Jonathan Littell, Anne Applebaum, Niall Ferguson about Holocaust and Gulag. Nightcap at YES 2019

Writer and filmmaker Jonathan Littell and Washington Post columnist and author Anne Applebaum engaged in a thought-provoking discussion about the darker periods of humanity's history, focusing on the Holocaust and the Gulag.
The conversation was moderated by Niall Ferguson, Senior Fellow at the Hoover Institution, who began by segueing between the conference's theme of happiness and the atrocities of the 20th century, drawing attention to the fact that Ukraine itself was the location of unprecedented and unparalleled suffering.
Anne Applebaum detailed her tactic of reading a range of survivors' accounts to make her work as multi-faceted as possible.
Jonathan Littell, on the other hand, described how his experiences working abroad in humanitarian aid helped him to adhere to facts while creating a fictional narrative.
Niall Ferguson moved the discussion onto the elements of human nature that allowed tragedies like the Holocaust and the Gulag to occur, and whether such events were unique or in fact repeated throughout history.

[@retsehcmaharg]

Jonathan Littell is clearly the clearest thinker here. The French didn't award him the Goncourt for nothing.

[@garbonomics]

Unfortunately in my sincere opinion he’s “clearly thinking” wrong. He has a novelist view of reality that is far from the truth.

[@Daniel-oc8sx]

​​@@garbonomics You speak like Anne and Ferguson were great historians lol They are 2nd tier at best

[@garbonomics]

@@Daniel-oc8sx I'm anything but a big fan of Anne Applebaum. I consider some of her work useful but certainly a second rate historian. I disagree that Nail is a second rate historian however. And Jonathan littell is hardly a "great" novelist.

[@kristoffer3000]

@@garbonomics She's not a historian, she's a propagandist.

[@kristoffer3000]

@@Daniel-oc8sx I don't know about Ferguson but Anne is straight up whitewashing Nazis in Ukraine whilst making propaganda about the Soviets.

[@mikolajprzywara9619]

It was interesting to watch the body language of Mr. Ferguson and Ms. Appelbaum. Did you notice that she made every effort not to shake J. Littell's hand at the end? Why? Did he say something wrong? Perhaps both AA and NF felt annoyed that someone who is not a professional historian dares to think for himself and disagrees with some of their concepts. In my view Littell was right in bringing up his experience as a humanitarian worker. This gives him a unique perspectve that AA and NF just do not have. He spoke clearly and by the way showed more historical perspective than Mr. Ferguson who actually seemed pretty arrogant to me.

[@mikolajprzywara9619]

Besides, if you invite a writer to a discussion like this and do not make an effort to read his book )and even publicly admit to this), well, that is just insulting and completely unprofessional.

[@kristoffer3000]

Well, Anne isn't a historian either, she's a propagandist.

[@211thistle]

@10:50 Applebaum: "actually one of the conclusions I came to was that Marxism was actually very important for them [the Soviets]" Wow! Great point! More insightful and nuanced work from a leading American public "intellectual"

[@dmitryreshetko9]

Revolt in Kenya during the 1940s, eventually breaking into open warfare with the British and other Imperial troops in 1952. The majority of the Mau Mau revolutionaries were Kikuyu. After declaring an emergency the British pursued a policy of divide and conquer. Civil liberties were suspended. Kikuyu were rounded up into “work camps.” One and a half million people were held in camps or villages surrounded and fortified by British troops. The camps bore signs which read, “Labor and Freedom.” Torture and mass executions were common. Some Kiyuku were dragged by military vehicles until their bodies broke into pieces. Others were mauled by guard dogs before being executed.

[@SamueleCastiglioni]

35:00

[@paulgrieve7031]

1.5

[@annolsen4943]

Ok listening to this again and I am appalled that these students who are not as well read or informed are thinking littell is “it.”

[@xenophon8958]

you left 4 of the 5 comments on this video ranting about littell, upvoting yourself. perhaps you're a little too entitled and condescending about the offense you've clearly taken from his writing, and bound to your interpretation of littell himself. sorry.

[@xenophon8958]

youre so simple. littell is clearly being passive aggressively attacked for his fictional perspective. he wanted to explore a concept. he wrote a book. PEOPLE, people around the world, liked it. he won awards for it. its an imaginative, experimental work, exploring the darkest questions which many are too afraid to do. for whatever reason. fuck off you lowly follower. brick. in. the. wall.

[@xenophon8958]

littell even explains the kindly ones is a personal, analytical work. not an interpretation of history, not a historical work or feasible historical account. its an adventure into darkness, a study of the human mind as it reaches the furthest depths. im sure you havent even read the book. if you have, clearly you could not handle it. have you read american psycho? hahahaha.

[@annolsen4943]

I cannot believe littell blabbing like this. He is so stuck in the trees he cannot see the forest. I really am appalled he is being given equal time with these other fine historians. Those two needed to tell him to shut up.

[@annolsen4943]

Mr. Littell is talking too much. I would rather have heard more from the others. I bet the others see him as novelist know it all. He is talking a certain amount of nonsense....even I know this.....he is not a historian.

[@nicholas-pg7ku]

Have you read his novel?

[@annolsen4943]

Ok mr. littell I get it you have been everywhere....but is almost approaching nowhere. Really off on so much of this....look at Ms. Applebaum folding her arms. Just perfect body language for her opinion of his repugnant rambling.