Abstract

Along with his other books, this monograph on interwar Hungarian Jewish intellectuals reflects Lee Congdon's extensive knowledge of Hungarian as well as German sources — a fact all the more remarkable since he only learned Hungarian while in the Army. Like his biography of Lukács, Exile and Social Thought combines intellectual history with a polished narrative and unabashed moral judgments. Congdon treats most statesmen with unexpected generosity. Though he points out missed opportunities, both by conservatives and radicals, he rarely fulminates against heads of government. He even manages to conceal his personal dislike for Woodrow Wilson and presents Hungarian admirers of Wilson, even those willing to surrender Hungarian territory to unfriendly Allied nations, as mistaken but highminded idealists.