Missouri Books

I have just finished reading "Voegelin Recollected--Conversations on a Life," edited by Barry Cooper and Jodi Bruhn (U. of Missouri Press,2008) 292 pp plus index, chronology and select photos.

The book consists of transcripts of interviews conducted by Cooper in the US and Bruhn in Germany. This involved extensive travel. Bruhn also translated the German language interviews. Some of the interviews must have taken place at an annual convention of the American Political Science Association, while the contributors were in attendance.

The book is organized in a surprising yet effective way. The chronology is reversed, the interviews running from Voegelin's death backwards to his early years as an academic. (Voegelin was born in 1901 and died in 1985.) The chronology is divided into four periods: Stanford, Munich, Louisiana and Vienna. There is also a chapter for Notre Dame, where he taught every third semester or so to protect his American citizenship while he was at Munich and continued the relationship for ten years after that. Not surprisingly, the Munich years are given the greater weight, because this was the time when he had the most intense interaction with graduate assistants and other students as well as his most intense interaction with the surrounding milieu (The "Hitler and the Germans" lectures). By comparison, the Vienna years are sparsely covered.

You can add Barry Cooper and Jodi Bruhn (who was then Jodi Cockerill) to the list of contributors, because their questions are often revealing commentaries based on their own knowledge of Voegelin.

I don't think Bruhn is old enough to have known Voegelin personally, but she brings an insight into human character and occasionally asks questions that deal with personal aspects of Voegelin's relationships. One example: Michael Hereth, an early student, believed many of Voegelin's students in Munich saw EV as a father-figure. In a number of instances, their own fathers had been killed in World War II.

This would tend to explain the still evident bitterness of Manfred Henningsen in his 1995 interview, although his break with Voegelin (which he describes) had taken place a quarter century earlier.

Lissy Voegelin tells us much about their life together for over fifty years. She was a wonderful wife for Eric. She accepted a life of being the "Frau Professor" and did everything for him. He didn't answer the phone or take out the trash. Later when he became relatively wealthy from stock market speculation, he tried to make it up to her for their many years of near penury. Paul Caringella helps Lissy with her recollections. It becomes evident that he had become her loving son and cared for her like no one else.

Tilo Schabert is one of the better contributors. His memory seems to be especially good. The personality of Reinhold Knoll, a true Viennese scholar and gentleman, comes across warmly in his commentary. I hadn't known that his parents were friends of EV back in the 1920's. Ellis Sandoz, a student of Voegelin from 1949 and general editor of the 34 volume Collected Works, provides a steadying voice that helps maintain perspective.

There are some funny stories, like the time when Miss Germany enrolled in EV's class. Or when the student asked EV whether Justinian preceded or followed Socrates.

I was surprised to learn that Bruno Schlesinger, distinguished head of the Christian Culture program at St. Mary's Notre Dame, had been a student of EV in Vienna in the early '30's.

There are certain thematic questions which recur through the book. One is EV's religion. To one student who could not deal with the trappings of Christianity, he said, "Christ is a true myth." This seems to have brought relief to the student, to have cut the Gordian knot. Some thought he was an agnostic. Some a sort of Lutheran. Many assumed he was Catholic and his position in Munich was likely procured for him by Bavarian Catholics who thought so.

Another theme is his demeanor towards others. He was courtly at times (One remembered him as having dance student manners "Tanzstudent"!) and he could be nasty if he thought you were a provocateur (A tale told by Walter Nicgorski, former editor of the Review of Politics). Glenn Hughes also tells a horrendous tale.

Quite unexpected are the accounts of the reasons for his decision to become an American. Apparently EV considered his flight from Vienna to be a life-altering exodus of the spirit from the land of Egypt. One way he expressed his gratitude for finding a new life in America was his apparent contentment with his living conditions. He never complained about anything when he was at LSU, according to his long time secretary, Joe Scurria (who emerges as a capable "gal Friday" and the only one who, even at the time of the interview, could read all his manuscripts). He would have preferred a better position at Yale or at Johns Hopkins (The latter position torpedoed, apparently on good evidence, by no one less than Leo Strauss).

When he returned to Munich, he returned as an American, not as a German refugee coming home. It was said he read the Herald Tribune rather than the Munich papers. He apparently did not bind himself to the society of Munich and remained aloof. As one person put it, EV would have been happiest in a boat anchored in the middle of the Atlantic. Apparently with his inaugural lecture he managed to alienate many of his Catholic supporters. As a politician, he was inept or disinterested, and in either case the result was the same: he saw his dream of a Voegelin school in Munich erode to a point where he was ready to leave. Richard Allen worked to create a position for him at the Hoover Institution and he was happy to accept it following his mandatory retirement.

Friendship is another recurring theme. Those interviewed seem to agree that he had no friends (except possibly Alfred Schütz or Gregor Sebba) in the sense of unguarded exchanges between sympathetic equals. Robert B. Heilman is interviewed and adds a few new notes to his long essay about EV. Heilman was a formidable scholar of English literature and yet was saddened by his inability to think and talk with EV at his own level. Quite different was EV's relationship with Strauss. It is brought out here, and evident in their published correspondence, that EV was open and enthusiastic and detailed while Strauss was quite the opposite. Apparently at Notre Dame EV spent a lot of time in the faculty cafeteria with Anton Herman Chroust, whom I remember as rumpled and unshaven and dirty, though certainly a genius. A picture is drawn here of the sartorially splendid EV passing the time with the grungy Tony Chroust.

