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Tony Judt

トニー・ジャット

Tonī Jatto

Profile

Gender
Male
Born
1948-01-02 （London, England）
Died
2010-08-06 （New York City, U.S.） age 62
Nationality
British
Languages
English, French
Religion
Secular Judaism
Residence History
North London (childhood) → Putney, London (youth) → Kingston-upon-Thames, Surrey (youth) → New York City, U.S. (adult / later life)

Career

Occupations
Historian, Essayist, University Professor, Public Intellectual
Active Years
1972-2010
Affiliations
New York University (Remarque Institute), New York Institute for the Humanities, King's College, Cambridge, St Anne's College, Oxford
Memberships
American Academy of Arts and Sciences, British Academy (Corresponding Fellow)
Influenced By
Annie Kriegel, Maurice Agulhon
Influenced
Timothy D. Snyder, Contemporary public intellectuals and historians
Nominations
Pulitzer Prize for General Nonfiction (runner-up / nominated) — Postwar

Education

King's College, Cambridge
History
Degree: BA
Period: 1966–1969
Year of Graduation: 1969
Country: United Kingdom
Attended as a scholarship student
École Normale Supérieure (Paris)
Study abroad / History
Period: 1969–1970
Year of Graduation: 1970
Country: France
Spent a year; translated his Cambridge doctorate into French
King's College, Cambridge
History (PhD)
Degree: PhD
Period: 1969–1972
Year of Graduation: 1972
Country: United Kingdom
Completed PhD

Awards

Orwell Prize (Special Lifetime Achievement)
2009
Organization: Orwell Prize committee
Result: 受賞
Hannah Arendt Prize (for Political Thought)
2007
Organization: Heinrich Böll Foundation / City of Bremen
Result: 受賞
Elected Fellow of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences
1996
Organization: American Academy of Arts and Sciences
Result: 選出
Corresponding Fellow of the British Academy
2007
Organization: British Academy
Result: 選出

Awards & Nominations

Works

Major Works

Postwar: A History of Europe Since 1945

2005 History (comprehensive) 898 pages

A sweeping history of Europe from 1945 to 2005, examining political, social and economic developments including reconstruction, the Cold War, welfare-state formation and national conflicts.

Postwar reconstructionCold War and ideologiesSocial democracy and welfare state

Ill Fares the Land

2010 Political essays 160 pages

A passionate plea for a revival of social-democratic ideals, criticizing neoliberal trends and arguing for state intervention and redistribution.

Social democracyCritique of neoliberalismPublic policy

Past Imperfect: French Intellectuals, 1944–1956

1992 Intellectual history / Critique 320 pages

A critical examination of postwar French intellectuals, notably criticizing figures such as Jean-Paul Sartre for their stances toward communism.

Critique of French intellectualsIntellectual integrity

The Memory Chalet

2010 Memoir / Essays 240 pages

A memoir and collection of essays produced late in life, employing the memory-palace technique to organize recollections and reflections.

Memory and personal historyIntellectual reminiscence

Thinking the Twentieth Century

2012 Intellectual history / Dialogue 416 pages

Co-authored with Timothy D. Snyder, it examines major figures and events of the twentieth century and offers historical insights.

Summation of the twentieth centuryHistorical evaluation

Bibliography

  • La reconstruction du parti socialiste: 1921–1926
  • Socialism in Provence 1871–1914
  • Marxism and the French Left: Studies on Labour and Politics in France 1830–1982
  • Past Imperfect: French Intellectuals, 1944–1956
  • A Grand Illusion? An Essay on Europe
  • The Burden of Responsibility: Blum, Camus, Aron, and the French Twentieth Century
  • Postwar: A History of Europe Since 1945
  • Reappraisals: Reflections on the Forgotten Twentieth Century
  • Ill Fares the Land
  • The Memory Chalet
  • Thinking the Twentieth Century (with Timothy D. Snyder)

Translations by Author

  • Translated his Cambridge doctorate into French (La reconstruction du parti socialiste)

Style & Themes

Literary Style
Erudite and analytical prosePersuasive, essayistic toneBlend of scholarly rigor and public discourse
Recurring Motifs
Social democracy and the welfare statePostwar reconstruction and collective memoryCandid reflections on Jewish identity and Israel

Health

  • Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS)
    2008–2010
    Diagnosed in 2008; paralyzed from the neck down from October 2009. Continued writing and collaboration despite severe physical limitations.

Legacy

Tony Judt was celebrated for his comprehensive accounts of postwar European history and his role as a public intellectual. He influenced both academia and public debate, prompting renewed discussion of social-democratic policies.

Academic Societies

  • American Academy of Arts and Sciences
  • British Academy (Corresponding Fellow)

Archives

  • New York University Archives (Tony Judt collection)

Quotes

  • I see myself as first and above all a teacher of history; next a writer of European history; next a commentator on European affairs; next a public intellectual voice within the American Left.
    Source: Interview (shortly before his death, 2010) (2010)

Trivia

  • As a youth he embraced Zionism and worked on kibbutzim, but later changed his views.
  • He translated and published his Cambridge doctorate in French.
  • In later life he continued to write and lecture while battling ALS.