In Memory of
Stanley Hoffmann Minda de Gunzburg Center for European Studies Harvard University
Prof. Susan Rubin Suleiman C. Douglas Dillon Professor of the Civilization of France and Professor of Comparative Literature, Harvard University
Prof. Michael Ignatieff Edward R. Murrow Professor of the Practice of the Press, Politics and Public Policy, Harvard Kennedy School
When I arrived at Harvard as a first-year graduate student in French literature in the fall of 1961, Stanley Hoffmann was already a name that any self-respecting Francophile on campus had to know. Even those of us who were not his students knew of his brilliance, his wit, his star status among Harvard faculty. We were awed.
When I came to see him the last time, he was seated in the front room in front of a Paris street sign that read--if I remember it right--Avenue General de Gaulle. That’s the right place to be, I said, and he smiled and said it was a very good place to be indeed. We talked about leaving Vienna with his mother, the school in Nice that took him in, the pride he took in his good marks and the discovery that in France there could be a home for him after all. He talked about the French singer, Gerard Souzay and how all he wanted to do these days was listen to music. The mantelpiece was filled with pictures of him and Inge in earlier days, on windswept hillsides or sunny balconies, both of them looking tanned and happy and European. I left him thinking--what a life! Now, the books remain and there is the memory of a great teacher too, but there is also pure loss: there are no substitutes for him, for there is no subtle, disabused, skeptical intelligence quite like his, and above all, no voice like his: deep, sonorous, American, Viennese, French, now an echo we strain to hear and remember. Au revoir, Stanley.
Twenty years later, when I returned to Harvard as a member of the faculty myself, I remember how very happy and privileged I felt when Stanley invited me to lunch. Surely I had “arrived,” if the great man I had admired from afar so many years back actually knew who I was! But that was one of Stanley’s endearing traits—he was generous, and wore his fame lightly. Our lunches became quite regular, occurring at least once a semester for many years. I remember asking him, in the fall of 1986, whether he would be willing to second the motion for the establishment of the Women’s Studies concentration, which I was to present as Chair of the Women’s Studies Committee at the FAS faculty meeting a few weeks later. He kindly agreed, and made an eloquent speech at that historic meeting. In later years, he and I taught two seminars together, on literature and film of the 1930s in France and on French memories of World War Two. Here Stanley had a chance to display his immense erudition in matters both literary and historical, as well as his love of classic French cinema, one of his enduring passions. It’s hard to imagine the world without Stanley in it. I last saw him in early February of this year, when I visited him with cookies. He was no longer quite himself, but he was still very gracious. And on his bookshelf was a beautiful portrait photo of him, taken many decades ago — a dashing young European intellectual. That was his true self, and that is how I will remember him. October 31, 2015
November 24, 2015
Dr. Andrew Tauber, Partner, Mayer Brown LLP
I remember being on a panel with Stanley when I was a graduate student. I had spent a full day preparing a detailed, 3-page outline for my 15-minute presentation. About half way through my presentation, Stanley, who was sitting next to me, started rummaging in his pockets, from which he eventually pulled a dry-cleaning receipt. He proceeded to write three bullet points on the back of the receipt and then, a few minutes later, with no other notes and seemingly no other preparation, gave an insightful, tightly organized talk. It was--as usual with Stanley--a quietly humbling and deeply educational experience. November 24, 2015
Prof. Gianfranco Pasquino, Emeritus Professor of Political Science, University of Bologna, Italy
Knowledge and style, Stanley has been one of the most important public intellectuals of our time. Sharp, consistent, innovative. Proudly in Raymond Aron’s footsteps, he has spoken the truth to power, relentlessly, and taught many to do so. My understanding of international relations, of war and peace, of ethics and of French politics has been decisively influenced by his writings. My admiration for his way of lecturing will never fade away. I wish I could be there to honor him. November 25, 2015
Janet and Irv Plotkin, Economist, MIT and Rockport
We were privileged to know Stanley as a neighbor in Rockport, MA, a friend, and as a fellow music lover. He always greeted us with a kind smile and twinkle in his eye. He infused our discussions of world events with deep understanding and reflections on a remarkable personal history and academic career. We miss him greatly. November 25, 2015
Stefanie Grupp-Clasby, Executive Director, University of Cologne New York Office Inc. With gratitude University of Cologne faculty, student body, and staff will remember the contributions Professor Stanley Hoffmann has made to an understanding of Europe among the Harvard student body and faculty as well as study groups. He is one of the most important institution builders in European Studies in the United States. ‘His’ Center for European Studies is one of the most important Centers dedicated to the study of Europe in the world today and he built it for all of us to enjoy. As a EU passport holder living in the United States, I am very grateful for the scholarship that is being produced at the Center as it addresses the critical issues facing the Eurozone, MENA, and European governments, societies, and university systems. It is always a personal highlight to join for lunch whenever I visit. Last time, two young researchers, one from
