VOLKER ULLRICH is a historian and journalist whose previous books in German include biographies of Bismarck and Napoleon, as well as a major study of Imperial Germany, Die nervöse Grossmacht 1871-1918 (The Nervous Superpower). From 1990 to 2009, Ullrich was the editor of the political book review section of the influential weekly newspaper Die Zeit.
"A wonderful array of well-chosen anecdotes...Mr. Ullrich is a
journalist rather than an academic, which partly explains one of
the book's many positive features -- its remarkable fluency and
readability...[F]or an entirely sound, interesting and even
entertaining account, Mr. Ullrich's study can be thoroughly
recommended as a most worthwhile addition to the voluminous
literature on the man."
--Neil Gregor, The Wall Street Journal "The author deals with the
usual turns, such as Hitler's rough years as an aspiring artist and
the horrors of trench warfare in World War I, but he adds welcome
observations and interesting asides along the way...Timely, given
the increase in right-wing intransigence throughout the world, and
one of the best works on Hitler and the origins of the Third Reich
to appear in recent years."
--Kirkus "[A] fascinating Shakespearean parable about how the
confluence of circumstance, chance, a ruthless individual and the
willful blindness of others can transform a country -- and, in
Hitler's case, lead to an unimaginable nightmare for the
world."
-Michiko Kakutani, The New York Times "This is, by any measure, an
outstanding study... Learned, calm and riveting... All the huge,
and terrible moments of the early Nazi era are dissected, from the
early beer hall speeches, to the failed putsch, through the
economic and social dislocation of Weimar and the opportunities
that presented... The political history is meticulously told. But
the real strength of this book is in disentangling the personal
story of man and monster... Ullrich's rigour and sensitivity
enables him to succeed."
--John Kampfner, The Guardian (U.K.) "A superb biography of the
Führer's pre-war years...Readable and compelling... This biography
stands apart thanks to Ullrich's refusal to buy into the
idea--assiduously fostered by the Fuhrer himself--that Hitler was
invulnerable... The contradictory vulnerabilities that he calmly
exposes heighten the power of this extraordinary portrait... It is
a tribute to Ullrich's absorbing biography that one contemplates
its second volume with a shudder."
--Miranda Seymour, Daily Telegraph (U.K) "Striking... A highly
detailed and always interesting critical narrative of [Hitler's]
political life... What mark[s] him out is his conscious abandonment
of conventional morality: the monstrous, shameless ease with which
he lied, betrayed and murdered...Ullrich's narrative of Hitler's
rise to power... is full, intelligent and lucidly written."
--Neal Ascherson, The London Review of Books "It succeeds
brilliantly ... [deserves] to be read as widely as possible."
-- David Aaronovitch, The Times "Book of the Week" (U.K) "In a most
impressive and massive account, [Volker Ullrich] adds telling
details and subtle nuances to the dictator's portrait and provides
a fresh perspective on his rise. The result is a must-read book
that is bound to be a critical and commercial success."
--Robert Gellately, Times Higher Education "Fine biography... Where
Ullrich adds greatly to our understanding is by making the
mercurial, changeable and...profoundly unknowable Hitler
believable... This is a major achievement... Impressive and
revealing biography."
--Nicholas Stargardt, Literary Review "Volker Ullrich compellingly
tells us once again that no one could have been under any illusion
about Hitler's general intentions towards the Jews from his very
first appearance as a political figure, even if the detailed
planning of genocide took some time to solidify... Insightful ...
Acutely argued... One of the more unexpected questions we are left
with by a study of political nightmare such as Ullrich's excellent
book is how we find the resources for identifying the absurd as
well as for clarifying the grounds of law and honour."
--Rowan Williams, The New Statesman "Volker Ullrich works like a
master chef: he trusts his ingredients and uses them with great
care. The Hitler that emerges is droll, clever, hysterical, and at
the same time alarmingly pragmatic; the reader is able to follow
his development from oddball to messiah, propelled forwards by the
dynamics between the Fuhrer and his people. Ullrich describes what
happened: nothing more, nothing less. And it is exactly this
impressive restraint which gives the book its two important
qualities: it is both reliable and enormously entertaining."
--Timur Vermes, author of Look Who's Back
"The first volume of Volker Ullrich's monumental new biography,
Adolf Hitler: Die Jahre des Aufstiegs 1889-1939, is beautifully
written, as befits the experienced journalist, and deeply and
freshly researched, with many new details and a finely balanced
judgement, as one would expect from the trained historian."
--Sir Richard J. Evans, Times Higher Education "Best Books of 2013"
"Ullrich's attention to detail during this period of Adolf Hitler's
life is exceptional... If the second volume is as informative and
interesting as the first, it will be a valuable collection for
those interested in this era and those who are just learning about
it."
--Judith Reveal, New York Journal of Books
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