Each chapter of Tony Judt’s Postwar: A History of Europe since 1945,[1] of which there are twenty-four, is introduced by a largish number of mottos. Most are a joy to read. Together, they set up every chapter very well. The last one boasts five mottos. One of them attracted my attention at once. It is attributed to a Hungarian businessman, who has remained nameless. In a public opinion survey conducted in 2004 he said the following: “America is the place to come when you are young and single. But if it is time to grow up, you should return to Europe.”[2] In the margins I scribbled the following: “How many times have I told essentially the same thing to young people inquiring about America!” Indeed, I must have used almost identical words hundreds of times, especially when talking with students. Returning to the motto, it encapsulates the difference between America and Europe pretty well. The Hungarian businessman must have spoken from personal experience, just like me. He must be about my age, too.

Footnotes

1. London: Heinemann, 2005.

2. Op. cit., p. 777.