Bertrand Russell: 1921-70 The Ghost of Madness v.2: 1921-70 The Ghost of Madness Vol 2 Book

The first volume of Monk's mammoth biography of Russell The Spirit of Solitude dealt with the first 50 years of his life leading up to and beyond the First World War when he established his reputation as a great philosopher. This second volume deals with his marriages, his social and political writings, his political and educational activities, the lecture tours and his tragic relationship with his children. Russell's life is incredibly well documented and Monk controls the narrative and the sheer weight of material with skill and perceptiveness. "Researching Russell's private life", Monk reports, "is to pick one's way through a long trail of emotional wreckage, to put oneself in the position of someone close to Russell has been a heartbreaking experience". There is no doubt that Monk is struck by the tragedy of a life he thinks of as "determined by two fundamental traits of character: a deep-seated fear of madness and a quite colossal vanity". But it is the "colossal vanity" of the man which leaves the lasting impression and which seems to justify Paul Johnson's recent characterisation of modern philosophers, Intellectuals--including Russell--as lying, cheating, megalomaniacs who combine an abstract love of humanity with an exploitative, selfish and cruel treatment of those closest to them.Monk's biography upsets the popular platitudes which see Russell as a hero of the left. Nevertheless Russell was an incredibly energetic and charismatic figure despite the "ascendancy of the ego over intelligence" which clearly characterised the second half of his long and highly eventful life. It's difficult to pity Russell but easy to share Monk's view of him as inexhaustibly fascinating. --Larry BrownRead More