration。 His intellectual and cultural history certainly points toward the sources of our contemporary ideas of freedom。 But it seems to me an urgent matter to discern whether these ideas are the best for both individual and societal flourishing。 。。。more
Robert
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Louis Menand is a superb writer and amazingly well-informed about most of the Cold War period， so this is a book I recommend。。。but only if you are reasonably well-informed about the Cold War period and its culture， thought， and arts to begin with。 If you aren't， you run the risk of getting lost。 Certain figures who were important then， a Kennan or a Sartre or Levi-Strauss， have been at least partially overtaken or entombed by analysis since and Menand's deft way of fitting them into this loose h Louis Menand is a superb writer and amazingly well-informed about most of the Cold War period， so this is a book I recommend。。。but only if you are reasonably well-informed about the Cold War period and its culture， thought， and arts to begin with。 If you aren't， you run the risk of getting lost。 Certain figures who were important then， a Kennan or a Sartre or Levi-Strauss， have been at least partially overtaken or entombed by analysis since and Menand's deft way of fitting them into this loose historical study doesn't necessarily give them their due。The challenge Menand set himself， covering the social aspects of the Cold War on both sides of the Atlantic simply is too enormous to be done justice。 As a result， he can be excessively assiduous in recounting the careers of people like John Cage， Jackson Pollock， Susan Sontag， François Truffaut。In this book， the center doesn't really hold。 The pressures of the Cold War did not completely dominate cultural and artistic affairs during the 50s， 60s， 70s， and， I might add， 80s， which Menand curiously leaves out of the story。 Quite often new things of a cultural nature were were simply new things， and quite often they were sideshows at best。 Jackson Pollock's painting was significant in and of itself， aesthetically， and pretty insignificant in any theoretical sense。 The Civil Rights movement was more significantly tied to the decolonization of empires than to East-West animosity， and even so， the Civil Rights movement prospered most when it managed to push its way past Cold War preoccupations entirely。Menand's focus on James Baldwin's experience with Civil Rights is fascinating and sad， but that is less relevant to the Cold War than George Kennan's disappointment with interpretations of the theory of containment， a theory he devised in the first place。 Susan Sontag apparently first wrote about things that were "camp。" This was loosely tied to anti-establishment sentiments and gay culture， among other factors。 But she came to react with "cold fury" when anyone reminded her of her essay on camp。 （Look camp up if you never knew what camp was to begin with。） More importantly， Sontag ultimately infuriated the leftists who always were prepared to blame America for the ills of the world first when she said， in 1979， “Communism is in itself a variant， the most successful variant， of fascism。 Fascism with a human face。" That's not in the book as far as I recall。A writer like Solzhenitsyn had a huge impact on the Cold War era， but there's little in this book that would tell you that。 Instead we get some very good stuff on the origins of rock and roll， rock's connection to Europe， and the Beatles。 Fun to read。。。the whole book is fun to read。。。but the Beatles coexisted with the Cold War in time， not in substance。Menand has it right to focus on arts， culture， and thought， but he overlooks a vital fact: culture spawns politics， politics don't spawn culture （until politics outlaws culture。） If he had dwelled more on this point， given us more analysis than fast-moving history， this could have been a very important book。 。。。more
Susan
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