Simon Schama
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Sir Simon Michael Schama ( ; born 13 February 1945) is an English historian and television presenter. He specialises in
art history Art history is the study of Work of art, artistic works made throughout human history. Among other topics, it studies art’s formal qualities, its impact on societies and cultures, and how artistic styles have changed throughout history. Tradit ...
, Dutch history,
Jewish history Jewish history is the history of the Jews, their Jewish peoplehood, nation, Judaism, religion, and Jewish culture, culture, as it developed and interacted with other peoples, religions and cultures. Jews originated from the Israelites and H ...
, and
French history The first written records for the history of France appeared in the Iron Age. What is now France made up the bulk of the region known to the Romans as Gaul. Greek writers noted the presence of three main ethno-linguistic groups in the area: t ...
. He is a professor of history and art history at
Columbia University Columbia University in the City of New York, commonly referred to as Columbia University, is a Private university, private Ivy League research university in New York City. Established in 1754 as King's College on the grounds of Trinity Churc ...
. Schama first came to public attention with his history of the French Revolution titled ''
Citizens Citizenship is a membership and allegiance to a sovereign state. Though citizenship is often conflated with nationality in today's English-speaking world, international law does not usually use the term ''citizenship'' to refer to nationality; ...
'', published in 1989. He is also known for writing and hosting the 15-part BBC television documentary series '' A History of Britain'' (2000–2002), as well as other documentary series such as '' The American Future: A History'' (2008) and '' The Story of the Jews'' (2013). Schama was
knighted A knight is a person granted an honorary title of a knighthood by a head of state (including the pope) or representative for service to the monarch, the church, or the country, especially in a military capacity. The concept of a knighthood ...
in the 2018 Queen's Birthday Honours List.


Early life and education

Schama was born on 13 February 1945 in
Marylebone Marylebone (usually , also ) is an area in London, England, and is located in the City of Westminster. It is in Central London and part of the West End. Oxford Street forms its southern boundary. An ancient parish and latterly a metropo ...
, London. His mother, Gertie (née Steinberg), was from an
Ashkenazi Ashkenazi Jews ( ; also known as Ashkenazic Jews or Ashkenazim) form a distinct subgroup of the Jewish diaspora, that Ethnogenesis, emerged in the Holy Roman Empire around the end of the first millennium Common era, CE. They traditionally spe ...
Lithuanian Jewish {{Infobox ethnic group , group = Litvaks , image = , caption = , poptime = , region1 = {{flag, Lithuania , pop1 = 2,800 , region2 = {{flag, South Africa , pop2 = 6 ...
family (from
Kaunas Kaunas (; ) is the second-largest city in Lithuania after Vilnius, the fourth largest List of cities in the Baltic states by population, city in the Baltic States and an important centre of Lithuanian economic, academic, and cultural life. Kaun ...
, present-day
Lithuania Lithuania, officially the Republic of Lithuania, is a country in the Baltic region of Europe. It is one of three Baltic states and lies on the eastern shore of the Baltic Sea, bordered by Latvia to the north, Belarus to the east and south, P ...
), and his father, Arthur Schama, was of Sephardi Jewish background (from Smyrna, present-day
İzmir İzmir is the List of largest cities and towns in Turkey, third most populous city in Turkey, after Istanbul and Ankara. It is on the Aegean Sea, Aegean coast of Anatolia, and is the capital of İzmir Province. In 2024, the city of İzmir had ...
in Turkey), later moving through Moldova and Romania. In the mid-1940s, the family moved to
Southend-on-Sea Southend-on-Sea (), commonly referred to as Southend (), is a coastal city and unitary authorities of England, unitary authority area with Borough status in the United Kingdom, borough status in south-eastern Essex, England. It lies on the nor ...
in Essex before moving back to London. In 1956, Schama won a scholarship to the private
Haberdashers' Aske's Boys' School Haberdashers' Boys' School (formerly Haberdashers' Aske's Boys' School) is a 4–18 boys Independent school (United Kingdom) in Elstree, Hertfordshire, England. It is a member of the Headmasters' and Headmistresses' Conference. The school was ...
in
Cricklewood Cricklewood is a town in North London, England, in the London Boroughs of Camden, Barnet, and Brent. The Crown pub, now the Clayton Crown Hotel, is a local landmark and lies north-west of Charing Cross. Cricklewood was a small rural hamlet ...
(from 1961 Elstree, Hertfordshire). He then studied history at
Christ's College, Cambridge Christ's College is a Colleges of the University of Cambridge, constituent college of the University of Cambridge, England. The college includes the Master, the Fellows of the College, and about 450 undergraduate and 250 graduate students. The c ...
, where he was taught by John H. Plumb. He graduated from the
University of Cambridge The University of Cambridge is a Public university, public collegiate university, collegiate research university in Cambridge, England. Founded in 1209, the University of Cambridge is the List of oldest universities in continuous operation, wo ...
with a Starred First in 1966.


