Johannes Willms

In this new book, Ulrich Beck and the journalist Johannes Willms engage in a series of accessible conversations that reveal and explore the key elements in Beck’s thought. Ulrich Beck, one of the most important and influential contemporary social thinkers, reveals and expands his work in a series of conversations with journalist Johannes Willms. These conversations shed new light onto the major themes in Beck’s work and provide an insight into some of the commitments and beliefs that they rest upon. Includes new thinking on the risk society and on globalisation, themes that have put him at the forefront of contemporary debates. Witten in a clear and lucid way and thus ideal for anyone seeking to come to grips with Beck’s work.

In this new book, Ulrich Beck and the journalist Johannes Willms engage in a series of accessible conversations that reveal and explore the key elements in Beck’s thought. Ulrich Beck, one of the most important and influential contemporary social thinkers, reveals and expands his work in a series of conversations with journalist Johannes Willms. These conversations shed new light onto the major themes in Beck’s work and provide an insight into some of the commitments and beliefs that they rest upon. Includes new thinking on the risk society and on globalisation, themes that have put him at the forefront of contemporary debates. Witten in a clear and lucid way and thus ideal for anyone seeking to come to grips with Beck’s work.

Denne bog er en letlæst sammenfatning – i interviewform – af hovedtankerne i Ulrich Becks forfatterskab, som de har udviklet sig fra og med bogen Risikosamfundet og frem til i dag. Bogen rummer desuden vigtige præciseringer af en række af de mest centrale begreber og analyser i Becks samtidsdiagnose, fx den misforståelse, at individualisering i Becks forstand slet og ret skulle være ensbetydende med øget individuel frihed. For nye læsere kan bogen fungere som en god, samlet introduktion til Becks tanker, mens den vil være et nyttigt supplement til den læser, der kender forfatterskabet i forvejen, idet Frihed eller kapitalisme ligger i forlængelse af Risikosamfundet og Fagre nye arbejdsverden. Emnerne, der tages op, spænder fra en definition af det andet moderne over en diskussion af globaliseringen til en tematisering af ’frihed eller kapitalisme’. Samtaler med Ulrich Beck udkom første gang på dansk i 2002 og genudgives nu i Hans Reitzels Forlags serie Klassikere.

The island of St Helena, in the South Atlantic, is one of the most remote and most famous islands in the world. The Duke of Wellington had stopped at the island on his way back from India and had been struck by its remoteness, leading him to recommend it as Napoleon's place of imprisonment after his defeat in 1815, thrusting the island to the centre of world affairs. But where does this legacy leave St Helena today? The island is a unique colonial survivor, almost without an economy of its own. Lacking an airport, the only regular link is by the Royal Mail Ship. The inhabitants are dependent on the support of the British government and the island relies solely on its history, and the tourists attracted by Napoleon's last residence. This fascinating book is a vivid account of a visit to 'the last place on earth' and how a remote people and place respond to their legacy and isolation in a global world.

Isolated in the vastness of the South Atlantic and fortress-like in appearance, the Island of St Helena was important for centuries only as a victualling station for ships of the British East India Company, on their long voyages to and from India via the Cape of Good Hope. It was on one of these journeys that Arthur Wellesley, later the Duke of Wellington, took note of the island's remote impregnability. It was Wellington who suggested St Helena as Napoleon Bonaparte's place of imprisonment and exile after his defeat at Waterloo in 1815. Until his death in 1821, the former Emperor spent his final years under constant British guard. His exile transformed a speck on the maritime map into the most famous island in the world.

Die erste große Napoleon-Biographie eines deutschen Autors seit hundert Jahren. Johannes Willms erzählt die faszinierende Lebensgeschichte Napoleons (1769-1821) ? eines Mannes, der von ganz unten kam und zum Herrscher über den europäischen Kontinent aufstieg. Karriere, Größenwahn und Niedergang des Korsen beschreibt der bekannte Historiker und Journalist mit souveräner Quellenkenntnis und einer Fülle von Anekdoten. Sein Buch schildert jedoch nicht nur ein atemberaubendes Leben, sondern entfaltet zugleich das Panorama eines turbulenten Zeitalters, dem Napoleon seinen Namen gab.