Critical Reception
Judt was praised by his peers for his wide-ranging knowledge and versatility in analysis. Jonathan Freedland wrote in NYRB: "There are not many professors in any field equipped to produce, for example, learned essays on the novels of Primo Levi and the writings of the now forgotten Manès Sperber — yet also able to turn their hand to, say, a close, diplomatic analysis of the Cuban missile crisis of 1962." Freedland further stated that Judt had demonstrated "through more than a decade of essays written for America’s foremost journals... that he belongs to each one of those rare, polymathic categories." In reviewing Judt's Reappraisals: Reflections on the Forgotten Twentieth Century, Freedland wrote that Judt had put conscience ahead of friendship during his life, and demanded the same courage in others.
In 2009, Judt was awarded a Special Orwell Prize for Lifetime Achievement for his contribution to British political writing.
Read more about this topic: Tony Judt
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