Career

From 1966 to 1976, Schama was a
fellow A fellow is a title and form of address for distinguished, learned, or skilled individuals in academia, medicine, research, and industry. The exact meaning of the term differs in each field. In learned society, learned or professional society, p ...
and director of studies in history at
Christ's College, Cambridge Christ's College is a Colleges of the University of Cambridge, constituent college of the University of Cambridge, England. The college includes the Master, the Fellows of the College, and about 450 undergraduate and 250 graduate students. The c ...
. He then moved to
Oxford University The University of Oxford is a collegiate research university in Oxford, England. There is evidence of teaching as early as 1096, making it the oldest university in the English-speaking world and the second-oldest continuously operating u ...
, where he was elected a fellow of
Brasenose College, Oxford Brasenose College (BNC) is one of the Colleges of the University of Oxford, constituent colleges of the University of Oxford in the United Kingdom. It began as Brasenose Hall in the 13th century, before being founded as a college in 1509. The l ...
in 1976, specialising in the French Revolution. He also worked at the
School for Advanced Studies in the Social Sciences The School for Advanced Studies in the Social Sciences (, EHESS) is a graduate ''grande école'' and '' grand établissement'' in Paris focused on academic research in the social sciences. The school awards Master and PhD degrees alone and conjo ...
(EHESS) in Paris. At this time, Schama wrote his first book, ''Patriots and Liberators'', which won the
Wolfson History Prize The Wolfson History Prizes are literary awards given annually in the United Kingdom to promote and encourage standards of excellence in the writing of history for the general public. Prizes are given annually for two or three exceptional work ...
. 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 The (; ) was a period of political instability in the Dutch Republic between approximately 1780 and 1787. Its name derives from the Patriots () faction who opposed the rule of the stadtholder, William V, Prince of Orange, and his supporters who ...
'' revolution of the 1780s in the Netherlands, and its aftermath. Schama's second book, ''Two Rothschilds and the Land of Israel'' (1978), is a study of the
Zionist Zionism is an Ethnic nationalism, ethnocultural nationalist movement that emerged in History of Europe#From revolution to imperialism (1789–1914), Europe in the late 19th century that aimed to establish and maintain a national home for the ...
aims of Edmond and James Rothschild.


