Jacques Martin Barzun (b. November 30, 1907) is an eminent French-born American historian of ideas and culture. His areas of expertise are far-ranging including "French and German literature, music, education, ghost stories, detective fiction, language, and etymology."^[1] is the 334th day of the year (335th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 1907 (MCMVII) was a common year starting on Tuesday (link will display the full calendar) of the Gregorian calendar (or a common year starting on Monday of the 13-day-slower Julian calendar). ... Image File history File links This is a lossless scalable vector image. ... Créteil is a commune in the southeastern suburbs of Paris, France. ... is the 334th day of the year (335th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 1907 (MCMVII) was a common year starting on Tuesday (link will display the full calendar) of the Gregorian calendar (or a common year starting on Monday of the 13-day-slower Julian calendar). ... The history of ideas is a field of research in history that deals with the expression, preservation, and change of human ideas over time. ... Cultural history (from the German term Kulturgeschichte), at least in its common definition since the 1970s, often combines the approaches of anthropology and history to look at popular cultural traditions and cultural interpretations of historical experience. ... Etymologies redirects here. ...

Life

Born in Créteil, France to Henri-Martin and Anna-Rose Barzun, he spent his childhood in Paris and Grenoble. His father was a member of the Abbaye de Créteil group of artists and writers and also worked in the French ministry of labor.[1] The Paris house of his parents was frequented by many "modernist" artists of belle epoque France, e.g., the poet Apollinaire, the Cubist painters Albert Gleizes and Marcel Duchamp, the composer Edgard Varèse, and the writers Richard Aldington and Stefan Zweig.[2] Créteil is a commune in the southeastern suburbs of Paris, France. ... This article is about the capital of France. ... Grenoble (Arpitan: Grenoblo) is a city and commune in south-east France situated at the foot of the Alps where the Drac joins the Isère River. ... Abbaye de Créteil was a phalanstère, a utopian community, founded in the fall of 1906 by the poets Georges Duhamel et Charles Vildrac. ... The Belle poque, or beautiful era, was a period in Frances history that began during the late 19th century and lasted until World War I. Occurring at the midpoint of the Third Republic, the Belle poque was considered a golden time of beauty, innovation, and peace between France and... Guillaume Apollinaire (August 26, 1880 _ November 9, 1918) was a poet, writer, and art critic. ... Woman with a guitar by Georges Braque, 1913 Cubism was an avant-garde art movement that revolutionised European painting and sculpture in the early 20th century. ... Albert Gleizes, born December 8, 1881 _ died June 23, 1953 was a French painter. ... Marcel Duchamp (pronounced ) (July 28, 1887 – October 2, 1968) was a French artist (he became an American citizen in 1955) whose work and ideas had considerable influence on the development of post-World War II Western art, and whose advice to modern art collectors helped shape the tastes of the... Edgard Victor Achille Charles Varèse (December 22, 1883 – November 6, 1965) was a French-born composer. ... Richard Aldington in uniform during World War I Richard Aldington (July 8, 1892 – July 27, 1962), name at birth Edward Godfree Aldington, was an English writer and poet. ... Stefan Zweig Stefan Zweig (November 28, 1881, Vienna, Austria – February 23, 1942, Petrópolis, Brazil) was an Austrian novelist, playwright, journalist and biographer. ...

While on a diplomatic mission to the U.S. during the First World War, Barzun's father so liked what he saw there that he decided that his son should have an American university education, a conclusion startlingly out of character for a French artist and intellectual of that time. Thus Jacques was sent to the USA at the tender age of 12, first to attend a preparatory school, then Columbia University where he obtained a broad liberal education. His artistic family background naturally inclined him to the study of cultural history, then a new branch of history. For other uses of terms redirecting here, see US (disambiguation), USA (disambiguation), and United States (disambiguation) Motto In God We Trust(since 1956) (From Many, One; Latin, traditional) Anthem The Star-Spangled Banner Capital Washington, D.C. Largest city New York City National language English (de facto)1 Demonym American... Ypres, 1917, in the vicinity of the Battle of Passchendaele. ... Tertiary education, also referred to as third-stage or third level education, is the educational level following the completion of a school providing a secondary education such as a high school, secondary school, or gymnasium. ... A university-preparatory school or college-preparatory school (usually abbreviated to preparatory school, college prep school, or prep school) is a private secondary school designed to prepare a student for higher education. ... Alma Mater Columbia University is a private university in the United States and a member of the Ivy League. ... Cultural history (from the German term Kulturgeschichte), at least in its common definition since the 1970s, often combines the approaches of anthropology and history to look at popular cultural traditions and cultural interpretations of historical experience. ...

