Program

Research Programs: Fellowships for College Teachers and Independent Scholars

Period of Performance

9/1/2007 - 5/31/2008

Funding Totals

$40,000.00 (approved)
$40,000.00 (awarded)


The Diaries of Count Harry Kessler, 1880-1918

FAIN: FB-53013-07

Laird M. Easton
California State University, Chico Foundation (Chico, CA 95929-0001)

The purpose of this proposal is to edit and translate into English a one-volume edition of the journals of Count Harry Kessler (1868-1937) from the years 1880 to 1918. These diaries are only now being published in Germany for the first time. They have never appeared in English. Besides translating them from German, I will also supply annotations and a brief introduction. The publisher Alfred A. Knopf has granted me an advance contract with a due date of September 1, 2008 for this project.



Media Coverage

Journey to the Abyss (Review)
Author(s): Modris Ektseins
Publication: Wall Street Journal
Date: 11/26/2011
Abstract: Review by Modris Eksteins in Wall Street Journal
URL: http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052970204358004577030541293699740.html

Journey to the Abyss (Review)
Author(s): Benjamin Schwarz
Publication: The Atlantic
Date: 12/1/2011
Abstract: List of the five runners-up for the five best books of 2011 as announced by Benjamin Schwarz, literary editor of The Atlantic.
URL: http://http://www.theatlantic.com/entertainment/archive/2011/11/books-of-the-year-2011-the-runners-up/247942/

Journey to the Abyss (Review)
Author(s): Louis Begley
Publication: The New York Times
Date: 12/25/2011
Abstract: Book review by Louis Begley in The New York Times Book Review
URL: http://http://www.nytimes.com/2011/12/25/books/review/journey-to-the-abyss-the-diaries-of-count-harry-kessler-1880-1918-book-review.html?_r=1&pagewanted=all

Journey to the Abyss (Review)
Author(s): Ian Buruma
Date: 1/12/2011
Abstract: Review by Ian Buruma of my book Journey to the Abyss
URL: http://http://www.nybooks.com/articles/archives/2012/jan/12/catty-chronicler/?pagination=false



Associated Products

Journey to the Abyss: The Diaries of Count Harry Kessler, 1880-1918 (Book)
Title: Journey to the Abyss: The Diaries of Count Harry Kessler, 1880-1918
Author: Kessler, Harry
Editor: Easton, Laird M.
Abstract: These fascinating, never-before-published early diaries of Count Harry Kessler—patron, museum director, publisher, cultural critic, soldier, secret agent, and diplomat—present a sweeping panorama of the arts and politics of Belle Époque Europe, a glittering world poised to be changed irrevocably by the Great War. Kessler’s immersion in the new art and literature of Paris, London, and Berlin unfolds in the first part of the diaries. This refined world gives way to vivid descriptions of the horrific fighting on the Eastern and Western fronts of World War I, the intriguing private discussions among the German political and military elite about the progress of the war, as well as Kessler’s account of his role as a diplomat with a secret mission in Switzerland.
Year: 2011
Primary URL: http://www.randomhouse.com/book/92043/journey-to-the-abyss-by-harry-kessler
Publisher: Alfred A. Knopf
Type: Translation
ISBN: 9780307265821