In the United States

In 1980, Schama took up a chair at
Harvard University Harvard University is a Private university, private Ivy League research university in Cambridge, Massachusetts, United States. Founded in 1636 and named for its first benefactor, the History of the Puritans in North America, Puritan clergyma ...
as Mellon Professor of History. His next book, ''The Embarrassment of Riches'' (1987), again focused on Dutch history.Daniel, M., and S. Steinberg. "Simon Schama." Publishers Weekly 238, No. 22 (17 May 1991): 46. Academic Search Premier, EBSCOhost (accessed 30 April 2009). Schama interpreted the ambivalences that informed the
Dutch Golden Age The Dutch Golden Age ( ) was a period in the history of the Netherlands which roughly lasted from 1588, when the Dutch Republic was established, to 1672, when the '' Rampjaar'' occurred. During this period, Dutch trade, scientific development ...
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.Adams, Julia; Stoler, Ann (November 1988). "The Embarrassment of Riches: An Interpretation of Dutch Culture in the Golden Age, by Simon Schama" (review). ''
Contemporary Sociology ''Contemporary Sociology'' is a bi-monthly peer-reviewed academic journal of sociology published by SAGE Publications in association with the American Sociological Association since 1972. Each issue of the journal publishes many in-depth as well as ...
''. 17.6: 760–62. "He provides a reading of cultural tints and social textures at a level of visual detail that is usually reserved for art history."
''Citizens'' (1989), written at speed to a publisher's 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 has received serious negative criticism.Notably in Timothy Tackett, "Interpreting the Terror" ''French Historical Studies'' 24.4 (Autumn 2001:569–578); Tackett's view of swiftly evolving revolution in his
prosopography Prosopography is an investigation of the common characteristics of a group of people, whose individual biographies may be largely untraceable. Research subjects are analysed by means of a collective study of their lives, in multiple career-line a ...
of the deputies, ''Becoming a Revolutionary: The Deputies of the French National Assembly and the Emergence of a Revolutionary Culture, 1789–1790'' (Princeton University Press) 1996, was not fundamentally at variance with Schama.
Schama appeared as an on-screen expert in Michael Wood's 1989 PBS series ''Art of the Western World'' ("Realms of Light: The Baroque") as a presenting art historian, commenting on paintings by
Diego Velázquez Diego Rodríguez de Silva y Velázquez (baptised 6 June 15996 August 1660) was a Spanish painter, the leading artist in the Noble court, court of King Philip IV of Spain, Philip IV of Spain and Portugal, and of the Spanish Golden Age. He i ...
,
Rembrandt Rembrandt Harmenszoon van Rijn (; ; 15 July 1606 â€“ 4 October 1669), mononymously known as Rembrandt was a Dutch Golden Age painter, printmaker, and Drawing, draughtsman. He is generally considered one of the greatest visual artists in ...
, and
Johannes Vermeer Johannes Vermeer ( , ; see below; also known as Jan Vermeer; October 1632 – 15 December 1675) was a Dutch painter who specialized in domestic interior scenes of middle-class life. He is considered one of the greatest painters of the Dutch ...
. 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 Major-general James Wolfe (2 January 1727 – 13 September 1759) was a British Army officer known for his training reforms and, as a major general, remembered chiefly for his victory in 1759 over the French at the Battle of the Plains of ...
in 1759 – and the famous 1770 painting depicting the event by
Benjamin West Benjamin West (October 10, 1738 – March 11, 1820) was a British-American artist who painted famous historical scenes such as ''The Death of Nelson (West painting), The Death of Nelson'', ''The Death of General Wolfe'', the ''Treaty of Paris ( ...
– 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 historian's 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 Schama's integration of fact and conjecture to produce a seamless narrative, but later assessments took a more relaxed view of the experiment. "a fascinating experiment in historical writing". It was an approach soon taken up by such historical writers as
Peter Ackroyd Peter Ackroyd (born 5 October 1949) is an English biographer, novelist and critic with a specialist interest in the history and culture of London. For his novels about English history and culture and his biographies of, among others, William ...
, David Taylor, and Richard Holmes. Schama's 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 An art critic is a person who is specialized in analyzing, interpreting, and evaluating art. Their written critiques or reviews contribute to art criticism and they are published in newspapers, magazines, books, exhibition brochures, and catalogue ...
for ''
The New Yorker ''The New Yorker'' is an American magazine featuring journalism, commentary, criticism, essays, fiction, satire, cartoons, and poetry. It was founded on February 21, 1925, by Harold Ross and his wife Jane Grant, a reporter for ''The New York T ...
'' in 1995. He held the position for three years, dovetailing his regular column with professorial duties at
Columbia University Columbia University in the City of New York, commonly referred to as Columbia University, is a Private university, private Ivy League research university in New York City. Established in 1754 as King's College on the grounds of Trinity Churc ...
; 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 ''Rembrandt's Eyes'', another critical and commercial success. Despite the book's title, it contrasts the biographies of
Rembrandt van Rijn Rembrandt Harmenszoon van Rijn (; ; 15 July 1606 â€“ 4 October 1669), mononymously known as Rembrandt was a Dutch Golden Age painter, printmaker, and draughtsman. He is generally considered one of the greatest visual artists in the h ...
and
Peter Paul Rubens Sir Peter Paul Rubens ( ; ; 28 June 1577 – 30 May 1640) was a Flemish painting, Flemish artist and diplomat. He is considered the most influential artist of the Flemish Baroque painting, Flemish Baroque tradition. Rubens' highly charged comp ...
.


