On the Life of George Kennan, Divided Between the United States and the Soviet Union
Frank Costigliola in Conversation with Andrew Keen on Keen On
Hosted by Andrew Keen, Keen On features conversations with some of the world’s leading thinkers and writers about the economic, political, and technological issues being discussed in the news, right now.
Find more Keen On episodes and additional videos on Lit Hub’s YouTube Channel!
In this episode, Andrew talks to Frank Costigliola, author of Kennan: A Life Between Two Worlds. They discuss the life of the 20th century diplomat George Kennan with a focus on:
Kennan’s role in the origins of the Cold War
Kennan’s interest in Freudian theory
Kennan’s love of Russian culture
Kennan’s history of womanizing and his imperfect marriage
How Kennan would view today’s war in Ukraine
The challenge for the historian of writing biography
Frank Costigliola is a Board of Trustees Distinguished Professor of History at the University of Connecticut. His books include The Kennan Diaries and Roosevelt’s Lost Alliances (Princeton). He raises grass-fed beef cattle in Storrs, Connecticut.
Keen On
Hear from the world’s most informed citizens about the rise of populism, authoritarian and illiberal democracy on Keen On, as Andrew Keen investigates the contemporary crisis of democracy.
