Harvey Goldberg (1923–1987)

It is not always true, as alleged, that good biography equals bad history (and vice-versa). In this detailed study we get not merely a penetrating study of the great social democrat and defender of the French Republic, but also pleny of info on the French society of the times, much more than would suffice for background. Jaures was a compelling and praisewortthy figure,martyred by lunatic in the last days before the outbreak of war in 1914. Thoug he doesn't say so outright in the book, I remember the Author's saying that he himself suspected (to his sorrow) that Jaures, despite his solid socialist internationalism, would have supported the war. There are remarkably few figures of the days of the Second International who still deserve the kind of attention that Professor Goldberg gave in this book several decades ago. One thinks of such titans as Rosa Luxemburg and Eugene Debs and -- well, who else? That by itself might stimulate the curiousity of persons unfamiliar with that time. Beyond that, thebalance of research and commitment in this book make it a monument to humanistic scholarship almost independent of subject.… (mais)

2004 The Life of Jean Jaures, by Harvey Goldberg (read 22 May 1986) This book is written in turgid socialist style, which style I have not read anything like since on Nov 26, 1980, I read a Marxist account of the Russian Revolution by Marcel Liebman. Jaures was born Sept 3, 1859, in Castres (northern France) and was shot to death by Raoul Villain on July 31, 1914. This book is so laudatory and so larded with arcane socialist history that it wasn't too enjoyable, especially since Jaures was not only a socialist but supported Combes and all the vicious anti-Catholic laws of early 20th century France.… (mais)