BBC

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 Schama's condensed recounting of the
British Isles The British Isles are an archipelago in the Atlantic Ocean, North Atlantic Ocean off the north-western coast of continental Europe, consisting of the islands of Great Britain, Ireland, the Isle of Man, the Inner Hebrides, Inner and Outer Hebr ...
' history on this occasion, particularly by those specialising in the pre-
Anglo-Saxon The Anglo-Saxons, in some contexts simply called Saxons or the English, were a Cultural identity, cultural group who spoke Old English and inhabited much of what is now England and south-eastern Scotland in the Early Middle Ages. They traced t ...
history of
Insular Celtic Insular Celtic languages are the group of Celtic languages spoken in Brittany, Great Britain, Ireland, and the Isle of Man. All surviving Celtic languages are in the Insular group, including Breton, which is spoken on continental Europe in Br ...
civilisation. Three series were made, totalling 15 episodes, covering the complete span of British history up until 1965;Cooper, Barbara Roisman. ''"A Wild Ride" Through A History of Britain With Simon Schama.'' British Heritage 23, no. 6 (November 2002): 48. Academic Search Premier, EBSCOhost (accessed 30 April 2009) it went on to become one of the BBC's 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 History (formerly and commonly known as the History Channel) is an American pay television television broadcaster, network and the flagship channel of A&E Networks, a joint venture between Hearst Communications and the Disney General Entertainme ...
. In 2001, Schama received a
CBE The Most Excellent Order of the British Empire is a British order of chivalry, rewarding valuable service in a wide range of useful activities. It comprises five classes of awards across both civil and military divisions, the most senior two o ...
. In 2003, he signed a new contract with the BBC and
HarperCollins HarperCollins Publishers LLC is a British–American publishing company that is considered to be one of the "Big Five (publishers), Big Five" English-language publishers, along with Penguin Random House, Hachette Book Group USA, Hachette, Macmi ...
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 Schama's Power of Art ''Simon Schama's Power of Art'' is an eight-part BBC TV mini-series examining the works of eight artists, the context surrounding one of their works and the message they intended to convey with these. It was written, created, narrated, and presen ...
'', 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:
Caravaggio Michelangelo Merisi da Caravaggio (also Michele Angelo Merigi or Amerighi da Caravaggio; 29 September 1571 – 18 July 1610), known mononymously as Caravaggio, was an Italian painter active in Rome for most of his artistic life. During the fina ...
's '' David with the Head of Goliath'',
Bernini Gian Lorenzo (or Gianlorenzo) Bernini (, ; ; Italian Giovanni Lorenzo; 7 December 1598 – 28 November 1680) was an Italian sculptor and architect. While a major figure in the world of architecture, he was more prominently the leading sculptor ...
's ''
Ecstasy of Saint Teresa The ''Ecstasy of Saint Teresa'' (also known as ''Saint Teresa in Ecstasy''; or ) is a sculptural altarpiece group in white marble set in an elevated aedicule in the Cornaro Chapel of the church of Santa Maria della Vittoria, Rome, Santa Maria d ...
'',
Rembrandt Rembrandt Harmenszoon van Rijn (; ; 15 July 1606 â€“ 4 October 1669), mononymously known as Rembrandt was a Dutch Golden Age painter, printmaker, and Drawing, draughtsman. He is generally considered one of the greatest visual artists in ...
's ''The Conspiracy of Claudius Civilis'',
Jacques-Louis David Jacques-Louis David (; 30 August 1748 – 29 December 1825) was a French painter in the Neoclassicism, Neoclassical style, considered to be the preeminent painter of the era. In the 1780s, his cerebral brand of history painting marked a change in ...
's ''
The Death of Marat ''The Death of Marat'' ( or ''Marat Assassiné'') is a 1793 painting by Jacques-Louis David depicting the artist's friend and murdered French revolutionary leader, Jean-Paul Marat. One of the most famous images from the era of the French Revolut ...
