Political Crumbs

Since the appearance of Hans Magnus Enzensberger's first essays in the 1950s, his work has provided an incisive and eloquent commentary on the progress not only of Germany, but of western societies as a whole. Political Crumbs shows Enzensberger at his best, popularizing intellectual debate with a sharp wit and a willingness to make links between apparently disparate subjects and approaches. From reflections on the delusions of intellectuals, the unpredictability of the political process, the creativity of everyday life, the mysteries of German politics and the anarchy of the normal, two major themes emerge: the consequences for left politics of the breakdown of dogmatism, and the 'ungovernability' of complex institutions.