Harvard University
Simon Schama was an employee for whom from 1980 to 1993?
Simon Schama Sir Simon Michael Schama ( ; born 13 February 1945 ) is an English historian specialising in art history , Dutch history , Jewish history , and French history . He is a University Professor of History and Art History at Columbia University , New York . He first came to public attention with his history of the French Revolution titled , published in 1989 . In the United Kingdom , he is perhaps best known for writing and hosting the 15-part BBC television documentary series A History of Britain broadcast between 2000 and 2002 . Schama was knighted in the 2018 Queens Birthday Honours List . Early life and education . Schama was born in Marylebone , London . His mother , Gertie ( née Steinberg ) , was from an Ashkenazi Lithuanian Jewish family ( from Kaunas , present-day Lithuania ) , and his father , Arthur Schama , was of Sephardi Jewish background ( from Smyrna , present-day İzmir in Turkey ) , later moving through Moldova and Romania . In the mid-1940s , the family moved to Southend-on-Sea in Essex before moving back to London . In 1956 , Schama won a scholarship to the private Haberdashers Askes Boys School in Cricklewood , ( from 1961 Elstree , Hertfordshire ) . He then studied history at Christs College , Cambridge , where he was taught by John H . Plumb . He graduated from the University of Cambridge with a Starred First in 1966 . Career . Schama worked for short periods as a lecturer in history at Cambridge , where he was a Fellow and Director of Studies in History at Christs College . He then taught for some time at Oxford , where he was made a Fellow of Brasenose College in 1976 , specialising in the French Revolution . At this time , Schama wrote his first book , Patriots and Liberators , which won the Wolfson History Prize . The book was originally intended as a study of the French Revolution , but as published in 1977 , it focused on the effect of the Patriottentijd revolution of the 1780s in the Netherlands , and its aftermath . His second book , Two Rothschilds and the Land of Israel ( 1978 ) , is a study of the Zionist aims of Edmond and James Rothschild . In the United States . In 1980 , Schama took up a chair at Harvard University . His next book , The Embarrassment of Riches ( 1987 ) , again focused on Dutch history . Schama interpreted the ambivalences that informed the Dutch Golden Age of the 17th century , held in balance between the conflicting imperatives , to live richly and with power , or to live a godly life . The iconographic evidence that Schama draws upon , in 317 illustrations , of emblems and propaganda that defined Dutch character , prefigured his expansion in the 1990s as a commentator on art and visual culture . Citizens ( 1989 ) , written at speed to a publishers commission , saw the publication of his long-awaited study of the French Revolution , and won the 1990 NCR Book Award . Its view that the violence of the Terror was inherent from the start of the Revolution , however , has received serious negative criticism . Schama appeared as an on-screen expert in Michael Woods 1989 PBS series Art of the Western World as a presenting art historian , commenting on paintings by Diego Velázquez , Rembrandt , and Johannes Vermeer . In 1991 , he published Dead Certainties ( Unwarranted Speculations ) , a relatively slender work of unusual structure and point-of-view in that it looked at two widely reported deaths a hundred years apart , that of British Army General James Wolfe in 1759 – and the famous 1770 painting depicting the event by Benjamin West – and that of George Parkman , murdered uncle of the better known 19th-century American historian Francis Parkman . Schama mooted some possible ( invented ) connections between the two cases , exploring the historians inability ever to reconstruct a dead world in its completeness however thorough or revealing the documentation , and speculatively bridging the teasing gap separating a lived event and its subsequent narration . Not all readers absorbed the nuance of the title : it received a very mixed critical and academic reception . Traditional historians in particular denounced Schamas integration of fact and