'',
J. M. W. Turner Joseph Mallord William Turner (23 April 177519 December 1851), known in his time as William Turner, was an English Romantic painter, printmaker and watercolourist. He is known for his expressive colouring, imaginative landscapes and turbu ...
's '' The Slave Ship'',
Vincent van Gogh Vincent Willem van Gogh (; 30 March 185329 July 1890) was a Dutch Post-Impressionist painter who is among the most famous and influential figures in the history of Western art. In just over a decade, he created approximately 2,100 artworks ...
's ''
Wheatfield with Crows ''Wheatfield with Crows'' () is a July 1890 painting by Vincent van Gogh. It has been cited by several critics as one of his greatest works. It is commonly stated that this was Van Gogh's final painting. This association was popularized by Vin ...
'',
Picasso Pablo Diego José Francisco de Paula Juan Nepomuceno María de los Remedios Cipriano de la Santísima Trinidad Ruiz y Picasso (25 October 1881 – 8 April 1973) was a Spanish painter, sculptor, printmaker, Ceramic art, ceramicist, and Scenic ...
's '' Guernica'' and
Mark Rothko Mark Rothko ( ; Markus Yakovlevich Rothkowitz until 1940; September 25, 1903February 25, 1970) was an American abstract art, abstract painter. He is best known for his color field paintings that depicted irregular and painterly rectangular reg ...
's Seagram murals. It was also shown on
PBS The Public Broadcasting Service (PBS) is an American public broadcaster and non-commercial, free-to-air television network based in Arlington, Virginia. PBS is a publicly funded nonprofit organization and the most prominent provider of educat ...
in the United States.Nalley, Richard. "Simon Schama's Power of Art." Forbes 180 (18 September 2007): 165–165. Academic Search Premier, EBSCOhost (accessed 30 April 2009). In October 2008, on the eve of the presidential election won by Barack Obama, the BBC broadcast a four-part television series called '' The American Future: A History'' presented and written by Schama. In March 2009, Schama presented a
BBC Radio 4 BBC Radio 4 is a British national radio station owned and operated by the BBC. The station replaced the BBC Home Service on 30 September 1967 and broadcasts a wide variety of spoken-word programmes from the BBC's headquarters at Broadcasti ...
show entitled ''Baseball and Me'', both exploring the history of the game and describing his own personal support of the
Boston Red Sox The Boston Red Sox are an American professional baseball team based in Boston. The Red Sox compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) American League East, East Division. Founded in as one of the Ameri ...
. In 2010, Schama presented a series of ten talks for the
BBC Radio 4 BBC Radio 4 is a British national radio station owned and operated by the BBC. The station replaced the BBC Home Service on 30 September 1967 and broadcasts a wide variety of spoken-word programmes from the BBC's headquarters at Broadcasti ...
series ''A Point of View.'' In 2011, the BBC commissioned Simon Schama to write and present a five-part series called ''A History of the Jews'' for
BBC Two BBC Two is a British free-to-air Public service broadcasting in the United Kingdom, public broadcast television channel owned and operated by the BBC. It is the corporation's second flagship channel, and it covers a wide range of subject matte ...
, for transmission in 2012, The title became '' The Story of the Jews'' and broadcast was delayed until September 2013. Writing in ''
The Observer ''The Observer'' is a British newspaper published on Sundays. First published in 1791, it is the world's oldest Sunday newspaper. In 1993 it was acquired by Guardian Media Group Limited, and operated as a sister paper to ''The Guardian'' ...
'', Andrew Anthony called the series "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 Kenneth Mackenzie Clark, Baron Clark (13 July 1903 – 21 May 1983) was a British art historian, museum director and broadcaster. His expertise covered a wide range of artists and periods, but he is particularly associated with Italian Renaissa ...
.


