Journey to the Abyss: The Diaries of Count Harry Kessler, 1880%E2%80%931918

Harry Kessler (1868%E2%80%931937) was among the most connected people in the German Empire and indeed in pre-war Europe. A diplomat, writer, philosopher, and patron of the arts with a great breadth of knowledge, Kessler socialized with everyone from Nietzsche to Einstein and the Aga Khan. He kept meticulous diaries spanning over 50 years, documenting Germany at its intellectual, political, and artistic peak, and its descent into the maelstrom of WWI and beyond. This volume comprises half the diaries (believed lost and recently discovered in a lockbox in Mallorca). Easton, Kessler's biographer, has capably translated and culled the voluminous work to give a glimpse into the ferment of aristocratic Europe. That said, Kessler's style is oddly impersonal and often dry. He enjoys passing judgment (English working-class girls were "the most repulsive, vilest creatures that one can imagine as still human%E2%80%9D) but rarely mentions his personal life or emotions, even as his friends die in WWI. Easton makes much of Kessler's homosexuality, but the diaries give little hint of intimate relationships with men or women. An enlightening view of European high society, notable for its erudition and density of anecdote, for readers strongly interested in European history and culture. 59 photos. (Nov.)