conjecture to produce a seamless narrative , but later assessments took a more relaxed view of the experiment . It was an approach soon taken up by such historical writers as Peter Ackroyd , David Taylor , and Richard Holmes . Sales in hardback exceeded those of Schamas earlier works . Schamas next book , Landscape and Memory ( 1995 ) , focused on the relationship between physical environment and folk memory , separating the components of landscape as wood , water and rock , enmeshed in the cultural consciousness of collective memory embodied in myths , which Schama finds to be expressed outwardly in ceremony and text . More personal and idiosyncratic than Dead Certainties , this book was more traditionally structured and better-defined in its approach . Despite mixed reviews , the book was a commercial success and won numerous prizes . Plaudits came from the art world rather than from traditional academia . Schama became art critic for The New Yorker in 1995 . He held the position for three years , dovetailing his regular column with professorial duties at Columbia University ; a selection of his essays on art for the magazine , chosen by Schama himself , was published in 2005 under the title Hang Ups . During this time , Schama also produced a lavishly illustrated Rembrandts Eyes , another critical and commercial success . Despite the books title , it contrasts the biographies of Rembrandt van Rijn and Peter Paul Rubens . BBC . In 1995 , Schama wrote and presented a series called Landscape and Memory to accompany his book of the same name . Schama returned to the UK in 2000 , having been commissioned by the BBC to produce a series of television documentary programmes on British history as part of their Millennium celebrations , under the title A History of Britain . Schama wrote and presented the episodes himself , in a friendly and often jocular style with his highly characteristic delivery , and was rewarded with excellent reviews and unexpectedly high ratings . There has been , however , some irritation and criticism expressed by a group of historians about Schamas condensed recounting of the British Isles history on this occasion , particularly by those specialising in the pre-Anglo-Saxon history of Insular Celtic civilisation . Three series were made , totalling 15 episodes , covering the complete span of British history up until 1965 ; it went on to become one of the BBCs best-selling documentary series on DVD . Schama also wrote a trilogy of tie-in books for the show , which took the story up to the year 2000 ; there is some debate as to whether the books are the tie-in product for the TV series , or the other way around . The series also had some popularity in the United States when it was first shown on the History Channel . In 2001 , Schama received a CBE . In 2003 , he signed a new contract with the BBC and HarperCollins to produce three new books and two accompanying TV series . Worth £3 million ( around US$5.3m ) , it represents the biggest advance deal ever for a TV historian . The first result of the deal was a book and TV show entitled Rough Crossings : Britain , the Slaves and the American Revolution , dealing in particular with the proclamation issued during the Revolutionary War by Lord Dunmore offering slaves from rebel plantations freedom in return for service to the crown . In 2006 the BBC broadcast a new TV series , Simon Schamas Power of Art which , with an accompanying book , was presented and written by Schama . It marks a return to art history for him , treating eight artists through eight key works : Caravaggios , Berninis Ecstasy of St Theresa , Rembrandts Conspiracy of Claudius Civilis , Jacques-Louis Davids , J . M . W . Turners The Slave Ship , Vincent van Goghs Wheat Field with Crows , Picassos Guernica and Mark Rothkos Seagram murals . It was also shown on PBS in the United States . In October 2008 , on the eve of the presidential election won by Barack Obama , the BBC broadcast a four-part television series called presented and written by Schama . In March 2009 , Schama presented a BBC Radio 4 show entitled Baseball and Me , both exploring the history of the game and describing his own personal support of the Boston Red Sox . In 2010 , Schama