In the book there is a photo of EV sitting in a lounge chair at Notre Dame. No exact location is given but I think I recognize the coffee urn in the background so I am guessing the photo was taken in the law student lounge at the law school, a few paces from the auditorium where EV lectured.

At the end of the book there is a chapter listing the 52 contributors and it gives a sentence or two about their careers and present whereabouts. Most of the interviews were conducted between 1995 and 1997. I didn't realize this until I reached the contributor list and was surprised and a little shocked to read remarks such as "He died in April 2005."

One would like to know why ten years passed before this book finally appeared. We are told there was an attempt to organize the book by topics and that didn't work. That alone would have consumed time. Perhaps the editors needed an inspiration and that proved to be the idea of the reverse chronology.

What we do know is that they conducted their interviews before it was too late.

I believe this book will become the affectionate memorial to Eric Voegelin.

Highly recommended.

"Walking on Ice" is a collection of nine short stories about women who place themselves in dangerous situations. These are women who like the "bad boys" and who like to live on the edge. Hubbard's characters are real, living, 3-D women----women that we have all known. You will find yourself yelling at the characters: "No! Don't go there!" or "No! Don't do that!" or "No! Don't go with that man!" Just like in those late-night horror flicks where you can't believe the woman goes downstairs, alone, unarmed, in the dark, to explore a noise and doesn't have the good sense to turn on a light----that is the same "edge-of-your-seat" feeling you get while immersed in Hubbard's short stories. I, for one, cannot wait for her next collection to be published.

Lawrence Everett Giffen did a marvellous job of outlining the history of steamboating on the Missouri River . . . and how it helped shape the face of the American West. I learned so much from reading this. It's tough reading, though, so don't plan on buying it unless you are a determined reader. Mr. Giffen's English usage is above reproach, the details he gives vivid and satisfying, but his writing tone is formal, almost lofty, and he shows NO sense of humor. Some humor is a good element to include in even non-fiction works. . . it keeps the reader turning pages; but if you are interested in history, you will definately enjoy this book anyway. I would also reccomend Life on the Mississippi, by Mark Twain.

This book deals with Walt's early years and is a great companion to WALT IN WONDERLAND. I highly recommend this book to anyone interested in understanding the origins of Walt Disney and his dreams.

Dabney Stuart, among our finest poets over the course of nearly a dozen collections, here continues his fine work as a fiction writer. Harkening back to his previous collection of stories, SWEET LUCY WINE, this new book includes a novella and three stories continuing the tale of the Random family and people in the family orbit.

When I hear that fiction is poetic, I assume that means it is written in fancy prose and contains little narrative action. Stuart's fiction is poetic in all the best senses--highly compressed, vivid in scene and description, exquisitely written--but with a concurrent eye toward the deep exploration of character. A reader leaves THE WAY TO COBBS CREEK having come to know Mark Random, his brother, his parents and grandparents, and their wildly commingled histories in the same way that a beloved neighbor is known, through stories woven together over time, intimate in detail, rich in resonance.

The title novella will remind you of A RIVER RUNS THROUGH IT, as indeed the whole collection will, because of the web woven by fishing throughout the tale, because of the familial complexity, and because of the stylish prose. But this is family done Southern, a turn more lavish and gothic, and the result is even more powerful emotionally.

It arrived in a timely fashion, and it was much cheaper than buying it at the bookstore.

I think this is a wonderful book that takes you on a walking tour through Standard Addition in Carlinville, IL. I spent a lot of time with Bob while he was writing about Carlinville's unique Sears Homes section. His book takes you from the square and back with restaurants and stop offs and this is just Carlinville. I haven't investigated the other walks in the book yet.

I have two copies and it's not just because I'm talked about and interviewed in the book.

Good job Bob!

Okay, the title does invite parody (What Good is Journalism? Answer; Not much.) But in fact, the book clearly demonstrates why our democracy can't get along without journalism and provides considerable evidence to support that contention. The writers also invite citizens into the conversation, suggesting ways that news organizations and consumers can work together to foster the journalism our society needs to function. I'd also add that it's a good read from talented and accomplished writers. And your friends who are constantly complaining about the "mainstream media"? Give it to them for Christmas.

The author Richard Lundquist uses a symphony of words to bring this collection of short stories together like magic. It reveals truth and realities of hardships endured by many during this period of society. I look forward to seeing this author produce more work in the future.

Wheel Boats On The Missouri: The Journals And Documents Of The Atkinson-O'fallon Expedition 1824-1826 is an archival reference showcasing a specialized slice of early American frontier history - as reflected by the original words of the wheel boat men who were directed by President James Monroe to negotiate peace treaties with Native American tribes along the Missouri River. The resulting use of 475 infantry soldiers, "gunboat diplomacy," and man-powered wheel boats across a 3,000 mile expedition is meticulously detailed among numerous primary references. Journals dealing with daily life, navigation difficulties, American Indian cultures and political negotiations provide an amazing glimpse into army life in an America of almost two centuries past. Wheel Boats On The Missouri is an impressive work of scholarship and a strongly recommended addition to academic and community library American history reading lists and reference collections.