William F. Buckley, Jr. (Magill’s Literary Annual 1989)
At a glance:
- Author: John B. Judis
- First Published: 1988
- Type of Work: Biography
- Time of Work: 1925 to the 1980's
- Setting: Primarily New York City
- Principal Characters: William F. Buckley, Jr., William F. Buckley, Sr., James Burnham, Whittaker Chambers, Garry Wills, Gore Vidal
- Genres: Nonfiction, Biography
- Subjects: 1950’s, 1960’s, 1970’s, North America or North Americans, United States or Americans, Politics, Twentieth century, 1940’s, 1920’s, 1930’s, 1980’s, Political science, Conservatism, Catholics or Catholic Church
- Locales: New York, NY
John B. Judis has produced a beautifully researched, immensely solid biography of William F. Buckley, Jr. Since Judis is an editor of the Democratic Socialist periodical In These Times, however, this book raises questions. Why should a premier commentator from the Left choose Buckley as his subject? Has Judis attempted a vindication of Left politics by writing about its haughtiest critic? Moreover, why a biography rather than a critique of Buckley's journalism and political thought? Who, indeed, is the book's intended audience, the Left, the Right, or that entity whose very...
[The entire page is 2056 words long]
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