presented a series of ten talks for the BBC Radio 4 series A Point of View : - Why We Like Tough Guys in Politics : When times are hard people seem to prefer tough leaders . - Singing in the Rain : Schama looks forward to spring with personal reflections on the changing seasons . - At the Heart of the Matter : The politics surrounding President Barack Obamas healthcare reforms . - The Gift of the Gab : The history of political rhetoric and the power during election campaigns of televised debates . - Behold , Newstralia! : Celebrates the distinctive history and culture of New Zealand and regrets any renewed talk of joining forces with Australia . - A Welcome Slice of American Pie : Reflection on the quality of American food and eating habits . - The Drama of Politics : The timeless drama of British politics . - When Money is Just an Illusion : Reflection on the meaning of money as represented by coins and notes and in art . - Hearts of Oak : Reflection on the significance of one of the sights that will greet new MPs in the chamber of the House of Commons – the panelling made of solid oak . - Britains New Politics : Reflection on the 2010 United Kingdom general election , favourably comparing the British system for a swift handover of power to the cumbersome American one . In 2011 the BBC commissioned Simon Schama to write and present a five-part series called A History of the Jews for BBC Two for transmission in 2012 , The title became The Story of the Jews and broadcast was delayed until September 2013 . Writing in The Observer , Andrew Anthony called it an astonishing achievement , a TV landmark . In 2018 , Simon Schama wrote and presented five of the nine episodes of Civilisations , a reboot of the 1969 series by Kenneth Clark . Personal life . Schama is Jewish . He is married to Virginia Papaioannou , a geneticist from California ; they have two children , Chloe and Gabriel . As of 2014 , he resides in Briarcliff Manor , New York . Schama is a Tottenham Hotspur supporter . Politics . In 2010 , Schama was a financial donor to Oona Kings unsuccessful campaign to become Mayor of London . In August 2014 , Schama was one of 200 public figures who were signatories to a letter to The Guardian expressing their hope that Scotland would vote to remain part of the United Kingdom in Septembers referendum on that issue . In November 2017 , Schama joined Simon Sebag Montefiore and Howard Jacobson in writing a letter to The Times about their concern over antisemitism in the Labour Party under Jeremy Corbyns leadership , with particular reference to a growth in Anti-Zionism and its antisemitic characteristics . Schama and Sebag Montefiore have both written historical works about Israel , while Jacobson has written regularly about Israel and the UK Jewish community in his newspaper columns . Schama made a further criticism of the party in July 2019 , when he joined other leading Jewish figures in saying , in a letter to The Guardian , that the crisis was a taint of international and historic shame and that trust in the party was fractured beyond repair . Israel . Schama was critical of a call by British novelist John Berger for an academic boycott of Israel over its policies towards the Palestinians . Writing in The Guardian in an article co-authored with Anthony Julius , Schama compared Bergers academic boycott to policies adopted by Nazi Germany , saying : This is not the first boycott call directed at Jews . On 1 April 1933 , only weeks after he came to power , Hitler ordered a boycott of Jewish shops , banks , offices and department stores . In 2006 on the BBC , Schama debated with Vivienne Westwood the morality of Israels actions in the Israel-Lebanon War . He described Israels bombing of Lebanese city centres as unhelpful to Israels attempt to get rid of Hezbollah . He said : Of course the spectacle and suffering makes us grieve . Who wouldnt grieve ? But its not enough to do that . Weve got to understand . Youve even got to understand Israels point of view . United States . Schama was a supporter of President Barack Obama and a critic of George W . Bush . He appeared on the BBCs coverage of the 2008 US presidential election , clashing with John Bolton . Prizes and other honours . - 1977 : Wolfson History Prize , for Patriots and Liberators - 1977 : Leo Gershoy Award , for Patriots and Liberators - 1987 : New York Times Best Books of the Year , for The Embarrassment of Riches - 1989 : New York Times Best Books of the Year , for Citizens : A Chronicle of the French Revolution - 1989 : Yorkshire Post Book Award , for Citizens : A Chronicle of the French Revolution - 1990 : NCR Book Award , for Citizens : A Chronicle of the French Revolution - 1992 : American Academy of Arts and Letters Award for Literature - 1995 : Elected to Honorary Fellowship , Christs College , Cambridge - 1996 : Lionel Trilling Book Award , for Landscape and Memory - 1996 : National Magazine Awards , for critical essays in The New Yorker - 1996 : WH Smith Literary Award , for Landscape and Memory - 2001 : St . Louis Literary Award from the Saint Louis University Library Associates - 2001 : Broadcasting Press Guild Writers Award , for A History of Britain - 2001 : Nominated for BAFTA Huw Wheldon Award for Specialised Programme or Series ( Arts , History , Religion and Science ) , for A History of Britain - 2002 : Nominated for BAFTA Richard Dimbleby Award for the Best Presenter ( Factual , Features and News ) , for A History of Britain - 2003 : Nominated for Outstanding Individual Achievement in a Craft : Writing Emmy Award for The Two Winstons , an episode of A History of Britain - 2006 : National Book Critics Circle Award for Non-fiction winner , for Rough Crossings - 2006 : Hessell-Tiltman Prize Shortlist , for Rough Crossings - 2007 : International Emmy Award , for Bernini , an episode of Simon Schamas Power of Art - 2007 : Nominated for BAFTA Huw Wheldon Award for Specialised Factual Programme or Series , for Simon Schamas Power of Art - 2008 : The Daily Telegraphs 110 Best Books : The Perfect Library , for Citizens : A Chronicle of the French Revolution - 2011 : Kenyon Review Award for Literary Achievement - 2015 : Corresponding Fellow of the British Academy - 2015 : Feltrinelli Prize for History - 2017 : Fellow of the Royal Society of Literature - 2018 : Knight Bachelor , for services to history Honours . Commonwealth honours . - Commonwealth honours Scholastic . - University degrees - Chancellor , visitor , governor , rector and fellowships - Honorary degrees Bibliography . - Books - Patriots and Liberators : Revolution in the Netherlands 1780–1813 ( 1977 ) - Two Rothschilds and the Land of Israel ( 1978 ) - The Embarrassment of Riches : An Interpretation of Dutch Culture in the Golden Age ( 1987 ) - ( 1989 ) - Dead Certainties : Unwarranted Speculations ( 1991 , ) - Landscape and Memory ( 1995 , ) - Rembrandts Eyes ( 1999 , ) - A History of Britain Vol . I ( 2000 , ) - A History of Britain Vol . II ( 2001 , ) - A History of Britain Vol . III ( 2002 , ) - Hang Ups : Essays on Art ( 2004 , ) - Rough Crossings ( 2005 , ) - Simon Schamas Power of Art ( 2006 , ) - The American Future : A History ( 2009 , ) - Scribble , Scribble , Scribble : Writing on Politics , Ice Cream , Churchill and My Mother ( 2011 , ) - The Story of the Jews , Volume I : Finding the Words , 1000 BCE–1492 CE ( 2013 , Bodley Head , ) - The Face of Britain : The Nation through Its Portraits ( 2015 , ) - Belonging : The Story of the Jews 1492–1900 , Volume II of the trilogy ( 2017 , Bodley Head , ) - Television documentaries - Landscape and Memory ( 1995 ) , in five parts - Rembrandt : The Public Eye and the Private Gaze ( 1995 ) - A History of Britain by Simon Schama – BBC ( 2000 ) , in 15 parts - Murder at Harvard – PBS ( 2003 ) - Rough Crossings – BBC ( 2005 ) - Simon Schamas Power of Art – BBC ( 2006 ) , in eight parts - – BBC ( 2008 ) , in four parts - Simon Schamas John Donne – BBC ( 2009 ) - Simon Schamas : Obamas America – BBC ( 2009 ) - Simon Schamas Shakespeare – BBC ( 2012 ) - The Story of the Jews – BBC ( 2013 ) , in five parts - Schama on Rembrandt : Masterpieces of the Late Years – BBC ( 2014 ) - The Face of Britain by Simon Schama – BBC ( 2015 ) , in five parts - Civilisations – BBC ( 2018 ) , five of nine parts External links . - Columbia Art History faculty page - Simon Schama | Culture | The Guardian - Simon Schama | The Guardian - Simon Schama | New Statesman - Simon Schama on The Spectato