Profiles
Profile: Simon Schama
Most of us know Simon Schama as the face of A History of Britain. Years of dedication to the study of history led him to produce the series that put British history firmly back into the hands of its people.
A History
With more than 4 million viewers and counting, A History of Britain has become a modern classic. The series makes our past accessible (and fascinating) to viewers of all ages and backgrounds. Which is why, no doubt, some snooty-nosed critics accused Schama of 'dumbing down' Britain's history. Granted, the vivid and compelling version of our history tells stories that keep the audience on the edge of their seats, dribbling to find out what happens next - kind of like EastEnders or The Bill. But, far from dumbing down history, Schama's programmes have helped to smarten up Britain, educating millions of people about the lives of our ancestors.
Not just a pretty face
Schama grew up in Essex, where his father was a textile merchant. He won a scholarship to Haberdashers' Aske's School where he had to make the agonizing decision between studying Engllish and History. He got his MA in History at Christ's College Cambridge in 1969, but never lost his passion for English. He stayed at Cambridge for 10 years before moving on to Oxford, where he says he often felt like a "gerbil on a treadmill". He then became a professor at Harvard, teaching a range of art history, from 17th Century Dutch to 21st Century Earth Art. He is now a professor at Columbia University in New York.
A few of his favourite things
As a lover of history, Schama naturally loves great history books. One of his favourites is Edward Gibbon's epic The Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire. He says he loves it "not for the historical truth, but for the fantastic jokes and footnotes." He's also a fan of The Cheese and the Worms by Carlo Ginzburg. As he says, "How can you not love a book which takes the cosmology of a heretical 16th-century miller who believes that God created the world as a kind of indeterminate cheese from which came angelic worms, and makes you believe in its plausibility?"
The author
Schama's own books feature on the top ten lists of eminent historians and interested amateurs alike. He has written several texts on French and Dutch art, dedicating a full book to Rembrandt's self-portraits. His chronicle of the French Revolution, Citizens, was a bestseller. His A History of Britain series flies off the shelves. People love his books for the stories he tells and the way that he tells them. A fellow historian, Peter Hennessy, explains: "he gets arcane matters to walk, in fact dance, off the page".
The wordsmith
Whether he's writing historical texts for use at Universities, editorials on the current state of American politics, or essays for the New Yorker, Schama's adoration for words and language shines through. He creates tightly woven sentences with vivid imagery and searing insight into his subject. He uses precise language and has an extensive vocabulary. You might want to have a dictionary handy when tackling these articles:
Find out more:
New Yorker: Queen Mary 2
The Guardian: Insight into the results of the 2004 US Presidential election
BBC: History of Britain, episode guide
The Guardian: Top ten afavourite history books
With more than 4 million viewers and counting, A History of Britain has become a modern classic. The series makes our past accessible (and fascinating) to viewers of all ages and backgrounds. Which is why, no doubt, some snooty-nosed critics accused Schama of 'dumbing down' Britain's history. Granted, the vivid and compelling version of our history tells stories that keep the audience on the edge of their seats, dribbling to find out what happens next - kind of like EastEnders or The Bill. But, far from dumbing down history, Schama's programmes have helped to smarten up Britain, educating millions of people about the lives of our ancestors.
Not just a pretty face
Schama grew up in Essex, where his father was a textile merchant. He won a scholarship to Haberdashers' Aske's School where he had to make the agonizing decision between studying Engllish and History. He got his MA in History at Christ's College Cambridge in 1969, but never lost his passion for English. He stayed at Cambridge for 10 years before moving on to Oxford, where he says he often felt like a "gerbil on a treadmill". He then became a professor at Harvard, teaching a range of art history, from 17th Century Dutch to 21st Century Earth Art. He is now a professor at Columbia University in New York.
A few of his favourite things
As a lover of history, Schama naturally loves great history books. One of his favourites is Edward Gibbon's epic The Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire. He says he loves it "not for the historical truth, but for the fantastic jokes and footnotes." He's also a fan of The Cheese and the Worms by Carlo Ginzburg. As he says, "How can you not love a book which takes the cosmology of a heretical 16th-century miller who believes that God created the world as a kind of indeterminate cheese from which came angelic worms, and makes you believe in its plausibility?"
The author
Schama's own books feature on the top ten lists of eminent historians and interested amateurs alike. He has written several texts on French and Dutch art, dedicating a full book to Rembrandt's self-portraits. His chronicle of the French Revolution, Citizens, was a bestseller. His A History of Britain series flies off the shelves. People love his books for the stories he tells and the way that he tells them. A fellow historian, Peter Hennessy, explains: "he gets arcane matters to walk, in fact dance, off the page".
The wordsmith
Whether he's writing historical texts for use at Universities, editorials on the current state of American politics, or essays for the New Yorker, Schama's adoration for words and language shines through. He creates tightly woven sentences with vivid imagery and searing insight into his subject. He uses precise language and has an extensive vocabulary. You might want to have a dictionary handy when tackling these articles:
Find out more:
New Yorker: Queen Mary 2
The Guardian: Insight into the results of the 2004 US Presidential election
BBC: History of Britain, episode guide
The Guardian: Top ten afavourite history books
Your Comments
- Profile: Simon Schama
Much as I am enjoying Simon Schama's History of Britain I find some of his omissions unacceptable. I take particular exception to his description of Prestonpans as "a resounding victory". A massacre of redcoats who are given no quarter would only seem like a victory to a historian with no time for the English. Ditto: the programme on Cromwell. If you are going to spend all that time decrying Old Ironsides as a war criminal you might at least have the decency to include some references to royalist atrocities (The Rape of Birmingham would do for starters), and you could also mention the misdeeds of Irish troops on English soil, as well as the appalling behaviour of Langdale and Gerrard's armies. And why no mention of Leicester or Hopton Castle? I would have thought the story of soldiers and maids having there throats slit as a warning to others would provide a perfect illustration of how indiscriminate violence thrived on the Royalist side during the war of the Three Kingdoms!
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