Book description
The twentieth century was a century of idealism and revolution and
as never before speeches were crucial in stirring the hearts and
minds of millions around the world.
Whether it was Churchill rousing the British to take up arms or the
dream of Martin Luther King, Fidel Castro inspiring the Cuban
revolution or Salman Rushdie denouncing his fatwa, speeches have made
headlines and shaped the way we see ourselves and the larger society.
Gathered here are some of the most extraordinary and memorable
speeches of the modern era. Some are well known, others less so, but
all, in their way, whether large or small, had a hand in shaping the
world that we inhabit now.
Originally published as The Penguin Book of Twentieth-Century
Speeches, this new edition has been updated to include the most
significant speeches since the Millennium including statements on the
Iraq War by George Bush, Tony Blair and Robin Cook, and speeches by
Burmese heroine AungSan Suu Kyi and President Barack Obama.
Brian MacArthur has had a long and distinguished career in
journalism. He was founder editor of the
Today
newspaper and
The Times Higher Education Supplement
, and was Deputy Editor of the
Sunday Times
. His most recent book is
Surviving the Sword
, about prisoners of war of the Japanese. He also edited
The Penguin
Book of Historic Speeches
, the companion volume to this book.