Barzun was first in the 1927 class of Columbia College and was a prize-winning president of the Philolexian Society, a Columbia literary and debate club. He obtained his Ph.D. from Columbia in 1932, and taught history there from 1928 to 1955, becoming the Seth Low Professor of History and a founder of the discipline of cultural history. For years, he and literary critic Lionel Trilling ran Columbia's famous Great Books course. From 1955 to 1968, he served as Dean of the Graduate School, Dean of Faculties, and Provost, while also being an Extraordinary Fellow of Churchill College at the University of Cambridge. From 1968 until his 1975 retirement, he was University Professor at Columbia. From 1975 to 1993 he was Literary Adviser to Charles Scribner's Sons. The American Philosophical Society honors Barzun with its Jacques Barzun Prize in Cultural History, awarded annually since 1993 to the author of a recent distinguished work of cultural history. He has also received the Gold Medal for Criticism from the American Academy of Arts and Letters, of which he was twice president. In 2003, he was awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom. On October 18, 2007, he received the 59th Great Teacher Award of the Society of Columbia Graduates in absentia. Columbia College is the main undergraduate college at Columbia University, situated on the universitys main campus of Morningside Heights in the Borough of Manhattan in the City of New York. ... The Philolexian Society of Columbia University is one of the oldest collegiate literary societies in the United States, and the oldest student group at Columbia. ... Doctor of Philosophy (Ph. ... Seth Low, born in Brooklyn, New York, (January 18, 1850 - September 17, 1916) was a U.S. educator and political figure. ... Cultural history (from the German term Kulturgeschichte), at least in its common definition since the 1970s, often combines the approaches of anthropology and history to look at popular cultural traditions and cultural interpretations of historical experience. ... Literary criticism is the study, discussion, evaluation, and interpretation of literature. ... Lionel Trilling (July 4, 1905 – November 5, 1975) was an American literary critic, author, and teacher. ... Great Books refers to a curriculum and a book list. ... Full name Churchill College Motto Forward Named after Sir Winston Churchill Previous names - Established 1966 Sister College Trinity College Master Sir John Boyd Location Storeys Way Undergraduates 210 Graduates 440 Homepage Boatclub Churchill College Churchill College was founded in 1960 as the national and commonwealth memorial to Winston Churchill. ... The University of Cambridge (often Cambridge University), located in Cambridge, England, is the second-oldest university in the English-speaking world and has a reputation as one of the worlds most prestigious universities. ... Charles Scribners Sons is a publisher that was founded in 1846 at the Brick Church Chapel on New Yorks Park Row. ... The American Philosophical Society is a discussion group founded as the Junto in 1743 by Benjamin Franklin. ... American Academy of Arts and Letters is an organization whose goal is to foster, assist, and sustain an interest in American literature, music, and art. ... The Presidential Medal of Freedom The Presidential Medal of Freedom is one of the two highest civilian awards in the United States and is bestowed by the President of the United States (the other award which is considered its equivalent is the Congressional Gold Medal, which is bestowed by an...

In 1936, Barzun married Mariana Lowell, a violinist from a prominent Boston family, who died in 1979. They had three children: James, Roger, and Isabel.[3] In 1980 Barzun married Marguerite Lee Davenport. Since 1996 the Barzuns have lived in her home town of San Antonio, Texas. San Antonio redirects here. ...

Ideas

Over seven decades, Barzun has written and edited over 40 books touching on an unusually broad range of subjects, including science and medicine, psychiatry from Robert Burton through William James to modern methods, and art, and classical music; he is one of the all-time authorities on Berlioz. Some of his books - particularly Teacher in America and The House of Intellect - enjoyed a substantial lay readership and influenced debate about culture and education far beyond the realm of academic history. A magnet levitating above a high-temperature superconductor demonstrates the Meissner effect. ... For the chemical substances known as medicines, see medication. ... An MRI scan of a human brain and head. ... Robert Burton may refer to: Robert Burton (scholar) (1577-1640), English scholar and cleric, author of The Anatomy of Melancholy Robert Burton (statesman) (1747-1825), North Carolina delegate to Continental Congress Robert T. Burton (1821-1907), prominent member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints Robert Burton... This article needs additional references or sources for verification. ... This article is about the philosophical concept of Art. ... Classical music is a broad, somewhat imprecise term, referring to music produced in, or rooted in the traditions of, European art, ecclesiastical and concert music, encompassing a broad period from roughly 1000 to the present day. ... Portrait of Berlioz by Signol, 1832 Louis Hector Berlioz (December 11, 1803 – March 8, 1869) was a French Romantic composer best known for the Symphonie Fantastique, first performed in 1830, and for his Requiem of 1837, with its tremendous resources that include four antiphonal brass choirs. ...

