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A Complex FateWilliam L. Shirer and the American Century |
eBook Available
The first biography of one of the most provocative and influential American journalists and historians of the twentieth century.
William Shirer (1904-1993), a star foreign correspondent with the Chicago Tribune in the 1920s and ’30s, was a prominent member of what one contemporary observer described as an extraordinary band of American journalists, "some with the Midwest hayseed still in their hair," who gave their North American audiences a visceral sense of how Europe was spiralling into chaos and war.
In 1937, Shirer left print journalism and became the first of the now legendary "Murrow boys," working as an on-air partner to the iconic CBS broadcaster Edward R. Murrow. With Shirer reporting from inside Nazi Germany and Murrow from blitz-ravaged London, the pair built CBS’s European news operation into the industry leader and, in the process, revolutionized broadcasting. But after the war ended, the Shirer-Murrow relationship shattered. Shirer lost his job and by 1950 found himself blacklisted as a supposed Communist sympathizer. After nearly a decade in the professional wilderness, he began work on The Rise and Fall of the Third Reich. Published in 1960, Shirer's magnum opus sold millions of copies and was hailed as the masterwork that would "ensure his reputation as long as humankind reads."
Ken Cuthbertson's A Complex Fate is a thought-provoking, richly detailed biography of William Shirer. Written with the full cooperation of Shirer’s family, and generously illustrated with photographs, it introduces a new generation of readers to a supremely talented, complex writer, while placing into historical context some of the pivotal media developments of our time.
In 1937, Shirer left print journalism and became the first of the now legendary "Murrow boys," working as an on-air partner to the iconic CBS broadcaster Edward R. Murrow. With Shirer reporting from inside Nazi Germany and Murrow from blitz-ravaged London, the pair built CBS’s European news operation into the industry leader and, in the process, revolutionized broadcasting. But after the war ended, the Shirer-Murrow relationship shattered. Shirer lost his job and by 1950 found himself blacklisted as a supposed Communist sympathizer. After nearly a decade in the professional wilderness, he began work on The Rise and Fall of the Third Reich. Published in 1960, Shirer's magnum opus sold millions of copies and was hailed as the masterwork that would "ensure his reputation as long as humankind reads."
Ken Cuthbertson's A Complex Fate is a thought-provoking, richly detailed biography of William Shirer. Written with the full cooperation of Shirer’s family, and generously illustrated with photographs, it introduces a new generation of readers to a supremely talented, complex writer, while placing into historical context some of the pivotal media developments of our time.
Details
580 Pages, 6 x 9
30 b&w photos
ISBN 9780773545441
May 2015
Formats: Cloth, eBook
"A Complex Fate delves into the reasons for Shirer’s excellence as a journalist, and like a Greek tragedy, explores why those very same traits - his intelligence, ego, autodidactic streak, uncompromising search for the truth, and iron will - threatened to be his undoing." Michael Sweeney, E.W. Scripps School of Journalism, Ohio University
“This book has an almost Shakespearian quality: larger-than-life characters, broken friendships, pride and regret, all set against a background of war and depredation. It is also an in memoriam to an era of brilliant reporting, which to this day remains elegant, accurate, and admirable. May it ever be so.” Morley Safer from the foreword
“This engaging account of Shirer’s life and groundbreaking accomplishments during tumultuous times raises such fundamental journalistic issues as objectivity, corporate sponsorship, censorship, political correctness, wartime embedded reporting, and contemporary “citizen journalism.” Readers at all levels, but especially students of 20th-century history, broadcasting, and news media, will relish this vivid biography.” Library Journal
“Cuthbertson recounts the improvised thrill of the first-ever roundup from correspondents dotted all across Europe beaming the voices back to the United States, a model for network television broadcasts to this day but an outright marvel at the time.” The New York Times
“Ken Cuthbertson’s ‘A Complex Fate’ is a thought-provoking, richly detailed biography of Shirer. Written with the full cooperation of Shirer’s family, and generously illustrated with photographs, it introduces a new generation of readers to a supremely talented, complex writer, while placing into historical context some of the pivotal media developments of our time.” Coe College Courier
“This book has an almost Shakespearian quality: larger-than-life characters, broken friendships, pride and regret, all set against a background of war and depredation. It is also an in memoriam to an era of brilliant reporting, which to this day remains elegant, accurate, and admirable. May it ever be so.” Morley Safer from the foreword
“This engaging account of Shirer’s life and groundbreaking accomplishments during tumultuous times raises such fundamental journalistic issues as objectivity, corporate sponsorship, censorship, political correctness, wartime embedded reporting, and contemporary “citizen journalism.” Readers at all levels, but especially students of 20th-century history, broadcasting, and news media, will relish this vivid biography.” Library Journal
“Cuthbertson recounts the improvised thrill of the first-ever roundup from correspondents dotted all across Europe beaming the voices back to the United States, a model for network television broadcasts to this day but an outright marvel at the time.” The New York Times
“Ken Cuthbertson’s ‘A Complex Fate’ is a thought-provoking, richly detailed biography of Shirer. Written with the full cooperation of Shirer’s family, and generously illustrated with photographs, it introduces a new generation of readers to a supremely talented, complex writer, while placing into historical context some of the pivotal media developments of our time.” Coe College Courier
Ken Cuthbertson is the author of seven previous books. His biography of the American journalist John Gunther, Inside, was shortlisted for the Governor General’s Award. He lives in Kingston, Ontario.