Cologne, one from Hamburg and my colleague and I were joined by faculty from Harvard and MIT. The Center is a great place to learn about one’s home country as a European citizen - and grasp issues before they become part of one’s own national scientific and/ or official political discourse. November 25, 2015
Dr. Christine Cadot, Associate Professor, Political Science Department, University Paris 8 Back in 2003, I was a PhD student in Political Science, experiencing my first stay out of France. As far as I remember, I felt completely lost when I arrived at Cambridge, as well as intimidated in this very particular academic world. As I was trying to reach a few professors, asking for help in my research, I easily got an answer from Stanley Hoffmann. Today, I can always remember the warm and strong “Welcome Christine!” that I received over the phone, as if he knew I was struggling with a strong “Lost in translation” syndrome. These two words were an immediate relief. I remember that, despite the fact that he only knew my name and few sentences about my research topic, he immediately helped me to gain access to the Widener library and other resources. He trusted me and helped me to borrow dozens of books from his account before I could officially register to the University (and yes, I returned them all). He invited me to meet him several times during that year to advise me about books I should read and classes I should skip, and also for more informal and fun discussions about French politics and public figures. He never forgot appointments. He never said he had no time. I will always remember Stanley Hoffmann as a man of great and rare generosity. November 25, 2015 Gerald and Nina Holton Like everyone who knew Stanley, we deeply mourn his loss, after so many decades of having enjoyed his mind and spirit. November 26, 2015
Prof. Ethan Kapstein, Princeton and Arizona State Although I was not his student, Stanley was a generous supporter of mine during my time at Harvard, and he was kind enough to ‘blurb’ my first book. But a memory that always brings a smile to my face is when I was about to do a fly-out for a job interview and Stanley said to me, “Give my regards to Prof. So-and-So...there was once the promise...of an article”! The master of the subtle put-down at work! He is sorely missed! November 27, 2015 Prof. Daniel Sherman, Lineberger Distinguished Professor of Art History and History, University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill By some stroke of good luck that now seems almost cosmic to me, Stanley Hoffmann was offering his full-year course Social Sciences 117, “Political Doctrines and Society: Modern France,” in my second year as an undergraduate at Harvard in the late 70s. Although he repeatedly reminded us that it was not a history course, it was enough to hook me on French history for life, to shape the way I think about France to this day, to influence the way I teach (I still start my lectures with outlines, generally in three parts), and to teach me the valuable lesson that some of the greatest historians are not in History departments. But Stanley was also a member of the Committee on Degrees in History and Literature, and thus agreed to advise my senior thesis, for which I had my first experience of research in French, funded by a CES summer travel grant, also a life-changing experience. (His handwritten P.S. on the award letter was succinct: “Au travail!”) A few years later, with a freshly minted Ph.D. from another institution and a short-term job as a lecturer at Harvard, I found Stanley’s hospitality, both intellectual and social, at CES, then still in its cozy Bryant Street confines, an immense morale-booster through the endless early-career job search. Though CES is of course more than one person, I have always associated its informality, its intellectual seriousness, and its commitment to genuine scholarly exchange across disciplines with the model Stanley set. Writing on Thanksgiving, which this year falls the day before what would have been his 87th birthday, I can say that there are few things for which I am more grateful than Stanley’s warmth, generosity, friendship, and example. And although I miss him terribly, he remains an indelible presence. November 27, 2015
Prof. William Keylor, Professor of History and International Relations at the Pardee School of Global Studies, Boston University Stanley Hoffmann was one of a handful of political scientists specializing in international relations to retain a profound knowledge of history. The extraordinary breadth of his knowledge--of France and its history, of United States foreign relations, among so many other subjects--was an inspiration to faculty and students at many institutions of higher education in this and many other countries. He was also a master of the mordant quip (such as when he dismissed the so-called “nouveaux philosophes” in France who were being celebrated on both sides of the Atlantic in the 1970s and 1980s for their profound contributions to Western thought: “ils ne sont ni nouveaux ni philosophes.”) This intellectual giant will be sorely missed by all of us who were inspired by his example of a public intellectual who, in his writings and commentary, wielded a sharp knife to cut the Gordian knots of hyperbole and nonsense about France, the United States, and the relations among nation-states in the modern world. November 28, 2015
