Wikipedia

Norman Davies

For those of a similar name, seeNorman Davis (disambiguation).

Ivor Norman Richard DaviesCMGFBAFRHistS(born 8 June 1939) is a British and Polish historian, known for his publications on thehistory of Europe,Polandand theUnited Kingdom.He has a special interest inCentralandEastern Europeand isUNESCOProfessor at theJagiellonian University,professor emeritus atUniversity College London,a visiting professor at theCollège d'Europe,and an honorary fellow atSt Antony's College, Oxford.He was granted Polish citizenship in 2014.[2]

Norman Davies
CMG,FBA,FRHistS
Davies in 2018
Born
Ivor Norman Richard Davies

(1939-06-08)8 June 1939(age 85)
Bolton,Lancashire, England
Citizenship
  • British
  • Polish
Spouses
  • Maria Zielińska
    ​
    (m.1966)​
    [1]
  • Maria Korzeniewicz
    ​
    (m.1984)​
Children2
RelativesDonny Davies(uncle)
Academic background
Education
Academic work
DisciplineHistorian
Institutions
Main interestsHistory of Poland

Academic career

Davies was born to Richard and Elizabeth Davies inBolton,Lancashire.He is of Welsh descent. He studied inGrenoble,France, from 1957 to 1958 and then underA. J. P. TayloratMagdalen College,Oxford,where he earned a BA in history in 1962. He was awarded anMAat theUniversity of Sussexin 1966 and also studied inPerugia,Italy. Davies intended to study for a PhD in the Soviet Union but was denied an entry visa, so he went toKraków,Poland, instead. Davies studied at theJagiellonian Universityand did research on thePolish–Soviet War.As this war was denied in theofficial communist Polish historiographyof that time, he was obliged to change the title of his dissertation toThe British Foreign Policy towards Poland, 1919–20.After he obtained his PhD in Kraków in 1968, the English text was published in 1972 under the titleWhite Eagle, Red Star. The Polish–Soviet War 1919–20.[3]

From 1971, Davies taught Polish history at theSchool of Slavonic and East European Studies,where he was professor from 1985 to 1996, when he retired. He subsequently becameSupernumerary FellowatWolfson College, Oxford,from 1997 to 2006. Throughout his career, Davies has lectured in many countries, including the United States, Canada, Australia, Japan, China, Poland and in most of the rest of Europe as well.

Stanford University's history department denied Davies atenuredfaculty position in 1986 (on an 11 against, 10 for and 1 abstaining, vote).[4]The decision was described as "the closest, most acrimonious tenure decision of recent years".[5]After failing to arrange a formal review hearing of the decision, Davies filed a lawsuit against History ProfessorHarold Kahnand 29 other Stanford professors. This case was dismissed when Davies was unable to depose Kahn.[5]Davies subsequently sought to obtain $3 million in damages from the university, arguing he had been the victim ofdiscriminationon the grounds of his political views (with the claim being "defamation,""breach of contract"and" tortious interference "with a business). The court ruled that because of California's right of privacy" even if we assume that... a candidate may be denied tenure for improper "[e.g., defamatory]" reasons, we are of the opinion that the right of a faculty member to discuss with his colleagues the candidate's qualifications thoroughly and candidly, in confidence and without fear of compelled disclosure, is of such paramount value that it ought not to be impaired. "The court upheld the university's right to decide on faculty appointments on the basis of any criteria.[6][7]

Davies is a visiting professor at theCollège d'Europe.[8]

Work

Davies,Warsaw,2004

Davies' first book,White Eagle, Red Star: The Polish-Soviet War, 1919–20was published in 1972.

His 1981 bookGod's Playground,a comprehensive overview of Polish history, was published officially in Poland only after thefall of communism.In 1984, Davies publishedHeart of Europe,a briefer, more essay-like history of Poland, in which the chapters are arranged in reverse chronological order.

In the 1990s, Davies publishedEurope: A History(1996) andThe Isles: A History(1999), about Europe and the islands of Great Britain and Ireland, respectively. Each book is a narrative interlarded with numerous sidepanel discussions of microtopics.

In 2000, Davies' Polish publishersZnakpublished a collection of his essays and articles under the titleSmok wawelski nad Tamizą( "TheWawel Dragonon theThames").

In 2002, at the suggestion of the city's mayor,Bogdan Zdrojewski,Davies and his former research assistant,Roger Moorhouse,co-wrote a history ofWrocław/ Breslau, a Silesian city. TitledMicrocosm: Portrait of a Central European City,the book was published simultaneously in English, Polish and German, and was later translated into Czech, French and Italian.

