Russell Kirk

Emerging from two decades of the Great Depression and the New Deal and facing the rise of radical ideologies abroad, the American Right seemed beaten, broken, and adrift in the early 1950s. Although conservative luminaries such as T. S. Eliot, William F. Buckley Jr., Leo Strauss, and Eric Voegelin all published important works at this time, none of their writings would match the influence of Russell Kirk's 1953 masterpiece The Conservative Mind. This seminal book became the intellectual touchstone for a reinvigorated movement and began a sea change in Americans' attitudes toward traditionalism.In Russell Kirk, Bradley J. Birzer investigates the life and work of the man known as the founder of postwar conservatism in America. Drawing on papers and diaries that have only recently become available to the public, Birzer presents a thorough exploration of Kirk's intellectual roots and development. The first to examine the theorist's prolific writings on literature and culture, this magisterial study illuminates Kirk's lasting influence on figures such as T. S. Eliot, William F. Buckley Jr., and Senator Barry Goldwater -- who persuaded a reluctant Kirk to participate in his campaign for the presidency in 1964.While several books examine the evolution of postwar conservatism and libertarianism, surprisingly few works explore Kirk's life and thought in detail. This engaging biography not only offers a fresh and thorough assessment of one of America's most influential thinkers but also reasserts his humane vision in an increasingly inhumane time.

"[Kirk's] story is aptly and enjoyably told in Russell Kirk: American Conservative. One of the best books I read in 2017. A real gem." -- The Heavy Laden Bookshelf, "[This Russell Kirk biography] is by far the longest and offers the widest sweep of coverage. It is the first book to make extensive use of Kirk's personal papers, illuminating details of his career without greatly altering his established image. Birzer has given readers a smoothly written and thoroughly researched study." -- Journal of American History, "An excellent collection of Kirk's letters." -- The Atlantic, "Birzer covers it all, from Kirk's family life and Catholic conversion to his disputes with Jaffa and other Straussians over the meaning of the Declaration of Independence.At last, we have the definitive book about this important, fascinating, and good man." -- Claremont Review, "Birzer manages to convey the great scope and depth of Russell Kirk as a political thinker, cultural critic, historian, political theorist, and journalist, but also covers Kirk's many other and often significant activities. Birzer's book is very thorough and nearly flawless. It will undoubtedly become the "definitive" work on Kirk as a social, historical, cultural, and political thinker." -- The Imaginative Conservative

Bradley J. Birzer is Russell Amos Kirk Chair in American Studies and professor of history at Hillsdale College, USA. He is also the second Visiting Scholar of Conservative Thought and Policy, Colorado University--Boulder. He is the author of American Cicero: The Life of Charles Carroll and Sanctifying the World: The Augustinian Life and Mind of Christopher Dawson.