Anti-Americanism was a co-invention of French and German fascists. Is the current rise of anti-Americanism the shape of modern fascism asks France's most-famous writer, Bernard-Henri Levy? Early in the nineteenth century, Alexis de Tocqueville - a distant relative of Chateaubriand and a name - arrived in Newport, Rhode Island, was the first to write a travel portrait of modern America - the classic "Democracy in America". It has remained the most influential book on America, and his name is still known by every American. As this book does not cover anti-Americanism, Levy set off on a year-long tour of the US. One of his aims is to get to the heart of the myths about American culture that have grown up since Alexis de Tocqueville. Levy's crisp diary entries blend journalism, literature, chance encounters, a cinematic eye and a philosopher's depth, as he interviews Americans at a time when they seem to be uncertain about their identity. From Woody Allen to George Soros, from a proud prostitute in Nevada to a psychotic death-row convict in New Orleans, Levy visits the frontiers of modern American.
Probing the paradoxical connection between celebrity and politics, prisons and retirement communities, nature and American history, he deftly teases apart the supple strands that hold together the most influential people in the world. The result is "American Vertigo" - both an open-minded travelogue and a strong antidote to the anti-America sentiment that seem to have become commonplace in Europe.
Anti-Americanism was a co-invention of French and German fascists. Is the current rise of anti-Americanism the shape of modern fascism asks France's most-famous writer, Bernard-Henri Levy? Early in the nineteenth century, Alexis de Tocqueville - a distant relative of Chateaubriand and a name - arrived in Newport, Rhode Island, was the first to write a travel portrait of modern America - the classic "Democracy in America". It has remained the most influential book on America, and his name is still known by every American. As this book does not cover anti-Americanism, Levy set off on a year-long tour of the US. One of his aims is to get to the heart of the myths about American culture that have grown up since Alexis de Tocqueville. Levy's crisp diary entries blend journalism, literature, chance encounters, a cinematic eye and a philosopher's depth, as he interviews Americans at a time when they seem to be uncertain about their identity. From Woody Allen to George Soros, from a proud prostitute in Nevada to a psychotic death-row convict in New Orleans, Levy visits the frontiers of modern American.
Probing the paradoxical connection between celebrity and politics, prisons and retirement communities, nature and American history, he deftly teases apart the supple strands that hold together the most influential people in the world. The result is "American Vertigo" - both an open-minded travelogue and a strong antidote to the anti-America sentiment that seem to have become commonplace in Europe.
Le Voyage en Amerique 1 First Visions 9 2 Moving West 43 3 The Pacific Wall 79 4 Desert Vertigo 113 5 Gone with the South 149 6 Eye of the Hurricane 187 7 The Beautiful and the Damned 227 Postscript 267 En Route! 279
Bernard-Henri Levy started his career as a war correspondent in Asia, is an award-winning writer, filmmaker and one of Europe's most talked-about writers. He has published over thirty books in France, and frequently appears as a commentator in the US media. He lives in Paris and is married to the American born actress Arielle Dombasle.
'God he's naughty.' Deborah Orr 'Compelling.' Christopher Hitchens 'Brilliantly written.' Wall Street Journal
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