Davies also writes essays and articles for the mass media. Among others, he has worked for theBBCas well as British and American magazines and newspapers, such asThe Times,The New York Review of BooksandThe Independent.In Poland, his articles appeared in the liberal Catholic weeklyTygodnik Powszechny.

Davies' bookRising '44.The Battle for Warsawdescribes theWarsaw Uprising.It was followed byEurope at War 1939–1945: No Simple Victory(2006). In 2008 Davies participated in the documentary filmThe Soviet Story.[9]

Awards and distinctions

Davies holds a number of honorary titles and memberships, includinghonorary doctoratesfrom the universities of theJagiellonian University(since 2003),Lublin,GdańskandWarsaw(since 2007), memberships in thePolish Academy of Learning(PAU), theAcademia Scientiarum et Artium Europaea,[10]and the International Honorary Council[11]of the European Academy of Diplomacy, and fellowships of theBritish Academyand theRoyal Historical Society.[12] Davies received an honoraryDLittdegree from his alma mater the University of Sussex.[13]Davies is also anhonorary citizenof Polish cities ofWarsaw,Wrocław,Lublin,andKraków,[14]and a member of the committee for theOrder of the Smile.[citation needed]

Edward Bernard Raczyński,President of thePolish government-in-exile,decorated Davies with theOrder of Polonia Restituta.On 22 December 1998President of PolandAleksander Kwaśniewskiawarded him the Grand Cross (1st class) of theOrder of Merit of the Republic of Poland.Finally, on 11 November 2012, Davies was decorated with theOrder of the White Eagle,Poland's highest civilian award.

In 2001, Davies was made a companion of theOrder of Saint Michael and Saint Georgefor service to Central European history.[15]

Davies has been appointed to the advisory board of theEuropean Association of History Educators—EUROCLIO. In 2008, he was awarded theOrder of the Cross of St Mary's Land3rd Class by the Republic ofEstonia.

Davies also receivedKnight of Freedom Awardin 2006 for his promotion of Polish history and the values represented by GeneralCasimir Pulaski.[16][17]

In 2012, he received theAleksander GieysztorPrize for his promotion of Polish cultural heritage abroad.[14]

In 2019 he was accepted by Swedish Academy to the list of literature Nobel Prize candidates. The information was announced during author's meeting inGniezno,Poland.[18]

Political views

Davies disagrees with thehistorical policy of the Law and Justice party.He stated in 2017 that "PiS wants to politicize history to a degree unseen in the last 25 years".[19]

Davies himself argues that "Holocaust scholars need have no fears that rational comparisons might threaten that uniqueness. Quite the opposite." and that "one needs to re-construct mentally the fuller picture in order to comprehend the true enormity of Poland's wartime cataclysm, and then to say with absolute conviction 'Never Again'."[20][21]

Personal life

Davies married Maria Korzeniewicz, a Polish scholar born inDąbrowa Tarnowska.He lives in Oxford and Kraków, and has two sons.[22]His uncleDonnydied in theMunich air disaster.[23]

Davies was initially a member of theCongregational Churchin Bolton, but converted toRoman Catholicism.[24]His mother was a devout Christian and anonconformist Protestant.In an interview forAleteiain 2018, Davies stated that he converted to Roman Catholicism in Poland and believed indivine providencebased on the doctrine of providence ofSt Augustine.He also expressed his respect for theUkrainian Orthodox Churchand once attended the Ukrainian Orthodoxliturgy.[25]Polish journalistJan Wróbelcalled Davies a "liberal Catholic and open-minded patriot".[26]

