Christopher Lasch
Born 1 June 1932 · Died 14 February 1994
In his wide-ranging books and essays, Mr. Lasch offered a leftist analysis of industrial capitalism and its effects on American politics, social arrangements, modes of thought and personal psychology. As a counterpoise to the alienation and despair he saw as pervasive in American life, he proposed a progressive program that, paradoxically, relied heavily on the values of community, family and self-discipline. Diagnosing a Malaise
"The Culture of Narcissism"(W. W. Norton) is his best-known work. In the 1979 book, which was on the New York Times best-seller list for seven weeks, he described postwar America as a society of dangerously self-absorbed individuals, fixated on personal goals, fearful of their impulses and easily controlled by power elites.
President Jimmy Carter asked Mr. Lasch to advise him on Mr. Carter's speech, delivered in July 1979, on the nation's "crisis of confidence." It became known as the "national malaise" speech. (Obituary, The New York Times, https://www.nytimes.com/1994/02/15/obituaries/christopher-lasch-is-dead-at-61-wrote-about-america-s-malaise.html).
Books by Christopher Lasch in order
Books by Christopher Lasch in the order they were published, from Revolution and Democracy (1961) to Plain Style (2002).
- 1Revolution and DemocracyRevolution and Democracy1961
- 2The American Liberals and the Russian Revolution
The American Liberals and the Russian Revolution1962 - 3The New Radicalism In AmericaThe New Radicalism In America1965
- 4The New Radicalism in America, 1889-1963
The New Radicalism in America, 1889-19631965 - 5The Agony of the American Left
The Agony of the American Left1968 - 6The World of Nations
The World of Nations1973 - 7Haven in a Heartless World
Haven in a Heartless World1977 - 8The Culture of Narcissism
The Culture of Narcissism1978 - 9Prophecy ReconsideredProphecy Reconsidered1980
- 10The Freudian Left and the Theory of Cultural RevolutionThe Freudian Left and the Theory of Cultural Revolution1982
- 11The Minimal Self
The Minimal Self1984 - 12The True and Only Heaven
The True and Only Heaven1991 - 13The Revolt of the Elites
The Revolt of the Elites1995 - 14Women and the Common Life
Women and the Common Life1997 - 15Plain Style
Plain Style2002