Chiswick Book Festival 2020: A History of Britain Through Books

The Chiswick Calendar

Christopher Tugendhat is an active member of the House of Lords, who in his long career has been a journalist, a Conservative MP, a European Commissioner and a Vice-President of the Commission, as well as a hugely successful businessman, holding board and advisory positions at a number of major companies. He has been chairman of the Royal Institute of International Affairs (Chatham House) and Chancellor of the University of Bath.

Throughout his life he has always enjoyed reading and collecting first editions. He has previously written four books about business and politics, but his latest book is A History of Britain Through Books 1900-1964, he examines the history of 20th century Britain through the books that were written at the time.

From Lytton Strachey’s Eminent Victorians to Allan Sillitoe’s Saturday Night and Sunday Morning he looks at how the big issues of the 20th century – Imperialism, War, feminism, pacifism, racism and the sexual revolution are reflected in contemporary literature and what those writers tell us about the last century.

Bridget Osborne, Editor of The Chiswick Calendar, talks to Lord Tugendhat about his book and the issues it raises.