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'A riveting tale, brilliantly told' Philippe Sands The little-known
story of Hitler's war on modern art and the mentally ill. In the
first years of the Weimar Republic, the German psychiatrist Hans
Prinzhorn gathered a remarkable collection of works by
schizophrenic patients that would astonish and delight the world.
The Prinzhorn collection, as it was called, inspired a new
generation of artists, including Paul Klee, Max Ernst and Salvador
Dali. What the doctor could not have known, however, was that these
works would later be used to prepare the ground for mass-murder.
Soon after his rise to power, Hitler-a failed artist of the old
school-declared war on modern art. The Nazis staged giant
'Degenerate Art' shows to ridicule the avant-garde, and seized and
destroyed the cream of Germany's modern art collections. This
action was mere preparation, however, for the even more sinister
campaign Hitler would later wage against so-called "degenerate"
people, and Prinzhorn's artists were caught up in both. Bringing
together inspirational art history, genius and madness, and the
wanton cruelty of the fanatical "artist-Fuhrer", this astonishing
story lays bare the culture war that paved the way for Hitler's
first extermination programme, the psychiatric Holocaust.
‘An exemplary work of investigative journalism that is also a
wonderfully colourful book of history and travel’ Observer, Book
of the Year ‘A piece of postmodern historiography of quite
extraordinary sophistication and ingenuity… [written with]
exceptional delicacy and restraint’ TLS The fabled city of
Timbuktu has captured the Western imagination for centuries. The
search for this ‘African El Dorado’ cost the lives of many
explorers but Timbuktu is rich beyond its legends. Home to many
thousands of ancient manuscripts on poetry, history, religion, law,
pharmacology and astronomy, the city has been a centre of learning
since medieval times. When jihadists invaded Mali in 2012
threatening destruction to Timbuktu’s libraries, a remarkable
thing happened. A team of librarians and archivists joined forces
to spirit the precious manuscripts into hiding. Based on new
research and first-hand reporting, Charlie English expertly tells
this story set in one of the world’s most fascinating places, and
the myths from which it has become inseparable.
In this unique book, part eulogy, part history, part travelogue,
Charlie English goes in search of the best snow on the planet.
Along the way he explains the extraordinary hold this commonplace
phenomenon has over us, and reveals the ongoing drama of our
relationship with it. Combining on-the-slopes experience with
off-piste research, Charlie English's journey begins with the
magical moment when his two-year-old son sees snow for the first
time, before setting off in the footsteps of the Romantic poets
over the Alps, following the sled-tracks of the Inuit across
Greenland, and meeting up with a flurry of fellow enthusiasts, from
snow-making scientists in Japan and global warming experts in
California to plough drivers in Alaska.This is a book for anyone
who reaches for their mittens at the sight of the first flake.
‘A riveting tale, brilliantly told' Philippe Sands The
little-known story of Hitler’s war on modern art and the mentally
ill. In the first years of the Weimar Republic, the German
psychiatrist Hans Prinzhorn gathered a remarkable collection of
works by schizophrenic patients that would astonish and
delight the world. The Prinzhorn collection, as it was called,
inspired a new generation of artists, including Paul Klee, Max
Ernst and Salvador Dali. What the doctor could not have known,
however, was that these works would later be used to prepare the
ground for mass-murder. Soon after his rise to power, Hitler—a
failed artist of the old school—declared war on modern art. The
Nazis staged giant ‘Degenerate Art’ shows to ridicule the
avant-garde, and seized and destroyed the cream of Germany's modern
art collections. This action was mere preparation, however, for the
even more sinister campaign Hitler would later wage against
so-called "degenerate" people, and Prinzhorn's artists were caught
up in both. Bringing together inspirational art
history, genius and madness, and the wanton cruelty of the
fanatical "artist-Führer", this astonishing story lays bare the
culture war that paved the way for Hitler's first extermination
programme, the psychiatric Holocaust.
Combining on-the-slopes experience with off-trail research, author
Charlie English follows in the footsteps of the Romantic poets
across the Alps, learns how to build igloos with the Inuit on
Baffin Island, examines snow patches in the Cairngorms to detect
signs of global warming, and tests his mettle on some of the most
perilous peaks on Earth. Along the way, he meets up with a flurry
of fellow enthusiasts, from avalanche survivors and resort
operators to climate scientists and champion skiers. English is
obsessed with snow, and has collected for our enjoyment an amazing
array of not-so-random facts about the hexagonal substance that
fills the human imagination with wonder. In a section called the
"Snow Handbook," he describes how snow is created, how to build an
igloo, how avalanches occur, and (more importantly) how to survive
an avalanche. His glossary is filled with snow terms that will
delight, such as "couloir," "hoarfrost," "firn," and "sastrugi."
Fresh and fun and infused with the adrenaline of adventure, The
Snow Tourist is a fascinating account of one man's pilgrimage
through the world's blanketed fields, ice-capped rooftops, cozy
igloos, and snow-covered mountain peaks.
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