The Last Romantic: A Life of Max Eastman

by William L. O'Neill

Poet and Journalist, Max Eastman is perhaps the most famous example of an American intellectual who during his life moved across the entire political spectrum. This reexamination of his career and his place in history reveals the dynamics behind his several careers and political transformations, offering new insight into one of the most influential writers of this century. It is a model biography of a key intellectual of the twentieth century. It is also both a perspective social history of his times and a study in the history of ideas. The book will find a welcome place in history, literature, and political science courses, as well as in personal libraries.

362 pages, Hardcover

First published September 1, 1978

About the author

William L. O'Neill was an historian specializing in 20th century America. He earned his undergraduate degree at the University of Michigan and his doctorate at the University of California, Berkeley. He taught at the universities of Pittsburgh, Colorado and Wisconsin before accepting a position at Rutgers University in 1971, where he taught until his retirement in 2006.

Reviews

[Talmadge Walker · Rating 4 out of 5]

Occasionally snarky, but it covers a snarky period. Good overview of the life of Max Eastman, applauding his early anti-Stalinism without excusing the later support of McCarthy. Reveals the personal warts without making them the focus.