Antony Beevor | |
|---|---|
 Beevor in 2022 | |
| Born | Antony James Beevor (1946-12-14)14 December 1946 (age 79) Kensington, London, England |
| Occupation | Author, historian |
| Language | English |
| Education | Abberley Hall School Winchester College |
| Alma mater | Royal Military Academy Sandhurst |
| Subject | Modern history |
| Notable awards | Samuel Johnson Prize |
| Spouse | |
| Children | 2 |
| Relatives | John Julius Norwich (father-in-law) |
| Military career | |
| Allegiance |  United Kingdom |
| Branch |  British Army |
| Service years | 1966–1970 |
| Rank | Lieutenant |
| Service number | 483855 |
| Unit | 11th Hussars |
| Website | |
| www | |
Sir Antony James Beevor (born 14 December 1946) is a Britishmilitary historian. He has published several popular historical works, mainly on theSecond World War, theSpanish Civil War, and most recently theRussian Revolution and theRussian Civil War.
Educated atAbberley Hall School,Winchester College, and theRoyal Military Academy Sandhurst, Beevor commanded a troop of tanks in the11th Hussars in Germany before deciding in 1970 to leave theBritish Army and become a writer. He became a visiting professor atBirkbeck, University of London, and theUniversity of Kent.
His best-selling books,Stalingrad (1998) andBerlin: The Downfall 1945 (2002), have been acclaimed for their detailed coverage of the battles between theSoviet Union and Germany, and their focus on the experiences of ordinary people.Berlin proved very controversial in Russia because of the information it contained from former Soviet archives about the mass rapes carried out by theRed Army in 1945. Beevor's works have been translated into many languages and have sold millions of copies. He has lectured at numerous military headquarters, staff colleges and establishments in Britain, the United States, Europe and Australia. He has also written for many major newspapers.
Antony James Beevor[1] was born inKensington, London, on 14 December 1946.[2] He was educated at twoindependent schools:Abberley Hall School inWorcestershire, and thenWinchester College inHampshire.
He joined the British Army as a cadet at theRoyal Military Academy Sandhurst. As well as the usual cadet activities, he was able to study under the military historianJohn Keegan. On graduation he was commissioned in the11th Hussars on 28 July 1967.[3] Beevor served in England and Germany. He was promoted tolieutenant on 28 January 1969. He resigned his commission on 5 August 1970.[4][5]
Beevor has been a visiting professor at the School of History, Classics and Archaeology atBirkbeck, University of London, and at theUniversity of Kent.[6] He was the 2002-2003Lees-Knowles Lecturer at theUniversity of Cambridge.
His best-known works, the best-sellingStalingrad (1998) andBerlin: The Downfall 1945 (2002), recount the Second World War battles between theSoviet Union andNazi Germany. They have been praised for their vivid, compelling style, their treatment of the ordinary lives of combatants and civilians, and the use of newly disclosed documents from Soviet archives.[7][8][9]
Berlin proved hugely controversial in Russia because of the information it contained from former Soviet archives about the mass rapes carried out by theRed Army in 1945. He was criticised for "lies, slander and blasphemy" against the Red Army by the Russian ambassador at the time,Grigory Karasin,[10] and was frequently described as "the chief slanderer of the Red Army"[11] byKremlin-supporting media. Numerous Russian academic theses and books have been published that dispute his claim as exaggerations, misattributions, or direct citations of propaganda used byJoseph Goebbels, includingThe Red Army “Rape of Germany” was Invented by Goebbels by the Russian author Anatoly Karlin.[12]
HisThe Spanish Civil War (1982) was later re-written asThe Battle for Spain (2006), keeping the structure and some content from the earlier work, but using the updated narrative style of hisStalingrad book and also adding characters and new archival research from German and Russian sources.[13]
Beevor's bookThe Second World War (2012) is notable for its focus on the conditions and grief faced by women and civilians and for its coverage of the war in East Asia, which has been called "masterful".[14][15] Beevor's expertise has been the subject of some commentary; his publications have been praised as revitalising interest in Second World War topics[16] and have allowed readers to reevaluate events such asD-Day from a new perspective.[17] He has also appeared as an expert in television documentaries related to World War II.[18][19]
As of 2014[update] his works had been translated into 35 languages, with more than 8.5 million copies sold.[20]
In August 2015 theYekaterinburg region considered banning Beevor's books, accusing him of Nazi sympathies and citing his lack of Russian sources when writing about Russia, and claiming he had promoted false stereotypes introduced by Nazi Germany during the war.[21][22][23] Beevor responded by calling the banning "a government trying to impose its own version of history", comparing it to other "attempts to dictate a truth", such asdenial of the Holocaust and theArmenian genocide.[24]
In January 2018 Beevor's book about theBattle of Stalingrad was banned in Ukraine for its description of war crimes committed by Ukrainian nationalists collaborating with Nazi forces (namely the execution of children). The official in charge of the decision, Serhiy Oliyinyk, denied the event in question and called it a "provocation" likely emanating from Soviet sources. Beevor refuted the claims of an alleged anti-Ukrainian bent in the book, and pointed out that the source for the passage in question was anAbwehr officer namedHelmuth Groscurth, demanding "an immediate apology from Oliyinyk and a reversal of the decision by the 'expert council.'"[25]
He has also written forThe Times,The Telegraph andGuardian, theNew York Times,Washington Post,The Atlantic,Foreign Affairs,Le Monde,Libération,Le Figaro, as well asEl País andABC in Spain.[citation needed]
Beevor, a former chair and member of the Council of theSociety of Authors,[26] resigned alongside the authorPhilip Pullman in 2022 in protest against the actions of the CEO and the leadership of the management committee.[27]
Beevor is descended from a long line of writers, starting with the legal philosopherJohn Austin and his wife,Sarah, their daughterLucie, Lady Duff-Gordon (Letters from Egypt), his grandmotherLina Waterfield, (Observer correspondent andCastle in Italy), and his mother Kinta Beevor (A Tuscan Childhood).
He is married toArtemis Cooper, a writer. They have two children, Nella and Adam.[28]
Beevor was recognised with the 2014Pritzker Military Museum & Library's Literature Award for Lifetime Achievement in Military Writing.[29]Tim O'Brien, the 2013 recipient, made the announcement on behalf of the selection committee.[28][30][31] The award carried a purse of US$100,000.[32]
Beevor was awarded anHonorary D.Litt. from theUniversity of Kent in 2004,[33] from theUniversity of Bath in 2010,[34] theUniversity of East Anglia in 2014,[35] and theUniversity of York in 2015.[36]
He was elected an honoraryFellow of King's College London in July 2016.[37] Also in July 2016, Beevor was awarded theMedlicott Medal for services to history by the UK-basedHistorical Association.[38]
Beevor was appointed aKnight Bachelor in the2017 New Year Honours for "services in support of Armed Forces Professional Development".[39]
He is also aChevalier de l'Ordre des Arts et des Lettres,[40] a member ofOrder of the Cross of Terra Mariana[41] and a commander of theBelgian Order of the Crown.[6]
Awards for his works include:
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