Barnett Singer – författare

Bridging gaps between intellectual history, biography, and military/colonial history, Barnett Singer and John Langdon provide a challenging, readable interpretation of French imperialism and some of its leading figures from the early modern era through the Fifth Republic. They ask us to rethink and reevaluate, pulling away from the usual shoal of simplistic condemnation. In a series of finely-etched biographical studies, and with much detail on both imperial culture and wars (including World War I and II), they offer a balanced, deep, strong portrait of key makers and defenders of the French Empire, one that will surely stimulate much historical work in the field.

During the armistice proceedings and at the Peace Conference after World War I, French General Maxime Weygand served as chief aid to Marshal Foch. Called out of retirement in the late 1930s, Weygand again served his country during World War II, becoming commander in chief of the French Army. His call for enhanced French unity, military preparedness, and adaptation to a new kind of war dominated by tank mobility might have saved France the humiliating defeat in 1940 at the hand of the Nazis, had it been heeded. Weygand's recognition of the Nazi threat earned him the respect of Winston Churchill and Franklin Roosevelt. Weygand's Vichy Resistance led to his imprisonment from late 1942 through the end of the war. French archival sources, available oral testimony and Weygand's private papers contribute to a fascinating biography of one of World War II's unsung heroes.

The Pacific Northwest--for the purposes of this book mostly Oregon and Washington--has sometimes been seen as lacking significant cultural history. Home to idyllic environmental wonders, the region has been plagued by the notion that the best and brightest often left in search of greater things, that the mainstream world was thousands of miles away--or at least as far south as California.This book describes the Pacific Northwest's search for a regional identity from the first Indian-European contacts through the late twentieth century, identifying those individuals and groups "who at least struggled to give meaning to the Northwest experience." It places particular emphasis on writers and other celebrated individuals in the arts, detailing how their lives and works both reflected the region and also enhanced its sense of self.

Actress and sex symbol Brigitte Bardot had a stunning career in France and America in the mid-20th century. Since the 1970s, she has dedicated her life to the welfare and protection of animals, with much personal involvement. In this book the author makes the case that far from being a pretty face or a spotlight grabber, Bardot was an accomplished actress and has always been an intelligent, sensitive individual.Chapters acquaint readers with her Paris childhood and her rebellious coming of age in a Catholic bourgeois family, who disapproved when she appeared on the cover of Elle magazine and was offered a screen test. The book examines her years in film (with careful analysis of her films) and also covers her tumultuous personal life, including suicide attempts, and the beginnings of her interest in animal protection. Final chapters detail her efforts in worldwide animal welfare activism, including the work of her own international foundation.

Examines the role of village notables in nineteenth-century France.Local priests, mayors, and schoolmasters have often been portrayed by French novelists as objects of ridicule. In reality, however, the village notables gave norms to the villagers in their communities and personified the community's values. The influence of village notables and the values they preached and personified ensure their importance in any view of French rural history. Their world was already in transition towards modernity, and they both guided and impeded the process.Village Notables in Nineteenth-Century France tells who these notables were, where they came from, what they thought, what influence they had in local society, how they competed with each other for village hegemony or enhanced status, and what problems they endured. The book is a lively account, solidly based on extensive archival research and other primary sources. It gives the reader a feel for the era and the milieu.

This engaging, knowledgeable book traces the American path France has followed since resolving its searing Algerian conflict in 1962. Barnett Singer convincingly demolishes two pervasive clichés about modern France: first, that the country never has been fit to fight wars, including wars on terror; and second, that the French have always been and remain overwhelmingly anti-American. Drawing on a wealth of archival sources, Barnett Singer clearly demonstrates that a serious and organized France fought strongly until its own divisions, international pressures, and the actions of de Gaulle ended the conflict with tragic consequences. The outcome led to an important sea change, clearing the way for France to embrace American culture, especially rock 'n' roll, and more generally, an American-style emphasis on personal happiness. The author argues that today’s France, wounded by the loss of traditions and stability, is increasingly pro-American, clinging to trends from across the Atlantic as to a lifeline.

A remarkable bandleader, composer and clarinetist, Artie Shaw's popularity defined the American music scene from 1938 to 1945, the Swing Era. Shaw led a fascinating, tumultuous personal life, including a difficult childhood and marriages to starlets such as Lana Turner and Ava Gardner. This biography covers Shaw's life and career, and is based in part on interviews with Shaw conducted by the author during the 1970s and 1980s. Chapters cover the Swing Era, his time in the Navy during World War II and the Shaw Orchestra. Some analytic chapters dig deeper into the meaning behind his recordings, highlighting the growth within his music.