Fionnáin reviewed Crowds and power by Elias Canetti
Review of 'Crowds and power' on 'GoodReads'
4 stars
A book written with an individual, literary sense of research (power) backed up by a litany of references from ancient times to the 1950s (crowd), this book is a paradox of prophesy and outdatedness that strikes a chord due to Canetti's excellent writing. Some of the borrowed descriptions of rituals and events in different cultures are fascinating, while Canetti's writing is strongest when it is metaphorical and descriptive. On rare occasions in this monumental book the writing gets slow or old-fashioned, but 'Crowds and Power' is still a well of information and ideas that resonates today as much as when it was published.