Barzun has a strong interest in the tools and mechanics of writing and research. He edited the 1966 edition of Follett's Modern American Usage, and is the author of books on style (Simple and Direct, 1975), on the craft of editing and publishing (On Writing, Editing, and Publishing, 1971), and on research methods in history and humanities (The Modern Researcher, now in its 6th ed.) This article is about the concept. ... A literary genre is one of the divisions of literature into genres according to particular criteria such as literary technique, tone, or content. ... Editing is the process of preparing language, images, or sound for presentation through correction, condensation, organization, and other modifications. ... “Publisher” redirects here. ... The specific methods used in any type of research depend on the type of research being performed. ... This article is about the study of the past in human terms. ... For other uses, see Humanities (disambiguation). ...

Barzun does not disdain popular culture; his varied interests include detective fiction and baseball. He edited, and wrote the introduction to, the 1961 anthology The Delights of Detection, which included stories by G. K. Chesterton, Dorothy Sayers, Rex Stout, and others. In 1971, he co-authored, with Wendell Hertig Taylor, A Catalogue of Crime: Being a Reader's Guide to the Literature of Mystery, Detection, & Related Genres , for which he and Taylor received a Special Edgar Award from the Mystery Writers of America in 1972. ^[2] Basil Rathbone as Sherlock Holmes Detective fiction is a branch of crime fiction that centers upon the investigation of a crime, usually murder, by a detective, either professional or amateur. ... This article is about the sport. ... Gilbert Keith Chesterton (May 29, 1874–June 14, 1936) was an influential English writer of the early 20th century. ... Dorothy Leigh Sayers (Oxford, 13 June 1893 – Witham, 17 December 1957) was a British author, translator, student of classical and modern languages, and Christian humanist. ... Rex Stout, full name Rex Todhunter Stout, (December 1, 1886 - October 27, 1975) was an American writer best known as the creator of the larger-than-life fictional detective Nero Wolfe. ... A Catalogue of Crime, by Jacques Barzun and Wendell Hertig Taylor, was first published in 1971; a revised edition was published in 1989 by Barzun after the death of Taylor in 1985. ... The Edgar Allan Poe Awards (popularly called the Edgars), named after Edgar Allan Poe, are presented every year by the Mystery Writers of America. ... Mystery Writers of America is an organization for mystery writers, based in New York. ...

Barzun is a proponent of the theatre critic and diarist James Agate, who he compared in stature to Pepys.^[3] Barzun edited Agate's last two diaries into a new edition in 1951, with an informative introduction "Agate and His Nine Egos".^[4] James Agate (1877-1947) was a British writer famous for his witticisms. ... Samuel Pepys, FRS (23 February 1633 – 26 May 1703) was an English naval administrator and Member of Parliament, who is now most famous for his diary. ...

From Dawn to Decadence by Jacques Barzun

He has continued to write on education and cultural history since retiring from Columbia. At 84 years of age, he began writing his swan song, to which he devoted the better part of the 1990s. The resulting book of more than 800 pages, From Dawn to Decadence: 500 Years of Western Cultural Life, 1500 to the Present, reveals a vast erudition and brilliance, undiminished by advanced age. Historians, literary critics, and popular reviewers all lauded From Dawn to Decadence as a sweeping and powerful, albeit idiosyncratic, survey of modern Western history, and it became a New York Times bestseller. The book introduces several novel typographic devices that enable an unusually rich system of cross-referencing, as well as help keep its many strands of thought under organized control. Almost every page features a sidebar containing a pithy quotation from some author or historical figure; most are surprising, little known, and humorous. Image File history File links No higher resolution available. ... Image File history File links No higher resolution available. ... For other uses, see Swan Song. ... The New York Times bestseller list is a weekly chart in The New York Times newspaper that keeps track of the best-selling books of the week. ... Typographic work Typography (from the Greek words typos = form and grapho = write) is the art and technique of selecting and arranging type styles, point sizes, line lengths, line leading, character spacing, and word spacing for typeset applications. ... Sidebar has several distict meanings: Sidebar in publishing Sidebar in law Sidebar as a piece of computer software. ...

In 2007, as Barzun approached his centenary, he remained intellectually and physically active but reliant upon "a cane or walker to get around," according to Arthur Krystal who visited him in San Antonio and wrote a piece about him for The New Yorker magazine. Barzun was fully "alert to the irony of aging," commenting from experience that: "Old age is like learning a new profession. And not one of your own choosing."^[5] A centenary is an event to celebrate the 100th anniversary of an event. ... For other uses, see New Yorker. ...