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, Schama resides in
Briarcliff Manor, New York Briarcliff Manor () is a suburban village in Westchester County, New York, north of New York City. It is on of land on the east bank of the Hudson River, geographically shared by the towns of Mount Pleasant and Ossining. Briarcliff Manor inc ...
. He is a
Tottenham Hotspur Tottenham Hotspur Football Club, commonly referred to as simply Tottenham (, , , ) or Spurs, is a professional Association football, football club based in Tottenham, North London, England. The club itself has stated that it should always ...
supporter.


Politics

In 2010, Schama was a financial donor to Oona King's unsuccessful campaign to become
Mayor of London The mayor of London is the chief executive of the Greater London Authority. The role was created in 2000 after the Greater London devolution referendum in 1998, and was the first directly elected mayor in the United Kingdom. The current ...
. In August 2014, Schama was one of 200 public figures who were signatories to a letter to ''
The Guardian ''The Guardian'' is a British daily newspaper. It was founded in Manchester in 1821 as ''The Manchester Guardian'' and changed its name in 1959, followed by a move to London. Along with its sister paper, ''The Guardian Weekly'', ''The Guardi ...
'' expressing their hope that Scotland would vote to remain part of the United Kingdom in September's referendum on that issue. In November 2017, Schama joined
Simon Sebag Montefiore Simon Jonathan Sebag Montefiore ( ; born 27 June 1965) is a British historian, television presenter and author of history books and novels, including '' Stalin: The Court of the Red Tsar'' (2003), '' Jerusalem: The Biography'' (2011), '' The Rom ...
and Howard Jacobson in writing a letter to ''
The Times ''The Times'' is a British Newspaper#Daily, daily Newspaper#National, national newspaper based in London. It began in 1785 under the title ''The Daily Universal Register'', adopting its modern name on 1 January 1788. ''The Times'' and its si ...
'' about their concern over antisemitism in the Labour Party under
Jeremy Corbyn Jeremy Bernard Corbyn (; born 26 May 1949) is a British politician who has been Member of Parliament (United Kingdom), Member of Parliament (MP) for Islington North (UK Parliament constituency), Islington North since 1983. Now an Independent ...
's leadership, with particular reference to a growth in
Anti-Zionism Anti-Zionism is opposition to Zionism. Although anti-Zionism is a heterogeneous phenomenon, all its proponents agree that the creation of the State of Israel in 1948, and the movement to create a sovereign Jewish state in the Palestine (region) ...
and its purported "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 British art critic
John Berger John Peter Berger ( ; 5 November 1926 – 2 January 2017) was an English art critic, novelist, painter and poet. His novel '' G.'' won the 1972 Booker Prize, and his essay on art criticism '' Ways of Seeing'', written as an accompaniment to t ...
's support for the Palestinian call for an academic boycott of Israel. Writing in ''
The Guardian ''The Guardian'' is a British daily newspaper. It was founded in Manchester in 1821 as ''The Manchester Guardian'' and changed its name in 1959, followed by a move to London. Along with its sister paper, ''The Guardian Weekly'', ''The Guardi ...
'' in a 2006 article co-authored with
Anthony Julius Anthony Robert Julius (born 16 July 1956) is a British solicitor advocate known for being Diana, Princess of Wales' divorce lawyer and for representing Deborah Lipstadt. He is the deputy chairman at the law firm Mishcon de Reya and honorary ...
, Schama compared the open letter written by Berger and signed by 92 other leading artists to
Nazi Germany Nazi Germany, officially known as the German Reich and later the Greater German Reich, was the German Reich, German state between 1933 and 1945, when Adolf Hitler and the Nazi Party controlled the country, transforming it into a Totalit ...
, saying: "This is not the first boycott call directed at Jews. On 1 April 1933, only weeks after he came to power,
Hitler Adolf Hitler (20 April 1889 – 30 April 1945) was an Austrian-born German politician who was the dictator of Nazi Germany from 1933 until Death of Adolf Hitler, his suicide in 1945. Adolf Hitler's rise to power, He rose to power as the lea ...
ordered a boycott of Jewish shops, banks, offices and department stores." In 2006 on the BBC, Schama debated with
Vivienne Westwood Dame Vivienne Isabel Westwood (; 8 April 1941 – 29 December 2022) was an English fashion designer and businesswoman, largely responsible for bringing modern punk and new wave fashions into the mainstream. In 2022, ''Sky Arts'' ranked her the ...
the morality of Israel's actions in the Israel-Lebanon War. He described Israel's bombing of Lebanese city centres as unhelpful to Israel's attempt to "get rid of"
Hezbollah Hezbollah ( ; , , ) is a Lebanese Shia Islamist political party and paramilitary group. Hezbollah's paramilitary wing is the Jihad Council, and its political wing is the Loyalty to the Resistance Bloc party in the Lebanese Parliament. I ...
. He said: "Of course the spectacle and suffering makes us grieve. Who wouldn't grieve? But it's not enough to do that. We've got to understand. You've even got to understand Israel's point of view."


United States

Schama was a supporter of President
Barack Obama Barack Hussein Obama II (born August 4, 1961) is an American politician who was the 44th president of the United States from 2009 to 2017. A member of the Democratic Party, he was the first African American president in American history. O ...
and a critic of
George W. Bush George Walker Bush (born July 6, 1946) is an American politician and businessman who was the 43rd president of the United States from 2001 to 2009. A member of the Bush family and the Republican Party (United States), Republican Party, he i ...
. He appeared on the BBC's coverage of the
2008 US presidential election Presidential elections were held in the United States on November 4, 2008. The Democratic ticket of Barack Obama, the junior senator from Illinois, and Joe Biden, the senior senator from Delaware, defeated the Republican ticket of John Mc ...
, clashing with
John Bolton John Robert Bolton (born November 20, 1948) is an American attorney, diplomat, Republican Party (United States), Republican consultant, and political commentator. He served as the 25th United States ambassador to the United Nations from 2005 to ...
.


