Yet pol pots utopian experiments in social engineering would result in the death of one in every five cambodians. Philip shorts biography of pol pot shows that the khmer rouge leader does not rank very far below adolf hitler. Pol pot may be the central figure in the book, but shorts text is a history book, not a biography. Anatomy of a nightmare, bbc journalist philip short connects the dots between the dictators early indoctrination into unquestioning obedience and. What the reader of a pol pot biography mainly wants to know is whether the egregious savagery of cambodian communism had its origins, or some of them, in the personality of the leader. Anatomy to a massacre and, while acknowledging maos extraordinary beastliness the man was probably responsible for over 50 million deaths he highlights maos pretentions to greatness not unlike napoleons or alexanders. Pol pot, genocide cambodia, political atrocities cambodia, cambodia politics and government 19751979, prime ministers cambodia. Philip shorts pol pot is an almanac of extermination that achieves the near impossible feat of translating madness into logic.
Anatomy of a nightmare by philip short, paperback barnes. Read or listen to philip short books and audiobooks free. Observing pol pot at close quarters during the one and only official visit he ever made abroad, to china in 1975, philip short was struck by the cambodian leaders charm and charisma. Even among the most accomplished mass murderers of the last century, pol pot deserves a special place. Pol pot and the khmer rouge had successfully captured the cambodian capital phnom. A gripping and definitive portrait of the man who headed one of the most enigmatic and terrifying regimes of modern times in the three and a half years of pol pots rule, more than a million cambodians, a fifth of the countrys population, were executed or died from hunger. Even among the most accomplished mass murderers of the last century, pol pot deserves a. Sep 05, 2000 philip short observed pol pot at close quarters during the one and only official visit pol ever made abroad, to china in 1975. Anatomy of a nightmare on your kindle in under a minute.
We have a conversation with author philip short about his new biography of the khmer rouge leader and the agony of cambodia. He has been a foreign correspondent for the times london, the economist, and the bbc in uganda, moscow, china, an. Short is excellent at coining pithy summations of political. Pol pot anatomy of a nightmare by philip short illustrated. The history of a nightmare new ed by short, philip isbn. Anatomy of a nightmare by philip short samantha powers indictment of american moral failure, a problem from hell. The text sparkles with shrewdly plausible inferences mortared into a compelling. Philip short a portrait of the cambodian despot whose rule saw the deaths of onefifth of the countrys population documents how pol pots beliefs about moral purity, selfabnegation, and utopian prosperity. Still, he watched and learned how the viet minh used propaganda and force to take control of peasant villages. Pol pot anatomy of a nightmare epub philip short achat. An idealistic and reclusive figure, pol pot sought to instill in his people values of moral purity and selfabnegation through a revolution of radical egalitarianism. While there were certainly elements of this as ill discuss pol pots regime was more about brutal slavery and vicious punishment of any deviance, regardless of the person.
Dubois an intelligent and compassionate account of. Philip short born 17 april 1945 is a british journalist and author he was born in bristol on 17 april 1945. Pols had been royal slaves in 1970, the year the american invasion of cambodia swelled the ranks of the khmer rouge. But as she marches through the various counts bosnia, rwanda of her charge, you got the sense that she could have gone on for six hundred pages about any one episode. Nov 06, 2016 philip short born 17 april 1945 is a british journalist and author. Everyday low prices and free delivery on eligible orders. Anatomy of a nightmare contains important warnings. Anatomy of a nightmare, bbc journalist philip short connects the dots between the dictators early indoctrination into unquestioning obedience and how, once in power. Includes numerous illustrations, maps, and a dramatis personae.
Philip short born 17 april 1945 is a british journalist and author. He was struck by pol pot s charm and charisma, yet, soon after, the leader would emerge as the architect of one of the most radical and ruthless experiments in social engineering ever undertaken. Yet pol pots utopian experiments in social engineering would result in the death of. A gripping and definitive portrait of the man who headed one of the most enigmatic and terrifying regimes of modern times in the three and a half years of pol pot s rule, more than a million cambodians, a fifth of the countrys population, were executed or died from hunger.
