An Interview with James Billington (From the Editors) (Interview)

In this issue we continue our series of "e-interviews," in which we pose written questions to figures in the field who, we believe, in their capacity as scholars and public figures will be of significant interest to the readers of Kritika. We are especially pleased this time to publish the responses of one of the world's most prominent historians of Russia, James H. Billington. James Billington was sworn in as the Librarian of Congress on 14 September 1987. He is the 13th person to hold the position since the library was established in 1800. Perhaps best known to historians for his scholarly works on cultural history and the history of the revolutionary movement, his major works include Mikhailovsky and Russian Populism (1956), The Icon and the Axe (1966), and Fire in the Minds of Men (1980). Most recently, he published Russia in Search of Itself (2004).