Mrs. Sandy Selesky, Building Manager of the Center for European Studies (1989-2014) As the former Building Manager at the Center for European Studies for the entire time Stanley had his office in Adolphus Busch Hall until his retirement, I had the extreme pleasure of helping him many times with various office issues and having wonderful conversations with him over the course of almost a quarter of a century! He was always a wonderful man to work with and talk to - always kind and considerate and concerned about the welfare of those around him and very concerned about what was happening in the world at any given moment. He loved the students at Harvard and loved teaching them. I would take his picture every year for our photo collage and he always had an easy smile, and I feel so lucky to have known him for such a long time. November 28, 2015
Dr. Paul-André Bempéchat, Artist-in-Residence, Leverett House, Harvard University
Mrs. Ayana Touval, Montgomery College, Mathematics Teacher
Stanley Hoffmann was – and his example of humanistic scholarship – will remain a constant source of inspiration. He never failed to offer of his valuable time and sagacity as I grew into my second career as an interdisciplinary historian. Nor did he ever fail to attend my annual campus recitals and to comment constructively and effectively on my spoken introductions and program notes. Like everyone who had the privilege of knowing this great scholar and human being, I will not cease to miss his abiding presence.
Stanley was the immensely generous, loyal and charismatic friend of my husband Saadia Touval. I always felt privileged to be in his company. Whenever he came for dinner I baked the chocolatiest cake which we aptly called Stanley’s cake. I loved his immense joi de vivre, his obvious delight in great conversations, his appreciations for beautiful nature, his choice of table in restaurant with the best view, his choice of the most succinct and ripe peach. I was extremely lucky to have spent many wonderful hours in Stanley’s and Inge’s company, it can’t be replicated. Those times were unique.
November 29, 2015 November 30, 2015 Prof. Christiane Lemke, Professor of Political Science, International Relations and European Studies, Leibniz Universität Hannover Farewell to a great Europeanist – you will be missed, Stanley. November 30, 2015 Mr. Mathias Dufour Très cher Stanley, Je n’oublierai jamais ce jour de septembre 1999 quand, jeune étudiant fraîchement arrivé à Harvard, ne connaissant personne, j’ai poussé la porte de ton bureau, tout intimidé à l’idée de rencontrer une “star”, et que tu m’as accueilli avec cette phrase, inouie pour un étudiant habitué à la morgue des professeurs d’université français, “Hello, what can I do for you?” Il y avait là, dès cette première phrase, ouverte à l’autre, chaleureuse, modeste, abolissant les distances, invitant à l’échange, tout ce qui m’a fait apprécier le bonheur de devenir ton ami pendant les 16 années qui ont suivi. “Ton ami”, le mot est beau, mais la réalité l’était encore plus, tant tu es devenu part entière de ma famille, et moi de la tienne, celle que l’on se choisit. J’ai pour toi, et je parle au présent car ton départ n’y change rien, une immense estime et affection. Je te porte tout le temps dans mon coeur... et tous les jours je ressens ton absence. Au moins ai-je eu la chance de pouvoir te le dire. Dans son journal écrit en captivité, Léon Blum a écrit cette magnifique phrase, “toute ma vie, j’ai essayé d’élever les hommes”. Elle te va si bien. Du fond du coeur, Mathias November 30, 2015
Prof. Yuen Foong Khong, Li Ka Shing Professor of Political Science, Lee Kuan Yew School of Public Policy, National University of Singapore Although Stanley did not know me from Adam, he readily agreed to give me two Independent Reading courses—on International Relations Theory and United States Foreign Policy—in my first year in graduate school. At 4:30 p.m., every other Monday, I would trek along Francis Avenue to make my way to his CES office on Bryant Street, for those forty-five minute Q and A sessions (with me asking the questions) on works I have managed to read from his long “Oxford style” reading list. Two memories linger about those anxious (but in retrospect magnificent) evenings, where I learnt much of my international politics. First, I could not help asking myself why was this great scholar allowing a novice like me to take up his precious time this way? Second, I “came of age” as an IR scholar late in the semester, when I found I was able to accurately identify (unnamed) authors whose ideas were cited in key works without having to refer to the endnotes. If not for Stanley, I would not be the IR scholar I am today. My Harvard years--as a graduate student and subsequently as Government Department faculty member--were among the happiest years of my life, due largely to my having found a mentor and friend in Stanley. I shall miss him hugely. December 1, 2015
Prof. Kalypso Nicolaïdis, Professor of International Relations, Department of Politics and International Relations, University of Oxford More than thirty years ago, I arrived at Harvard, determined not to hang out with fellow French or Greeks - I was going to embrace a new world, my old one safely tucked away on the other side of the pond. I met Stanley again and it was not to be (we had met in funny circumstances a few years earlier at Sciences-Po, introduced by the great Alfred Grosser). He was not my teacher or even mentor, simply, albeit a bit older than me, a brilliant friend, as Elena Ferrante would say. We belonged together to the world of hybrids and exiled, especially at home in Cambridge Mass. Eventually in the 90s we had a ball teaching together a wonderful course entitled “National Identity and Nationalism: An Exploration through film”. How Stanley played with words and the world!
