Frederick Douglass: Prophet of Freedom
奴隷制から逃れ、演説家、新聞人、政治活動家として19世紀アメリカの自由の理念を問い続けたフレデリック・ダグラスの大部な評伝。公的な英雄像だけでなく、家族、思想、政治的葛藤をたどり、ダグラスの時代と現代をつなぐ。
作品情報
フレデリック・ダグラスの生涯を、自由の思想とアメリカ史の核心から描く大著。
David W. Blight による『Frederick Douglass: Prophet of Freedom』は、膨大な史料をもとに、フレデリック・ダグラスを神話化された偉人ではなく、政治的判断と個人的矛盾を抱えた人物として描く。奴隷制、南北戦争、再建期を貫くダグラスの言葉と行動から、アメリカの自由の意味を問い直す評伝である。
書籍情報
- 出版社
- Simon & Schuster
- 発売日
- 2018-10-16
- ページ数
- 912ページ
- 言語
- 英語
- サイズ
- 15.88 x 4.83 x 23.5 cm
- ISBN-13
- 9781416590316
- ISBN-10
- 1416590315
- 価格
- 7875 JPY
- カテゴリ
- 洋書/History/Americas/United States/Civil War/Abolition
**Winner of the Pulitzer Prize in History** “Extraordinary…a great American biography” ( The New Yorker ) of the most important African American of the 19th century: Frederick Douglass, the escaped slave who became the greatest orator of his day and one of the leading abolitionists and writers of the era. As a young man Frederick Douglass (1818–1895) escaped from slavery in Baltimore, Maryland. He was fortunate to have been taught to read by his slave owner mistress, and he would go on to become one of the major literary figures of his time. His very existence gave the lie to slave owners: with dignity and great intelligence he bore witness to the brutality of slavery. Initially mentored by William Lloyd Garrison, Douglass spoke widely, using his own story to condemn slavery. By the Civil War, Douglass had become the most famed and widely travelled orator in the nation. In his unique and eloquent voice, written and spoken, Douglass was a fierce critic of the United States as well as a radical patriot. After the war he sometimes argued politically with younger African Americans, but he never forsook either the Republican party or the cause of black civil and political rights. In this “cinematic and deeply engaging” ( The New York Times Book Review ) biography, David Blight has drawn on new information held in a private collection that few other historian have consulted, as well as recently discovered issues of Douglass’s newspapers. “Absorbing and even moving…a brilliant book that speaks to our own time as well as Douglass’s” ( The Wall Street Journal ), Blight’s biography tells the fascinating story of Douglass’s two marriages and his complex extended family. “David Blight has written the definitive biography of Frederick Douglass…a powerful portrait of one of the most important American voices of the nineteenth century” ( The Boston Globe ). In addition to the Pulitzer Prize, Frederick Douglass won the Bancroft, Parkman , Los Angeles Times (biography), Lincoln, Plutarch, and Christopher awards and was named one of the Best Books of 2018 by The New York Times Book Review, The Wall Street Journal, The Boston Globe, The Chicago Tribune, The San Francisco Chronicle, and Time.
David W. Blight is the Sterling Professor of History and Director of the Gilder Lehrman Center for the Study of Slavery, Resistance, and Abolition at Yale University. He is the author or editor of a dozen books, including American Oracle: The Civil War in the Civil Rights Era ; and Race and Reunion: The Civil War in American Memory ; and annotated editions of Douglass’s first two autobiographies. He has worked on Douglass much of his professional life, and been awarded the Bancroft Prize, the Abraham Lincoln Prize, and the Frederick Douglass Prize, among others.
レビュー
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great biography
Impressive - great biography about a giant - highly recommended; brilliant over view of a re mark ab le life
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Frederick Douglass for the Ages
David Blight is a superb historian who has spent a lifetime studying the legacy of the Civil War and Reconstruction. This book crowns his career and fully merits the Pulitizer Prize. It is beautifully written, full of insights and will stand as the definitive biography of Frederick Douglass. Blight captures the complexity, intellectual progression and influence of the man as he emerged from slavery to become one of the great moral and charismatic figures of 19th Century America. His evaluation is positive without being captured by his subject. By example Blight thoroughly establishes that for Douglass dedication to the cause of first abolishing slavery then securing the economic and political rights of African Americans came first, his family second. Thru out the book there is a constant undertone of tension between Douglass and his extended family, especially over his complex relationship with his wives and over financial dependence of various family members. Blight draws heavily on Douglass’ speeches, articles and correspondence. A fine example of how he uses these to illuminate Douglass’ passion and his thinking is Douglass’ devastating September 16, 1862 reply to Postmaster General Montgomery Blair’s call for Douglass to support voluntary immigration for freed slaves (pp 376-77). This is part of a broader discussion of Douglass’ consistent opposition to immigration/colonization schemes as a means of discouraging the growth of a free African American population in ante-bellum and Civil War America. Blight is excellent on Douglass’ post Reconstruction role as a speaker continuously appealing to the conscience of the nation as the rights of African Americans seemingly secured by the Reconstruction Amendments are steadily betrayed. Of particular interest is Douglass’ crusade in his final years against disenfranchisement and lynching and, his mentoring of the young Ida Wells. So too Douglass’ influence on a range of emerging African American figures including, Wells, Paul Dunbar, James Weldon Johnson, W.E.B. Dubois and, more ambivalently, Booker Washington. Blight is repetitive, especially in his treatment of Douglass’ interactions with his family and in his summarizing of speeches and correspondence. The book probably could be shortened by a hundred pages. At times Blight also seems to be carrying a personal vendetta against Ottilie Assing which may reflect his strong disapproval of her condescending attitude toward Douglass’ first wife Anna Douglass and the ambivalence of her relationship with Douglass. Readers interested in exploring Douglass’ writings and oratory can do so thru the Library of America volumes collecting his autobiographies, speeches and essays as well as the 4 volume Civil War documentary collection and the follow on Reconstruction documentary volume.
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Fantastic!!!
I went thru this book like a 9 yr old thru Christmas gifts on Christmas day. It read so well and easily. M.Blight takes us on this thoroughly researched life and analyses the society surrounding the character. Therefore we can understand a little more but more importantly we can feel the era, the context in which his life took place. Contrary to some other biographers M.Blight doesn't fall in the 'context trap' when other authors can go in to deep, then we lose contact with the main subject and the tempo is lost as well. Definitely not here. Up there with the best Biographies!!!
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A great book about a great man.
An extremely well written biography about one of the giant figures of America's 19th Century. I am 83 years old, and although Douglass was one of the most recognized persons of his time, both in the U.S. and Europe, it was profoundly eye-opening and embarrassing for me to realize how little he had been mentioned in the history books I grew up with. Despite his enormous efforts and accomplishments, we still have long way to go on both sides of the Atlantic to reach his expectations.
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the hardcover is made very well.
"the greatest american of all time..." buy this book and find out why.
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