Books

  • 1972:White Eagle, Red Star:The Polish–Soviet War, 1919–20.(2004 edition:ISBN0-7126-0694-7)
  • 1977:Poland, Past and Present: A Select Bibliography of Works in English.ISBN0-89250-011-5
  • 1981:God's Playground:A History of Poland.Vol. 1:The Origins to 1795,Vol. 2:1795 to the Present.Oxford: Oxford University Press.ISBN0-19-925339-0/ISBN0-19-925340-4
  • 1984:Heart of Europe: A Short History of Poland.Oxford: Oxford University Press.ISBN0-19-285152-7
    • 2001:Heart of Europe: The Past in Poland's Present.Oxford University Press, USA; new editionISBN0-19-280126-0
  • 1991:Jews in Eastern Poland and the USSR, 1939–46.Palgrave Macmillan.ISBN0-312-06200-1
  • 1996:Europe: A History.Oxford: Oxford University Press.ISBN0-19-820171-0
  • 1997:Auschwitz and the Second World War in Poland: A lecture given at the Representations of Auschwitz international conference at the Jagiellonian University.Universitas.ISBN83-7052-935-6
  • 1999:Red Winds from the North.Able Publishing.ISBN0-907616-45-3
  • 1999:The Isles: A History.Oxford: Oxford University Press.ISBN0-19-513442-7
  • 2002 (withRoger Moorhouse):Microcosm: Portrait of a Central European CityLondon: Jonathan Cape.ISBN0-224-06243-3
  • 2004:Rising '44: The Battle for Warsaw.London: Pan Books.ISBN0-333-90568-7
  • 2006:Europe East and West: A Collection of Essays on European History.Jonathan Cape.ISBN0-224-06924-1
  • 2006:Europe at War 1939–1945: No Simple Victory.Macmillan.ISBN0-333-69285-3
  • 2008:To and From. Modern Poland: A Journey Through Postal History.Rosikon Press.ISBN978-83-88848-64-3
  • 2011:Vanished Kingdoms: The History of Half-Forgotten Europe.Allen Lane.ISBN978-1-84614-338-0
  • 2015:Trail of Hope: The Anders Army, An Odyssey across Three Continents.Osprey Publishing.ISBN978-1-47281-603-0
  • 2017:Beneath Another Sky: A Global Journey into History.Allen LaneISBN978-1-84614-831-6[27]

References

  1. ^"Davies, Prof. (Ivor) Norman (Richard)".Who's Who.A & C Black.doi:10.1093/ww/9780199540884.013.U13039.(Subscription orUK public library membershiprequired.)
  2. ^"Norman Davies gets Polish citizenship".Oficjalna strona Prezydenta Rzeczypospolitej Polskiej.9 July 2014.
  3. ^Daniel Snowman, "Norman Davies"History Today,Volume 55, Issue 7, July 2005 pp. 36–38.
  4. ^Applebaum, Anne(May 1997)."Against the old clichés – Review ofEurope: A Historyby Norman Davies ".The New Criterion.New York. Archived fromthe originalon 9 September 2008.Retrieved2 August2008.
  5. ^ab"The Stanford Daily Archives".archives.stanforddaily.com.
  6. ^"State appellate court upholds Stanford in Davies case".Stanford University News Service.Stanford University.5 September 1991. Archived fromthe originalon 30 June 2021.Retrieved3 August2008.Davies's works have been criticized at Stanford and elsewhere, by such experts as Lucy S. Dawidowicz (author ofThe War Against the Jews: 1933–1945) who said they felt Davies minimized historic anti-Semitism in Poland and tended to blame Polish Jews for their fate in the Holocaust. Davies' supporters contend that Poles suffered as much as Jews did in the war and could have done very little to save any of the 3 million Jews living in Poland at the time of the Nazi invasion in 1939. Davies had sought $3 million in damages from the university for what he called fraud, misrepresentation, breach of contract, discrimination and defamation.
  7. ^"Kahn v. Superior Court (Davies) (1987)".Retrieved27 April2018.
  8. ^[1]College of Europe|Collège d'EuropeBrochure
  9. ^ "The Soviet Story".Archived fromthe originalon 18 January 2016.Retrieved3 August2008.
  10. ^ "Gesamtliste der Mitglieder".European Academy of Sciences and Arts,Salzburg.Archived fromthe originalon 10 October 2007.Retrieved3 August2008.
  11. ^"Europejska Akademia Dyplomacji:: European Academy of Diplomacy:: Diplomats.pl:: DYPLOMACJA - Professor Norman Davies".Archived fromthe originalon 2 February 2014.Retrieved19 September2012.
  12. ^"Fellows of the Royal Historical Society, D – F".Archived fromthe original(MSWord)on 19 December 2008.Retrieved3 August2008.
  13. ^"The Sussex Lectures: Events: News: University of Sussex".www.sussex.ac.uk.Archived fromthe originalon 7 June 2009.
  14. ^ab"Poland honours historian Norman Davies".Polskie Radio dla Zagranicy.
  15. ^United Kingdom 2001 New Year Honours List:"No. 56070".The London Gazette(Supplement). 30 December 2000. pp. 3–3.
  16. ^"Fundacja im. Kazimierza Pułaskiego".Archived fromthe originalon 4 March 2012.Retrieved27 February2012.
  17. ^"Kazimierz Pulaski – Polish patriot and United States army officer".Encyclopædia Britannica.3 April 2024.
  18. ^"Norman Davies na liście do Nagrody Nobla".
  19. ^Ciobanu, Claudia (15 May 2017)."Poland's WWII museum under political bombardment".Politico Europe.
  20. ^Davies, Norman (1 May 2005)."Russia, the missing link in Britain's VE Day mythology".The Sunday Times.
  21. ^Norman Davies, lecture, University of Cincinnati Department of History and the Center for Holocaust and Humanity Education, Cincinnati, OH. 26 April 2005.
  22. ^Davies, Norman,Biography,archived fromthe originalon 9 July 2021,retrieved21 March2016.
  23. ^"Norman Davies:" Podejrzewaliśmy Niemców ""(in Polish). Wawrzyn Info. 6 February 2015.
  24. ^Howie-Willis, Ian (2012)."Norman Davies official website".Friends.Archivedfrom the original on 26 September 2015.Retrieved12 June2023.
  25. ^Bilska, Małgorzata (23 May 2018)."Prof. Norman Davies: Jestem zwolennikiem istnienia Opatrzności".Interview (in Polish).Aleteia.Retrieved13 June2023.
  26. ^Wróbel, Jan[in Polish](1 May 2021)."Wieczny podział. Kiedy ludzie normalni trafili na ciemną stronę mocy"(in Polish).Forsal.pl.Retrieved13 June2023.
  27. ^Beneath Another Sky, A Global Journey into History by Norman Davies.www.penguin.co.uk.Retrieved27 April2018.