Reception and appraisal

Niall Ferguson Sir Niall Campbell Ferguson, ( ; born 18 April 1964)Biography
Niall Ferguson
praised Schama, "Amongst istorianscurrently writing, Simon Schama stands out as the
Dickens Charles John Huffam Dickens (; 7 February 1812 – 9 June 1870) was an English novelist, journalist, short story writer and social critic. He created some of literature's best-known fictional characters, and is regarded by many as the great ...
of modern historiography: bewilderingly erudite and prolific, passionate in his enthusiasms and armed with the complete contents of the
thesaurus A thesaurus (: thesauri or thesauruses), sometimes called a synonym dictionary or dictionary of synonyms, is a reference work which arranges words by their meanings (or in simpler terms, a book where one can find different words with similar me ...
."


Prizes and other honours

* 1977:
Wolfson History Prize The Wolfson History Prizes are literary awards given annually in the United Kingdom to promote and encourage standards of excellence in the writing of history for the general public. Prizes are given annually for two or three exceptional work ...
, for ''Patriots and Liberators'' * 1977:
Leo Gershoy Award The Leo Gershoy Award is a book prize awarded by the American Historical Association for the best publication in English dealing with the history of Europe in the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries. Endowed in 1975 by the Gershoy family and first ...
, 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 The American Academy of Arts and Letters is a 300-member honor society whose goal is to "foster, assist, and sustain excellence" in American literature, Music of the United States, music, and Visual art of the United States, art. Its fixed number ...
Award for Literature * 1995: Elected to Honorary Fellowship, Christ's College, Cambridge * 1996: Lionel Trilling Book Award, for ''Landscape and Memory'' * 1996:
National Magazine Awards The National Magazine Awards, also known as the Ellie Awards, honor print and digital publications that consistently demonstrate superior execution of editorial objectives, innovative techniques, noteworthy enterprise and imaginative design. Or ...
, for critical essays in ''
The New Yorker ''The New Yorker'' is an American magazine featuring journalism, commentary, criticism, essays, fiction, satire, cartoons, and poetry. It was founded on February 21, 1925, by Harold Ross and his wife Jane Grant, a reporter for ''The New York T ...
'' * 1996: WH Smith Literary Award, for ''Landscape and Memory'' * 2001:
St. Louis Literary Award The St. Louis Literary Award has been presented yearly since 1967 to a distinguished figure in literature. It is sponsored by the Saint Louis University Library Associates. Winners Past Recipients of the Award: *2025 Colson Whitehead *2024 J ...
from the
Saint Louis University Saint Louis University (SLU) is a private university, private Society of Jesus, Jesuit research university in St. Louis, Missouri, United States. Founded in 1818 by Louis William Valentine DuBourg, it is the oldest university west of the Missi ...
Library Associates * 2001: Broadcasting Press Guild Writer's 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 The Emmy Awards, or Emmys, are an extensive range of awards for artistic and technical merit for the television industry. A number of annual Emmy Award ceremonies are held throughout the year, each with their own set of rules and award categor ...
for ''The Two Winstons'', an episode of ''A History of Britain'' * 2006: National Book Critics Circle Award for Nonfiction winner, for ''Rough Crossings''Bosman, Julie. "National Briefing , Arts: National Book Critics Circle Winners", ''New York Times'' (9 March 2007): 20. Academic Search Premier; accessed 1 May 2009. * 2006: PEN Hessell-Tiltman Prize shortlist, for ''Rough Crossings'' * 2007:
International Emmy Award The International Emmy Awards, or International Emmys, are part of the extensive range of Emmy Awards for artistic and technical merit for the television industry. Bestowed by the New York City, New York–based International Academy of Televisi ...
, for ''Bernini'', an episode of ''Simon Schama's Power of Art'' * 2007: Nominated for BAFTA Huw Wheldon Award for Specialised Factual Programme or Series, for ''Simon Schama's Power of Art'' * 2008: ''
The Daily Telegraph ''The Daily Telegraph'', known online and elsewhere as ''The Telegraph'', is a British daily broadsheet conservative newspaper published in London by Telegraph Media Group and distributed in the United Kingdom and internationally. It was found ...
'' 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 The Feltrinelli Prize (from the Italian "Premio Feltrinelli", also known as "International Feltrinelli Prize" or "Antonio Feltrinelli Prize") is an award for achievement in the arts, music, literature, history, philosophy, medicine, and physical a ...
for History * 2017:
Fellow of the Royal Society of Literature The Royal Society of Literature (RSL) is a learned society founded in 1820 by George IV of the United Kingdom, King George IV to "reward literary merit and excite literary talent". A charity that represents the voice of literature in the UK, the ...
Onwuemezi, Natasha (7 June 2017)
"Rankin, McDermid and Levy named new RSL fellows"
''
The Bookseller ''The Bookseller'' is a British magazine reporting news on the publishing industry. Philip Jones is editor-in-chief of the weekly print edition of the magazine and the website. The magazine is home to the ''Bookseller''/Diagram Prize for Oddes ...
''. Retrieved 16 June 2018.
*
2018 Events January * January 1 – Bulgaria takes over the Presidency of the Council of the European Union, after the Estonian presidency. * January 4 – SPLM-IO rebels loyal to Chan Garang Lual start a raid against Juba, capital of ...
:
Knight Bachelor The title of Knight Bachelor is the basic rank granted to a man who has been knighted by the monarch but not inducted as a member of one of the organised Order of chivalry, orders of chivalry; it is a part of the Orders, decorations, and medals ...
, for services to history


