Review
"This profoundly important book throws light not only on recent events, but also on the thinking of one of their most important protagonists."-- "Foreword" (5/5/2011 12:00:00 AM)
"[Michnik] is the finest champion of everything that has been achieved [in Poland], an eloquent expositor of the moral issues that underlie the conflicts of his lifetime. His latest collection of essays, In Search of Lost Meaning, does not disappoint."--Norman Davies "New York Review Of Books" (1/10/2013 12:00:00 AM)
"A powerful collection of essays."-- "The Economist" (6/16/2011 12:00:00 AM)
"In special cases, one closes a book with the mind churning, stirred by the arguments within. In still rarer cases, one sets down the book and is moved by the spirit and character of its author. This is one such book."--Robert Legvold "Foreign Affairs" (11/1/2011 12:00:00 AM)
"Michnik's book is . . . a balanced and insightful treatment of the lessons of history and the notions of power and politics. It is a well-written, erudite work that deserves to be read and reflected upon."--Joseph Sampson "Law Society Journal" (5/1/2012 12:00:00 AM)
"Serious inquiry supports civility in public life, inquisition damages it, and whatever reservations some might have about his positions on particular issues, these essays show Michnik to be very much a mainstay of that civility."--Walter D. Connor "First Things" (2/1/2012 12:00:00 AM)
From the Inside Flap
In this series of vibrant, far-reaching essays, the inimitable and indispensable Adam Michnik, leading activist and intellectual progenitor of the Solidarity movement, turns his attention to the post-Communist era. Combining personal reminiscence, deep historical learning and polemics in a style that is all his own, he widens his scope to examine issues that have afflicted not only Eastern Europe but the world since the fall of Communism: the rise of right-wing gutter politics, the impact of neo-liberal economics, the new temptations of authoritarianism even as freedom has won an historic victory.
Jonathan Schell, author of The Seventh Decade: The New Shape of Nuclear Danger
Yet another collection of brilliant essays by Adam Michnik, which shows again how an intellectual deeply engaged in politics can at the same time be a profound thinker.
Jan T. Gross, author of Neighbors: The Destruction of the Jewish Community in Jedwabne, Poland
Lionized and celebrated by many, attacked and besmirched by some, Adam Michnik is a major public intellectual, a passionately lucid interpreter of post-communist ideological and political debates, a moral (not moralistic) thinker, and a courageous polemicist. As a dissident, he did not waver in defying the totalitarian system. After 1989, he has remained loyal to his values: trust, truth, tolerance. In this book he responds to his opponents, adamantly defending his choices and ideals. One may agree or disagree with Michnik, but one cannot but recognize his frankness, honesty and unswerving commitment to liberal values.
Vladimir Tismaneanu, author of Stalinism for All Seasons: A Political
History of Romanian Communism
From the Back Cover
"In this series of vibrant, far-reaching essays, the inimitable and indispensable Adam Michnik, leading activist and intellectual progenitor of the Solidarity movement, turns his attention to the post-Communist era. Combining personal reminiscence, deep historical learning and polemics in a style that is all his own, he widens his scope to examine issues that have afflicted not only Eastern Europe but the world since the fall of Communism: the rise of right-wing gutter politics, the impact of neo-liberal economics, the new temptations of authoritarianism even as freedom has won an historic victory."
Jonathan Schell, author of The Seventh Decade: The New Shape of Nuclear Danger
"Yet another collection of brilliant essays by Adam Michnik, which shows again how an intellectual deeply engaged in politics can at the same time be a profound thinker."
Jan T. Gross, author of Neighbors: The Destruction of the Jewish Community in Jedwabne, Poland
"Lionized and celebrated by many, attacked and besmirched by some, Adam Michnik is a major public intellectual, a passionately lucid interpreter of post-communist ideological and political debates, a moral (not moralistic) thinker, and a courageous polemicist. As a dissident, he did not waver in defying the totalitarian system. After 1989, he has remained loyal to his values: trust, truth, tolerance. In this book he responds to his opponents, adamantly defending his choices and ideals. One may agree or disagree with Michnik, but one cannot but recognize his frankness, honesty and unswerving commitment to liberal values."
Vladimir Tismaneanu, author of Stalinism for All Seasons: A Political
History of Romanian Communism
About the Author
Adam Michnik was a leader of the dissident movement in Poland. He is editor in chief of Poland's largest newspaper, Gazeta Wyborcza, and is the author of Letters from Prison and Letters from Freedom, both from UC Press.