Books by Barzun

• 1927 Samplings and Chronicles: Being the Continuation of the Philolexian Society History, with Literary Selections From 1912 to 1927 (editor)
• 1932 The French Race: Theories of Its Origins and Their Social and Political Implications
• 1937 Race: a Study in Modern Superstition (Revised, 1965 Race: A Study in Superstition)
• 1939 Of Human Freedom
• 1941 Darwin, Marx, Wagner: Critique of a Heritage
• 1943 Romanticism and the Modern Ego
• 1945 Teacher in America
• 1951 Pleasures of Music
• 1954 God's Country and Mine: A Declaration of Love, Spiced with a Few Harsh Words
• 1956 Music in American Life
• 1956 The Energies of Art
• 1959 The House of Intellect
• 1960 Lincoln the Literary Genius (first published in The Saturday Evening Post, 14 February 1959)
• 1961 The Delights of Detection
• 1961 Classic, Romantic, and Modern
• 1964 Science: The Glorious Entertainment
• 1967 What Man Has Built (introductory booklet to the Great Ages of Man book series)
• 1968 The American University: How It Runs, Where It Is Going
• 1969 Berlioz and the Romantic Century (3d ed.)
• 1971 On Writing, Editing, and Publishing
• 1971 A Catalogue of Crime (with Wendell Hertig Taylor)
• 1974 Clio and the Doctors
• 1974 The Use and Abuse of Art
• 1975 Simple and Direct: A Rhetoric for Writers
• 1976 The Bibliophile of the Future: His Complaints about the Twentieth Century
• 1980 Three Talks at Northern Kentucky University
• 1982 Lincoln's Philosophic Vision
• 1982 Critical Questions
• 1983 A Stroll with William James
• 1986 A Word or Two Before You Go: Brief Essays on Language
• 1989 The Culture We Deserve: A Critique of Disenlightenment
• 1991 An Essay on French Verse for Readers of English Poetry
• 1991 Begin Here: The Forgotten Conditions of Teaching and Learning
• 2000 From Dawn to Decadence: 500 Years of Western Cultural Life, 1500 to the Present
• 2001 Sidelights on Opera at Glimmerglass
• 2002 A Jacques Barzun Reader
• 2002 What is a School? and Trim the College!
• 2003 The Modern Researcher (6th ed.) (with Henry F. Graff)
• 2004 Four More Sidelights on Opera at Glimmerglass: 2001-2004

Barzun has also translated a number of works of French literature into English, and edited writings by others, including the selected letters of Lord Byron and John Jay Chapman. A cover of the Saturday Evening Post from 1903, illustrated by George Gibbs. ... Lord Byron, English poet Lord Byron (1803), as painted by Elisabeth Vigee-Lebrun George Gordon Byron, 6th Baron Byron, (January 22, 1788 – April 19, 1824) was the most widely read English language poet of his day. ... John Jay Chapman (1862-1933) was an American author, born in New York City. ...

Works about or to Jacques Barzun:

• 1977 From Parnassus: Essays in honour of Jacque Barzun"- Edited by Dora B. Weiner & William R. Keylor

References

For other uses, see New Yorker. ... Mystery Writers of America is an organization for mystery writers, based in New York. ... Year 2007 (MMVII) is the current year, a common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar and the AD/CE era in the 21st century. ... is the 183rd day of the year (184th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... For other uses, see New Yorker. ...

External links

• Barzun 100 blog celebrating Barzun's centennial
• Barzun Centennial website, including tributes
• Jacques Barzun,
• Site devoted to writings about Barzun, including interviews.
• In Depth with Jacques Barzun from C-SPAN's BookTV, 6 May 2001 (RealPlayer file)
• Interview with Barzun in The Austin Chronicle, 2003
• Thomas Vinciguerra, Living Legacies. Jacques Barzun ’27, Columbia College Today, January 2006
• Jacques Barzun, Gemini Ink, Accepting a Lifetime Achievement Award, September 7, 2006 (MP4)
• Arthur Krystal, Age of Reason, New Yorker, October 22, 2007
• Jeffrey Hart, Jacques Barzun at 100, The New Criterion, November 2007
• William R. Keylor, Simple and Direct, Columbia, Fall 2007
• Gordon Rumson, Jacques Barzun at 100: Music and beyond, Music & Vision, November 30, 2007
• Robert McHenry, Happy Birthday, Jacques Barzun, Britannica Blog, November 30, 2007

On From Dawn to Decadence: Image File history File links This is a lossless scalable vector image. ... Wikiquote is one of a family of wiki-based projects run by the Wikimedia Foundation, running on MediaWiki software. ...

• A synopsis along with a short bio of the author.
• Kimball, Roger, "Closing time? Jacques Barzun on Western culture," New Criterion, 18 June 2000. A positive take.
• Interview with Christopher Lydon WBUR, 5 July 2000.
• Kenan Malik, "Review." Independent on Sunday, 25 February 2001.
• Reilly, John J., 2000, "Review", First Things 107: 43-44.