Mr. Stephen Brokaw, Principal, 270 Strategies I was lucky enough to land in Professor Hoffmann’s freshman seminar. He took me, a kid from the cornfields of Illinois, and opened up my world view and made Harvard approachable. Through several classes, advising my thesis, and four years’ worth of office hours, he inspired me to dream enormously. I will always remember his warmth and intelligence, and most of all, his humor. December 1, 2015 Mrs. Bettye Wallace Nothmann I was privileged to study with Prof. Hoffmann and to serve as his teaching assistant in the 70s. He endures among the best of my Harvard memories. December 1, 2015
Along with dear Inge, Stanley became godparent to my son, Ari Saunders, and while none of us referred to god per se in nurturing this relationship, Stanley did share with my kids his quirky sense of humour, his ironic running commentary on world affairs and, of course, his passion for special voices echoing in our minds, from Schubert to Mozart, Trenet or Barbara. It is perhaps because I witnessed this very personal bond, as well of course as Stanley’s dedication to his scores of students on both sides of the Atlantic whom he never failed to charm, that I am so keen to make sure that the next generations get a glimpse of Stanley the man, as they explore and delight in the lasting wisdom of his scholarship. For this reason, I would like to share a documentary which I filmed in 2012 when, along with Inge and my family, we gathered in Rockport for Christmas and encouraged Stanley to share some of his crucial memories of his experience as a Jew hiding in World War II southern France. I believe that this film not only conveys his natural warmth of character but also his abiding optimism in the way in which he recalls some of the deep humanity that was left even at the very end of the war between Germans and French, as well as his sense that it is also these ineffable attitudes that made reconciliation possible after the War. I hope that this testimony can inspire new generations who witness their won wars and atrocities, to believe in the possibility of a more ethical world —malgré tout, as Stanley liked to say. The film can be found here: https://www.youtube.com/ watch?v=5g3oHA-dPcg December 1, 2015
Dr. Craig Lambert, Staff writer and editor (ret.), Harvard Magazine While writing a feature-length profile of Professor Hoffman for Harvard Magazine in 2007 (http://harvardmagazine. com/2007/07/le-professeur.html), I had the privilege of spending several hours with him exploring his life and work. When the piece was done, we debated the best title: Le Penseur of Le Professeur, eventually deciding for the latter. Stanley’s credentials as a thinker and author needed no seconding, and our feeling was that his role as a teacher was even closer to his heart. Anyone who read The New York Review of Books or his scholarship could appreciate Stanley’s brilliant intellect and wide learning, but to absorb his excellence as a teacher required direct contact. One of the most enduring images I hold of Stanley did not appear in my piece. Alfie Alcorn ’64 told me of the pleasure he had as an undergraduate in Winthrop House, when on many mornings students could sit with Stanley, then a resident tutor there, in the dining hall with The New York Times spread out on the table and discuss the latest crisis in international relations with him over breakfast. No classrooms, no books, no lectures, papers, or exams—but to my mind, this was Harvard education, indeed, college education, at its finest. December 1, 2015
Roumiana Theunissen, Program & Outreach Coordinator, Minda de Gunzburg Center for European Studies, Harvard University What struck me the most when I first met Stanley as I was preparing to write my senior thesis was his generosity. I could not imagine a professor of his stature making time to have lunch with students at his favorite Sandrine’s to give them advice and point them in the right direction, both at Harvard and in life. Office hours were a real treat. In that corner office at the Center of European Studies, where admiring students waited their turn to speak to Stanley, our conversation would transition seamlessly from my thesis research and books I should read to the international news of the day, the latest music performance he had been to, his admiration for General de Gaulle, and childhood memories of Nice. Stanley’s selfless commitment to his students, his sharp mind, his curiosity, his humbleness, his sense of humor and irony, made him a joy to be around. In my senior year at Harvard, I had the privilege of taking Stanley’s famous course on “Ethics and International Relations.” This was Stanley at his finest, lecturing on the big questions that troubled him: human rights, the use of force, distributive justice. His focus on the problem of morality in international relations is his enduring legacy that has shaped the thinking of many of today’s public leaders and