Antony Beevor
The perils of faction
Antony Beevor, bestselling author of Stalingrad, Berlin - the Downfall, and D-Day: the Battle for Normandy - believes that we are experiencing what he calls 'the democratization of truth'.
Our Wikipedia age, he argues, encourages us to buy the slogan 'If you believe it, then it's true', and to throw overboard long-established academic rules of evidence, with disastrous consequences.
In a talk chaired by Susannah Herbert, former literary editor of The Sunday Times, he discusses the dangers of fictionalising history, whether in novels, in films or on television, and warns of its implications in a post-literate society.
This event is free for Fellows and Members of the RSL. There is a limited number of tickets for members of the public at all RSL events, available on the door, from 6pm, on a first-come-first-served basis. Tickets are £8 (£5 concessions).
This event will be held in the Kenneth Clark Lecture Theatre, Courtauld Institute, Somerset House, Strand, London WC2R 1LA.
Fellows and Members: book your seat online or ring Hazel on 020 7845 4677. Seats for guests (one per meeting) must also be booked in advance.
1 comment:
Antony Beevor is a superb historian, but it's hard to see that 'fictionalising history' is anything recent; particularly when movies are considered. Beevor has done a very good job himself of ensuring the real stories get attention; an example to us all.
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