Further reading

  • Berger, Stefan. "Rising Like a Phoenix… The Renaissance of National History Writing in Germany and Britain Since the 1980s." inNationalizing the Past(Palgrave Macmillan, London, 2010) pp. 426–451.online[dead link]
  • Schwarz, Benjamin (December 2002), "God's Playground: A History of Poland",Atlantic Monthly(review): 127.
  • Snowman, Daniel "Norman Davies" pp. 36–38 fromHistory Today,Volume 55, Issue 7, July 2005.
  • Taylor, Gilbert (15 December 1997), "A History of Europe",Booklist:682.
  • America,18 December 1982, p. 394.
  • American Historical Review,April 1991, p. 520.
  • American Scholar,Fall, 1997, p. 624.
  • Booklist,15 September 1996, p. 214; 1 February 2000, p. 1006; 1 May 2004, Jay Freeman, review of Rising '44: The Battle of Warsaw, p. 1538.
  • Commentary,March 1987, p. 66.
  • Current History,November 1984, p. 385.
  • Economist,6 March 1982, p. 104; 10 February 1990, p. 92; 16 November 1996, p. S3; 4 December 1999, p. 8; 27 April 2002, "What's in a Name: Central European History."
  • History Today,May 1983, p. 54; March 2000, Robert Pearce, "The Isles: A History," p. 55.
  • Kirkus Reviews,15 March 2004, review of Rising '44, p. 256.
  • Library Journal,15 March 1997, p. 73; 1 February 2000, p. 100.
  • Nation,21 November 1987, p. 584.
  • National Review,5 June 2000, John Derbyshire, "Disunited Kingdom"; 17 May 2004, David Pryce-Jones, "Remember Them," p. 46.
  • New Republic,15 November 1982, p. 25; 22 September 1997, p. 36.
  • New Statesman,21 May 1982, p. 21; 31 August 1984, p. 26.
  • New Statesman & Society,20 December 1996, Norman Davies, "How I Conquered Europe," pp. 36–38; 17 October 1997, David Herman, review of Europe: A History, pp. 30–32; 15 May 1998, Michael Pinto-Duschinsky, "The Hunted, Not the Hunters," p. 35. 15 November 1999, Alistair Moffat, "Jobs and Foxes Will Flee to England," p. 35; 13 December 1999, Geoffrey Wheatcroft, "Forging Our History," p. 57.
  • New York Review of Books,29 September 1983, p. 18; 15 May 1997, p. 30.
  • New York Times Book Review,5 December 1982, p. 52; 4 March 1984, p. 34; 23 December 1984, p. 5; 22 June 1986, p. 34; 7 December 1986, p. 84; 1 December 1996, p. 15.
  • Observer(London, England), 10 October 1999, Andrew Marr, "A History Lesson for Wee Willie," p. 29.
  • Publishers Weekly,26 August 1996, p. 83; 24 November 1997, "A History of Europe," p. 64; 24 January 2000, p. 301.
  • Sunday Times(London, England), 17 October 1999,Niall Ferguson,"Breaking up Is Hard to Do if You're British," p. NR4.
  • Times(London, England), 30 October 1999, Richard Morrison, "Britain Dies as Mr. Tough Rewrites the Past," p. 21.
  • Wilson Library Bulletin,October 1986, p. 68.[clarification needed]
  • World and I,August 2004, Richard M. Watt, "The Warsaw Insurrection: How Polish Capital Ferociously Resisted World War II Occupiers." *
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