In this piece, Hochschild tells the story of a white South African anti-apartheid activist, Pat Duncan, and reflects on the role Duncan played in the development of Hochschild’s political views. As in all of Hochschild’s work, we admired the quality of description and his moral insight—and in this case, were fascinated by his honest examination [...]
Tag Archives: Mother Jones
Two Russians
November 10, 2005 – 12:41 pm
Hochschild has a remarkable ability to merge quests to satisfy personal yearnings with fascinating and substantive stories about other people. This one is, ultimately, about looking for heroes. Written in 1979, it’s about two Russian men—potential role models, political adversaries. It’s an intelligent, complex account. This piece was anthologized in Hochschild’s collection, “Finding the Trapdoor.”
A Gypsy for Our Time
July 19, 2005 – 12:00 am
Approaching an esoteric subject—Jan Yoors, a man who as a child left his family and lived with Gypsies for eight years—Hochschild writes with his usual lucid, curious and humble approach to his material. Hochschild’s voice is good company. The piece is both a profile and a narrative of discovery—Hochschild’s quest to understand his subject, the [...]
