Books in brief
Jean-Paul Marat: Prophet of Terror
Author: Keith Baker
Via The University of Chicago Press
"Who better to pen an authoritative biography of Jean-Paul Marat (1743–93) than preeminent historian of France Keith Michael Baker? Decades in the making, this monumental work takes readers on a journey through the intriguing, sometimes shocking life of this writer and thinker.
Far beyond a standard rendering of Marat’s life and its milestones, this biography offers readers an opportunity to see the French Revolution as never before, through the perspective of one of its major figures. Baker’s book reveals how someone like Marat could go from translating Newton and engaging with Franklin to calling for an ever-growing number of heads to roll—a transformation as chilling as ever."
Baker is the J. E. Wallace Sterling Professor in Humanities, Emeritus, and professor, emeritus, in the Department of History.
