Philip Roth
American novelist (1933-2018)
Eric Hobsbawm was a renowned British historian who made significant contributions to the understanding of industrial capitalism, socialism, and nationalism. His influential works, including the “long 19th century” and “short 20th century” tetralogies, have been praised for their brilliant analysis and literary talent.
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About the Eric Hobsbawm
Eric John Ernest Hobsbawm was a British historian of the rise of industrial capitalism, socialism and nationalism. His best-known works include his tetralogy about what he called the “long 19th century”and the “short 20th century” (The Age of Extremes), and an edited volume that introduced the influential idea of “invented traditions”. A life-long Marxist, his socio-political convictions influenced the character of his work.
Hobsbawm was born in Alexandria, Egypt, and spent his childhood mainly in Vienna and Berlin. Following the death of his parents and the rise to power of Adolf Hitler, Hobsbawm moved to London with his adoptive family. After serving in the Second World War, he obtained his PhD in history at the University of Cambridge. In 1998, he was appointed to the Order of the Companions of Honour. He was president of Birkbeck, University of London, from 2002 until his death. In 2003, he received the Balzan Prize for European History since 1900, “for his brilliant analysis of the troubled history of 20th century Europe and for his ability to combine in-depth historical research with great literary talent.”
Frequently Asked Questions
Eric Hobsbawm was a British historian known for his analysis of the rise of industrial capitalism, socialism, and nationalism in the 19th and 20th centuries.
Eric Hobsbawm’s best-known works include his tetralogy on the ‘long 19th century’ (The Age of Revolution, The Age of Capital, and The Age of Empire) and the ‘short 20th century’ (The Age of Extremes), as well as an edited volume that introduced the influential idea of ‘invented traditions’.
Eric Hobsbawm was a life-long Marxist, and his socio-political convictions influenced the character of his historical work.
Eric Hobsbawm was born in Alexandria, Egypt, and spent his childhood mainly in Vienna and Berlin.
In 1998, Eric Hobsbawm was appointed to the Order of the Companions of Honour, and in 2003, he received the Balzan Prize for European History since 1900 ‘for his brilliant analysis of the troubled history of 20th century Europe and for his ability to combine in-depth historical research with great literary talent.’
Eric Hobsbawm was president of Birkbeck, University of London, from 2002 until his death in 2012.
After the death of his parents and the rise to power of Adolf Hitler, Eric Hobsbawm moved to London with his adoptive family, and his experiences during the Second World War likely influenced his Marxist and socio-political views that were reflected in his historical work.
5 Quotes by Eric Hobsbawm
- 1.
Utopianism is probably a necessary social device for generating the superhuman efforts without which no major revolution is achieved.
Eric HobsbawmBritish academic historian and Marxist historiographer
- 2.
There is not much that even the most socially responsible scientists can do as individuals, or even as a group, about the social consequences of their activities.
Eric HobsbawmBritish academic historian and Marxist historiographer
- 3.
It seems that American patriotism measures itself against an outcast group. The right Americans are the right Americans because they’re not like the wrong Americans, who are not really Americans.
Eric HobsbawmBritish academic historian and Marxist historiographer
- 4.
As the global expansion of Indian and Chinese restaurants suggests, xenophobia is directed against foreign people, not foreign cultural imports.
Eric HobsbawmBritish academic historian and Marxist historiographer
- 5.
Nations without a past are contradictions in terms. What makes a nation is the past, what justifies one nation against others is the past, and historians are the people who produce it.
Eric HobsbawmBritish academic historian and Marxist historiographer