Honours


Commonwealth honours

; Commonwealth honours


Scholastic

; University degrees ; Chancellor, visitor, governor, rector and fellowships ;Honorary degrees


Memberships and Fellowships


Awards


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) * '' Citizens: A Chronicle of the French Revolution'' (1989) * ''Dead Certainties: Unwarranted Speculations'' (1991, ) * ''Landscape and Memory'' (1995, ) * ''Rembrandt's 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 Schama's 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: Finding the Words, 1000 BCE–1492 CE'', Volume I (2013,
Bodley Head The Bodley Head is an English book publishing imprint of Penguin Random House. Founded in 1887 by John Lane and Elkin Mathews, The Bodley Head existed as an independent entity or as part of multiple consortia until it was acquired by Random ...
, ) * '' The Face of Britain: The Nation Through Its Portraits'' (2015, ) * '' Belonging: The Story of the Jews, 1492–1900'', Volume II (2017,
Bodley Head The Bodley Head is an English book publishing imprint of Penguin Random House. Founded in 1887 by John Lane and Elkin Mathews, The Bodley Head existed as an independent entity or as part of multiple consortia until it was acquired by Random ...
, ) * ''Foreign Bodies: Pandemics, Vaccines and the Health of Nations'' (2023, ) ;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 Schama's Power of Art ''Simon Schama's Power of Art'' is an eight-part BBC TV mini-series examining the works of eight artists, the context surrounding one of their works and the message they intended to convey with these. It was written, created, narrated, and presen ...
'' – BBC (2006), in eight parts * '' The American Future: A History'' – BBC (2008), in four parts * ''Simon Schama's John Donne'' – BBC (2009) * ''Simon Schama's Obama's America'' – BBC (2009) * ''Simon Schama's 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 * ''The Romantics and Us with Simon Schama'' – BBC (2020) 3 episodes: Passions of the People; The Chambers of the Mind; Tribes * ''Simon Schama's History of Now'' – BBC (2022) 3 episodes: Truth and Democracy; Equality; The Price of Plenty * ''SIMON SCHAMA: THE HOLOCAUST, 80 YEARS ON'' (2025). PBS. * ''Simon Schama: The Road to Auschwitz''. BBC (2025)


References


External links


Columbia Art History faculty page
*
Simon Schama , Culture , ''The Guardian''Simon Schama , ''The Guardian''Simon Schama , ''New Statesman''Simon Schama
on ''
The Spectator ''The Spectator'' is a weekly British political and cultural news magazine. It was first published in July 1828, making it the oldest surviving magazine in the world. ''The Spectator'' is politically conservative, and its principal subject a ...
'' * {{DEFAULTSORT:Schama, Simon 1945 births Living people 20th-century English historians 21st-century English historians 21st-century English writers Alumni of Christ's College, Cambridge BBC television presenters British expatriate academics in the United States Columbia University faculty Commanders of the Order of the British Empire Corresponding fellows of the British Academy English art historians English expatriates in the United States English Jews English people of Lithuanian-Jewish descent English people of Romanian-Jewish descent English people of Turkish-Jewish descent English television presenters Fellows of Brasenose College, Oxford Fellows of Christ's College, Cambridge Fellows of the Royal Society of Literature Harvard University faculty Historians of the Dutch Republic Historians of the French Revolution Historians of the United Kingdom Knights Bachelor People educated at Haberdashers' Boys' School People from Briarcliff Manor, New York People from Marylebone People from Southend-on-Sea Rembrandt scholars Scholars of Dutch art Television personalities from London National Book Critics Circle Award winners Wolfson History Prize winners