Marc Bloch

This is the first biography of Marc Bloch (1886â1944) historian soldier in both world wars and leader of the Resistance who was captured tortured and died a heroic death. Based largely on Bloch's private letters diaries and papers as well as on other unpublished documents it traces the remarkable life of this French-Jewish patriot under the Third Republic. As an historian Bloch is perhaps best known for The Historian's Craft an inspiring set of meditations on his life's work and as co-founder of the now legendary journal Annales which gave rise to a major school of historical writing. Profoundly influenced by the dark events that shaped his era - world wars anti-semitism and totalitarianism - Bloch has become something of an intellectual hero of our century his life an epitome of the endeavour to uphold in the face of such events the spirit of unfettered critical enquiry. Language: English