Cambodias murderous mystery man the new york times. An idealistic and reclusive figure, pol pot sought to instill in his people values of moral purity and selfabnegation. It quotes an old member of the khmer rouge who remembers being a child and finding decapitated heads in fishing ponds. Pol pot and eventually more of his cercle friends were dismayed to find the camp completely segregated, with vietnamese as the highranking members and cambodians given only menial tasks.
Philip short observed pol pot at close quarters during the one and only of. Anatomy of a nightmare by philip short librarything. Yet pol pots utopian experiments in social engineering would result in the death of one in every five cambodiansmore than a million people. Philip short refers to his book on mao in his preface to pol pot. Feb 18, 2005 pol pot anatomy of a nightmare by philip short illustrated. Philip short is the author of several books, among them the definitive biographies mao. Yet pol pot s utopian experiments in social engineering would result in the death of one in every five cambodiansmore than a million people. May 19, 1925april 15, 1998 was a cambodian dictator. Philip short was born in bristol in 1945 and was educated at cambridge university. Pol pot by philip short overdrive rakuten overdrive. Anatomy of a nightmare is an exhaustive biography of the mastermind of the khmer rouge. He became a journalist and worked for the bbc for 25 years as a foreign correspondent, contemplating the lunacies of politics in many different cultures from sihanouk to brezhnev and clinton to deng xiaoping.
David levering lewis, pulitzer prizewinning author of w. Philip short observed pol pot at close quarters during the one and only official visit pol ever made abroad, to china in 1975. He adopted his new name the pols had been royal slaves in 1970, the year the american invasion of cambodia swelled the ranks of the khmer rouge. Anatomy of a nightmare what happened and why 2005 the film archives. As described by historian philip short in his book titled pol pot anatomy of a nightmare, during the winter of 1950, more exclusive student meetings took place several times every month at keng vannsaks flat in paris to discuss political issues and more precisely about the future of cambodia, a country which, for the first time, was. As the head of the khmer rouge, he oversaw an unprecedented and extremely brutal attempt to remove cambodia from the modern world and establish an agrarian utopia. Library of congress subject headings for this publication. Pol pot himself was assigned tasks such as farming and working in the mess hall. Philip short titles his book pol pot, and many will approach the book wondering how he managed to write a 200,000word text on the life of this famously reclusive and shadowy figure. Philip short observing pol pot at close quarters during the one and only official visit he ever made abroad, to china in 1975, philip short was struck by the cambodian leaders charm and charisma. The less efficient brutality of amateur totalitarianism. Read or listen to philip short books and audiobooks free 30.
Librarything is a cataloging and social networking site for booklovers. Pol pot may be the central figure in the book, but short s text is a history book, not a biography. Short is excellent at coining pithy summations of political motives that ring humanly true. He described the life of cambodias pol pot, the former leader of the khmer rouge who ruled.
After graduation, he spent from 1967 to 1973 as a freelance journalist, first in malawi, then in uganda. Dubois an intelligent and compassionate account of the cambodian nightmare. The pol pot regime dismantled political and civic institutions including the. Bibliographic record and links to related information available from the library of congress catalog information from electronic data provided by the publisher. Feb 08, 2005 a gripping and definitive portrait of the man who headed one of the most enigmatic and terrifying regimes of modern times in the three and a half years of pol pot s rule, more than a million cambodians, a fifth of the countrys population, were executed or died from hunger. Anatomy of a nightmare book by philip short thriftbooks. The text sparkles with shrewdly plausible inferences mortared into a compelling narrative.
Pol pots peasant cadres drove the americans away and, once the foreigners were gone, turned their weapons on their own peopleoften, short writes, cannibalizing their victims. Philip shorts new biography of pol pot proves me wrong. Anatomy of a nightmare does what powers book can never bring itself to do calmly, patiently, document a single tragedy, start to finish. Anatomy of a nightmare, published by henry holt and company.