Left in Dark Times: A Stand Against the New Barbarism

(Paperback)

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In this unprecedented critique, Bernard-Henri Levy revisits his political roots, scrutinizes the totalitarianisms of the past as well as those on the horizon, and argues powerfully for a new political and moral vision for our times. Are human rights Western or universal Does anti-Semitism have a future, and, if so, what will it look like And how is it that progressives themselves-those who in the past defended individual rights and fought fascism-have now become the breeding ground for new kinds of dangerous attitudes- an unthinking loathing of Israel; an obsessive anti-Americanism; an idea of "tolerance" that, in its justification of Islamic fanaticism, for example, could become the "cemetery of democracies"; and an indifference, masked by relativism, to the greatest human tragedies facing the world today At a time of ideological and political transition in America, Left in Dark Times articulates the threats we all face-in many cases without our even being aware of it-and offers a powerful new vision for progressives everywhere.

Reviews

[Lvys] memories interlace with reflections on his long career of political activism . . . and are studded with passionately held positions on every issue current on the world stage. Whether or not you agree with him . . . you will be convinced of this: Ideas matter to him.New York Observer

Lvy offers as fine a description as youre likely to find anywhere of what the conventional international left . . . has adopted as its worldview. . . . [His] discussion of contemporary anti-Semitism is sophisticated, detailed and convincing.Los Angeles Times

Continually asking himself as well as others to confront the hard questions, [Lvy] produces a text that . . . readers will find highly absorbing.New York Times Book Review

Moving and inspiring . . . When political leaders commit atrocities, intellectuals remind the world of right and wrong. . . . Bernard-Henri Lvy, perhaps the most prominent intellectual in France today, seeks to revive this tradition of speaking truth to power.Boston Globe

Author Bio

Bernard-Henri Levy is a philosopher, journalist, activist, and filmmaker. He was hailed by Vanity Fair magazine as "Superman and prophet- we have no equivalent in the United States." Among his dozens of books are American Vertigo, Barbarism with a Human Face, and Who Killed Daniel Pearl His writing has appeared in a wide range of publications throughout Europe and the United States. His films include the documentaries Bosna! and A Day in the Death of Sarajevo. Levy is co-founder of the antiracist group SOS Racism and has served on diplomatic missions for the French government. From the Hardcover edition.