One of the brightest European historians in an unprecedented discussion about the past and the future worth claiming, for the life of thought and the thinking life.

Structured like a series of personal conversations between Tony Judt and his friend, colleague, and student Timothy Snyder, the book presents the triumphs and failures of the most prominent intellectuals of the twentieth century and the disputes that have marked our world.

Weaving autobiographical sketches with free-flowing discussions around history, politics, and culture, it reevaluates the impacts of the two world wars and the Great Depression on politics and philosophy.

It examines the development and competition between communist and fascist doctrines, the efforts of social democracy and Keynesian economics to bring liberal governance, broad-based development, and social equality in the post-war world.

It also analyzes the retreat of these achievements in the face of the assault by market fundamentalism against the active state.

Whether he speaks about the religious dimensions of Marxism and Freudianism or Obama and the war in Iraq, Judt's ability to instill tones of erudition into clear, vigorous conversations, even when breathing with mechanical support, is unparalleled.