Theatres of Memory
Past and Present in Contemporary Culture
Format:Paperback
Publisher:Verso Books
Published:17th Apr '96
Currently unavailable, and unfortunately no date known when it will be back
"A brilliant and compelling historical vision." -Jonathan Clark, The Times
This work takes issue with heritage baiters, and argues that we live in an expanding historical culture, one which is newly alert to the evidence of the visual, more democratic than earlier versions of the national past, and much more hospitable to hitherto stigmatized minorities.In this widely acclaimed book, Raphael Samuel takes issue with the claim that our obsession with heritage is a symptom of national decay. He argues rather that we live in an expanding historical culture, one which is newly alert to the evidence of the visual and which is altogether more pluralist than earlier versions of the national past.
Whose history is it, then? That's the question driving Raphael Samuel's provocative investigation of the historically steeped nature of British culture today ... A joy to read. -- Roy Porter * New Statesman and Society *
A brilliant and compelling historical vision. -- Jonathan Clark * The Times *
An alluring, hugely energetic writer ... Samuel is invaluable. -- Fiona MacCarthy * Observer *
Offers a generous and hopeful understanding of the past and how it affects our society. -- Candia McWilliam * Guardian *
Challenging, perceptive and gloriously eclectic. -- David Robinson * The Scotsman *
Magnificent. -- David Edgar * Independent on Sunday *
A showcase for Samuel's quite astonishing historical and cultural range. -- Stefan Collini * Times Literary Supplement *
ISBN: 9781859840771
Dimensions: 236mm x 152mm x 36mm
Weight: 737g
496 pages