Illustrations follow pages xii and 228
Foreword, by Morley Safer ix
Introduction 3
1 Midwestern Beginnings 7
2 Cedar Rapids 18
3 More Questions than Answers 27
4 Paris 35
5 The World’s Dizziest Newspaper 45
6 Gabardine Trenchcoats and Late-Night Trains 51
7 Vienna: A Capital without a Nation 62
8 “shirer fly india” 75
9 Mahatma Gandhi 89
10 Termination 103
11 From Paris to Berlin 115
12 The Nightmare Years 123
13 A Change of Direction 135
14 An Unlikely Duo 143
15 Return to Vienna 158
16 “We now take you to London...” 171
17 Radio News Comes of Age 183
18 The Gathering Clouds of War 194
19 A Pandora’s Box of Horrors 207
20 War on the Western Front 216
21 Hitler Ascendant 245
22 Auf wiedersehen, Berlin 257
23 Berlin Diary 273
24 The Price of Fame 285
25 Change and Confusion 294
26 The Banality of Evil 306
27 Changing Times 315
28 Tides of Intolerance 323
29 “Pride ruined the angels” 337
30 Signing Off at cbs 347
31 “May his voice be heard again” 355
32 Blacklisted 369
33 End of an Affair 380
34 A Book for the Ages 394
35 “The transientness of our existence” 415
36 An Ending and a New Beginning 428
37 Memoirs 444
38 A Twenty-Year-Old Mind in an Eighty-Year-Old Body 457
39 Tenacious to the End 472
40 The Final Act 478
Acknowledgments 487
Notes 491
Bibliography 535
Index 541
Foreword, by Morley Safer ix
Introduction 3
1 Midwestern Beginnings 7
2 Cedar Rapids 18
3 More Questions than Answers 27
4 Paris 35
5 The World’s Dizziest Newspaper 45
6 Gabardine Trenchcoats and Late-Night Trains 51
7 Vienna: A Capital without a Nation 62
8 “shirer fly india” 75
9 Mahatma Gandhi 89
10 Termination 103
11 From Paris to Berlin 115
12 The Nightmare Years 123
13 A Change of Direction 135
14 An Unlikely Duo 143
15 Return to Vienna 158
16 “We now take you to London...” 171
17 Radio News Comes of Age 183
18 The Gathering Clouds of War 194
19 A Pandora’s Box of Horrors 207
20 War on the Western Front 216
21 Hitler Ascendant 245
22 Auf wiedersehen, Berlin 257
23 Berlin Diary 273
24 The Price of Fame 285
25 Change and Confusion 294
26 The Banality of Evil 306
27 Changing Times 315
28 Tides of Intolerance 323
29 “Pride ruined the angels” 337
30 Signing Off at cbs 347
31 “May his voice be heard again” 355
32 Blacklisted 369
33 End of an Affair 380
34 A Book for the Ages 394
35 “The transientness of our existence” 415
36 An Ending and a New Beginning 428
37 Memoirs 444
38 A Twenty-Year-Old Mind in an Eighty-Year-Old Body 457
39 Tenacious to the End 472
40 The Final Act 478
Acknowledgments 487
Notes 491
Bibliography 535
Index 541