professors at top universities. Stanley was an institution. He was a Harvard education at its best and the heart and soul of the Center for European Studies. December 2, 2015 Dr. Jan-Emmanuel De Neve, Associate Professor of Economics and Strategy, University of Oxford I so vividly recall the ‘delicate equilibrium’ of books and papers stacked in his office and worrying that they could all come down in some domino motion. But Stanley didn’t seem too worried about it ... always that smile and twinkle in his eyes as he gazed out of the window discussing political issues. It is hard for me to think of anyone else right now who like Stanley is such an intellectual powerhouse and eminence grise yet would be such a dedicated mentor to students taking the time and interest in fostering the careers of others. I fully realized at the time just how fortunate I was to be able to spend time with Stanley but the more I think back at it the more I realize just how much influence he has had on my journey and how
much I am indebted to him. My first academic publication came out of his stimulating graduate seminar and was the result of his stimulating comments and encouragement, and he wrote my reference letters and introduced me to those who would become my PhD supervisors. I wish I could express my gratitude to him in person but I’m sad to no longer have that opportunity. I see but one way of giving back and that is to aspire to follow in his footsteps and to see Stanley as the phenomenal role-model he is. December 2, 2015 Prof. Eve Troutt Powell, Professor of Histoy and Africana Studies & Associate Dean of Graduate Education, University of Pennsylvania I am so sorry that Stanley has passed, and I want to remember his much long and brilliant career as a professor of Government. Before the Center for European Studies moved into its gorgeous structure on Kirkland Street, Stanley’s office was in a much more modest CES further up on Kirkland, where he held his grad seminars, and let me take one as a sophomore in History and Literature. He remained my mentor throughout my undergraduate years, and continued as my mentor when I became a graduate student. He relieved the ache of doctoral study by regular lunches at Sandrine’s, after it was no longer possible to have lunch in the Hasty Pudding. He was a wonderful teacher, a dear guide and always a humane and ethical thinker. He made me think about gender and academia and how to navigate my university career in ways no one has before or since. I try to be like him - to listen carefully to my students as their ideas take wing - but I will always stand in awe of his intellectual wing span. I feel so honored to have learned from him. He made being a professor honorable, for which I will always be grateful. I know I am one of many of his former students. How lucky were we to have him. May we pass his generosity on. December 3, 2015
Mr. Bruce Belfiore, CEO BenchmarkPortal
Prof. John Keeler, Dean, Graduate School of Public and International Affairs, University of Pittsburgh
Professor Hoffman was one of my favorite professors. I took his “Politics and Society: Modern France” course freshman year, and the notes I took in that class were the neatest and best I ever wrote (and everything came in threes!) I was delighted to be chosen for his freshman seminar second semester, which was on “Ethical Problems in Political Decisions”, or something similar. This was pure intellectual adrenaline. I loved it, even when he put me on the spot to defend decisions taken before I was even born! I also recall someone asking him if he might follow Henry Kissinger to Washington, back when Dr. Kissinger was in the Nixon administration. His reply: “Henry and I have always had an agreement. He takes care of the world, and I take care of Harvard.” The Center for Western European Studies (as it was called then) was the place I took seminars from the likes of Romano Prodi (later Prime Minister of Italy) and other Italian luminaries whom I will always remember fondly. They had a profound impact on my life and my career. His key role in the Center was an inspiration to us all. I recall writing to him years after graduating, and he responded in his typical lively fashion, and clearly remembered me after the passage of many years. Adieu, mon professeur. Merci beaucoup. December 3, 2015
What an inspiring and stimulating mentor Stanley was! I arrived at Harvard in 1972 expecting to specialize in political philosophy and German politics. After several courses with Stanley and four years in residence at 5 Bryant Street, I departed in 1977 with a focus on French politics and international relations - so Stanley literally set the course for my career. As everyone from my generation would attest, his unique combination of intellect and humor also made the Center for West European Studies the most fascinating and enjoyable “home” possible for doctoral students. We miss you, Stanley! December 3, 2015