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Tony Judt

A Grand Illusion?: An Essay on Europe (Annual New York Review of Books and Hill and Wang Lecture Series, 3) Hardcover – January 1, 1996

by Tony Judt (Author)

4.4 65 ratings

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In this timely new book, a distinguished intellectual historian offers us cogent and persuasive responses to these urgent topical questions: What are the prospects for the European Union? If they are not wholly rosy, why is that? Which nations should "belong" to Europe and when? And, in any event, how much does it matter whether a united Europe does or does not come about, on whatever terms?
Tony Judt - European by extraction, British by nationality, American by residence - is especially well qualified to examine these thorny issues. At once skeptical of large claims yet enthusiastically "European," he argues that there are reasonable, realistic, and practical modes by which we can deal with the political, cultural, and economic factors involved. We need not return to the Europe of the past, but we also need not settle for a super-national, quasi-sovereign European Union that obliterates national differences.

Print length

149 pages
Language

English
Publisher

Hill & Wang Pub
Publication date

January 1, 1996
Dimensions

5.5 x 0.75 x 8 inches
ISBN-10

0809050935
ISBN-13

978-0809050932
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Tony Judt
331
Hardcover
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Customer reviews

4.4 out of 5

65 global ratings

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Sheila Rao

Brilliant. You don't have to be a scholar or ...

Reviewed in the United States on July 19, 2016

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If you want to understand where we are in history, RIGHT NOW, read this. Brilliant. You don't have to be a scholar or historian to understand it.

One person found this helpful

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F. A. Cuello

Read it to understandably recent events...

Reviewed in the United States on June 12, 2014

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...such as why Russia can't stand Ukraine joining NATO, the continued rise of euroskepticism or the exaggerated expectations placed on the European project. This, from a fiercely independent and progressive historian who commands the respect of all, no matter their political beliefs.

4 people found this helpful

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Wes

Tony Judt's "A Grand Illusion"

Reviewed in the United States on August 6, 2011

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I have discovered Judt's work only in the last few years. His writing and thinking is lucid, and his analysis and ideas provocative in the good sense. His different views of many of the problems facing contemporary Europe are as important as they are unconventional.

9 people found this helpful

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alex erdeljan

The best explanation, bar none

Reviewed in the United States on July 16, 2016

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The best explanation, bar none, for Brexit and why EU is an unsustainable house of cards. And, it was written 20 years ago!

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marianne s

Five Stars

Reviewed in the United States on July 30, 2018

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Great Book - highly recommended!

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Evoo

Two Stars

Reviewed in the United States on October 9, 2017

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The product itself is fine.
The book sucks, though.
Have fun reading 40 pages about f***n Nothing

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Matthew Ellis

Is Europe's future a unified one?

Reviewed in the United States on May 15, 2000

If you are an avid supporter of the European Union, this book will not be a fun read. In this polemical essay, Judt argues that the future of Europe cannot be a unified one and that the EU is ultimately doomed to failure. What is his rationale?
He writes, "The years 1945-1989 are thus coming to seem more and more like a parenthesis." Arguing that nationalism is the most powerful and influential force in Europe, Judt paints a picture of a Europe that has been historically divided. Any attempts at unity will founder because of inherent national differences and nationalist feelings.
Although Judt offers several cogent arguments, his book fails to take into account the current state of optimism in Europe and the fact that the EU has been widely accepted. After a tumultuous century of division (from the powerful pre-WWI nation-states to the Cold War's establishment of East v. West), Europe today seems eager to latch onto a system that would provide some sense of community. Judt ignores this fact. Also, Judt's argument about Germany seems to me to be illogical, and some his evidence is a real stretch.
Judt's book on Europe has some value--it offers some very provocative points about Europe--but in the end, its overly pessimistic view lacks clarity and a solid factual base.

23 people found this helpful

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Cowardly Lion

Very good but out of date

Reviewed in the United Kingdom on March 7, 2021

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This is best read now for its excellent summary of the origins of, and reasons for creating, the EU. The late-90s perspective of the rest is inevitably way out of date. Having said that, the final few pages ring very true in the era of Brexit and Covid.

Jose G.

Excellent review of our times

Reviewed in the United Kingdom on January 3, 2014

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Very easy to read but written with the classical Judd clear, honest intelligent mind. A real pleasure to be read and savoured.

2 people found this helpful

David Mcmillen

Needs Updating

Reviewed in the United Kingdom on July 26, 2012

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I always look forward to reading anything by Tony Judt. He also provokes thought even if I don't agree with everything (or sometimes, anything) he says. However he is never boring. He mixes scholarship with a real and accessible thesis. The problem with this book is that it is dated. By its very nature it has been overtaken by events and particularly the Euro and the financial meltdown. It is a useful history of the EU up to 2000 but there prognosis is defeated by the passage of time.

11 people found this helpful

Arthur Koestler

Interesting but not a compelling read

Reviewed in the United Kingdom on April 20, 2018

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As a conservative and a brexit voter it is interesting and refreshing to hear a left wing academic make similar arguments about the dysfunctional nature of the European project. However the contents of the essays isn't kind blowing

One person found this helpful

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A Grand Illusion?: An Essay on Europe (Annual New York Review of Books and Hill and Wang Lecture Series, 3) Hardcover – January 1, 1996

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Follow the Author

A Grand Illusion?: An Essay on Europe (Annual New York Review of Books and Hill and Wang Lecture Series, 3) Hardcover – January 1, 1996

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