On History
Tariq Ali and Oliver Stone in Conversation
In working together on two challenging new documentariesSouth of the Border and the forthcoming The Untold History of the United States series for Showtimefilmmaker Oliver Stone engaged with author and filmmaker Tariq Ali in a probing, hard-hitting conversation on
the politics of history.
Their dialogue brings to light a number of forgottenor deliberately buriedepisodes of American history, from the US intervention against the Russian Revolution and the dynamic radicalism of the
Industrial Workers of the World to Henry Wallace’s sidelining by Democratic Party machine insiders and the ongoing interference of the United States in Pakistani political affairs.
For Stone and Alitwo of our most insightful observers on history and popular cultureno topic is sacred, no orthodoxy goes unchallenged.
TARIQ ALI is an internationally acclaimed Pakistani writer and filmmaker. He has written more than two dozen books on world history and politics and seven novels (translated into over a dozen languages) as well as scripts for the stage and screen. He is an editor of New Left Review and lives in London.
OLIVER STONE has directed, among other films, Wall Street: Money Never Sleeps, W., World Trade Center, Alexander, Any Given Sunday, Nixon, Natural Born Killers, Heaven and Earth, JFK, The Doors, Born on the Fourth of July, Talk Radio, Wall Street, Platoon, Salvador, and the documentaries Looking for Fidel, Comandante, Persona Non Grata, South of the Border, and the upcoming The Untold History of the United States series for Showtime.
the politics of history.
Their dialogue brings to light a number of forgottenor deliberately buriedepisodes of American history, from the US intervention against the Russian Revolution and the dynamic radicalism of the
Industrial Workers of the World to Henry Wallace’s sidelining by Democratic Party machine insiders and the ongoing interference of the United States in Pakistani political affairs.
For Stone and Alitwo of our most insightful observers on history and popular cultureno topic is sacred, no orthodoxy goes unchallenged.
TARIQ ALI is an internationally acclaimed Pakistani writer and filmmaker. He has written more than two dozen books on world history and politics and seven novels (translated into over a dozen languages) as well as scripts for the stage and screen. He is an editor of New Left Review and lives in London.
OLIVER STONE has directed, among other films, Wall Street: Money Never Sleeps, W., World Trade Center, Alexander, Any Given Sunday, Nixon, Natural Born Killers, Heaven and Earth, JFK, The Doors, Born on the Fourth of July, Talk Radio, Wall Street, Platoon, Salvador, and the documentaries Looking for Fidel, Comandante, Persona Non Grata, South of the Border, and the upcoming The Untold History of the United States series for Showtime.
Reviews
-
“Oliver Stone and Tariq Ali, two of our most provocative and radical voices, engage in a thought-provoking conversation about history—ripping apart entrenched establishment narratives which have suppressed the
alternative visions we desperately need for our radical social movements and a true participatory democracy.”
—Katrina vanden Heuvel, editor and publisher, the Nation
“Reading On History is like watching a fascinating and mesmerizing film . . . a must read if you want to understand the world today.”
—Michael Ratner, president, Center for Constitutional Rights
“Oliver Stone asks smart questions about the rise and fall of the United States and its empire in the twentieth century, and Tariq Ali provides smart answers. The result is a provocative book that is sure to
incite controversy and stimulate debate.”
—Jon Wiener, professor of history at the University of California at Irvine -
Oliver Stone and Tariq Ali, two of our most provocative and radical voices, engage in a thought-provoking conversation about historyripping apart entrenched establishment narratives which have suppressed the
alternative visions we desperately need for our radical social movements and a true participatory democracy.”
Katrina vanden Heuvel, editor and publisher, the Nation
Reading On History is like watching a fascinating and mesmerizing film . . . a must read if you want to understand the world today.”
Michael Ratner, president, Center for Constitutional Rights
Oliver Stone asks smart questions about the rise and fall of the United States and its empire in the twentieth century, and Tariq Ali provides smart answers. The result is a provocative book that is sure to
incite controversy and stimulate debate.”
Jon Wiener, professor of history at the University of California at Irvine