• Reference: Wikipedia Simon Schama

Sir Simon Michael Schama CBE FBA FRSL (/ˈʃæmə/; born 13 February 1945) is an English historian specialising in art history, Dutch history, Jewish history and French history.[1] He is a University Professor of History and Art History at Columbia University, New York.[2]

He first came to public attention with his history of the French Revolution titled Citizens, published in 1989.[1] In the United Kingdom, he is perhaps best known for writing and hosting the 15-part BBC television documentary series A History of Britain broadcast between 2000 and 2002.[3][4] Schama was knighted in the 2018 Queen's Birthday Honours List.[5]

Contents Early life and education Schama was born in Marylebone, London.[1][6] His mother, Gertie (née Steinberg), was from an Ashkenazi Jewish family (from Kaunas, present-day Lithuania), and his father, Arthur Schama, was of Sephardi Jewish background (from Smyrna, present-day İzmir in Turkey), later moving through Moldova and Romania.[7][8]

In the mid-1940s, the family moved to Southend-on-Sea in Essex before moving back to London. In 1956, Schama won a scholarship to the private Haberdashers' Aske's Boys' School in Cricklewood, (from 1961 Elstree, Hertfordshire). He then studied history at Christ's College, Cambridge, where he was taught by John H. Plumb. He graduated from the University of Cambridge with a Starred First in 1966.[1]

Career Schama worked for short periods as a lecturer in history at Cambridge, where he was a Fellow and Director of Studies in History at Christ's College. He then taught for some time at Oxford, where he was made a Fellow of Brasenose College in 1976, specialising in the French Revolution.[1]

At this time, Schama wrote his first book, Patriots and Liberators, which won the Wolfson History Prize. The book was originally intended as a study of the French Revolution, but as published in 1977, it focused on the effect of the Patriottentijd revolution of the 1780s in the Netherlands, and its aftermath.[9][10]

His second book, Two Rothschilds and the Land of Israel (1978), is a study of the Zionist aims of Edmond and James Rothschild.

In the United States

Schama at New York City's Strand Bookstore in 2006. In 1980, Schama took up a chair at Harvard University. His next book, The Embarrassment of Riches (1987), again focused on Dutch history.[11] Schama interpreted the ambivalences that informed the Dutch Golden Age of the 17th century, held in balance between the conflicting imperatives, to live richly and with power, or to live a godly life. The iconographic evidence that Schama draws upon, in 317 illustrations, of emblems and propaganda that defined Dutch character, prefigured his expansion in the 1990s as a commentator on art and visual culture.[12]

Citizens (1989), written at speed to a publisher's commission, saw the publication of his long-awaited study of the French Revolution, and won the 1990 NCR Book Award. Its view that the violence of the Terror was inherent from the start of the Revolution, however, has received serious negative criticism.[1][13]

Schama appeared as an on-screen expert in Michael Wood's 1989 PBS series, Art of the Western World as a presenting art historian, commenting on paintings by Diego Velázquez, Rembrandt, and Johannes Vermeer.[14]

In 1991, he published Dead Certainties (Unwarranted Speculations),[15] a relatively slender work of unusual structure and point-of-view in that it looked at two widely reported deaths a hundred years apart, that of British Army General James Wolfe in 1759 – and the famous 1770 painting depicting the event by Benjamin West – and that of George Parkman, murdered uncle of the better known 19th-century American historian Francis Parkman.[16][17]

Schama mooted some possible (invented) connections between the two cases, exploring the historian's inability "ever to reconstruct a dead world in its completeness however thorough or revealing the documentation", and speculatively bridging "the teasing gap separating a lived event and its subsequent narration." Not all readers absorbed the nuance of the title: it received a very mixed critical and academic reception. Traditional historians in particular denounced Schama's integration of fact and conjecture to produce a seamless narrative,[18] but later assessments took a more relaxed view of the experiment.[19]

It was an approach soon taken up by such historical writers as Peter Ackroyd, David Taylor, and Richard Holmes.[20]

Sales in hardback exceeded those of Schama's earlier works, as shown by relative rankings by amazon.com.[21][original research?]

Schama's next book, Landscape and Memory (1995), focused on the relationship between physical environment and folk memory, separating the components of landscape as wood, water and rock, enmeshed in the cultural consciousness of collective "memory" embodied in myths, which Schama finds to be expressed outwardly in ceremony and text. More personal and idiosyncratic than Dead Certainties, this book was more traditionally structured and better-defined in its approach. Despite mixed reviews, the book was a commercial success and won numerous prizes.[22][23]

Plaudits came from the art world rather than from traditional academia. Schama became art critic for The New Yorker in 1995. He held the position for three years, dovetailing his regular column with professorial duties at Columbia University; a selection of his essays on art for the magazine, chosen by Schama himself, was published in 2005 under the title Hang Ups.[24] During this time, Schama also produced a lavishly illustrated Rembrandt's Eyes, another critical and commercial success. Despite the book's title, it contrasts the biographies of Rembrandt van Rijn and Peter Paul Rubens.[25]

BBC In 1995, Schama wrote and presented a series called Landscape and Memory to accompany his book of the same name. Schama returned to the UK in 2000, having been commissioned by the BBC to produce a series of television documentary programmes on British history as part of their Millennium celebrations, under the title A History of Britain.

Schama wrote and presented the episodes himself, in a friendly and often jocular style with his highly characteristic delivery, and was rewarded with excellent reviews and unexpectedly high ratings. There has been, however, some irritation and criticism expressed by a group of historians about Schama's condensed recounting of the British Isles' history on this occasion, particularly by those specialising in the pre-Anglo-Saxon history of Insular Celtic civilisation.[26] Three series were made, totalling 15 episodes,[27][28] covering the complete span of British history up until 1965;[28] it went on to become one of the BBC's best-selling documentary series on DVD. Schama also wrote a trilogy of tie-in books for the show, which took the story up to the year 2000; there is some debate as to whether the books are the tie-in product for the TV series, or the other way around. The series also had some popularity in the United States when it was first shown on the History Channel.[28]

In 2001, Schama received a CBE. In 2003, he signed a new contract with the BBC and HarperCollins to produce three new books and two accompanying TV series. Worth £3 million (around US$5.3m), it represents the biggest advance deal ever for a TV historian. The first result of the deal was a book and TV show entitled Rough Crossings: Britain, the Slaves and the American Revolution,[29] dealing in particular with the proclamation issued during the Revolutionary War by Lord Dunmore offering slaves from rebel plantations freedom in return for service to the crown.[30]

In 2006 the BBC broadcast a new TV series, Simon Schama's Power of Art which, with an accompanying book, was presented and written by Schama. It marks a return to art history for him, treating eight artists through eight key works: Caravaggio's David with the Head of Goliath, Bernini's Ecstasy of St Theresa, Rembrandt's Conspiracy of Claudius Civilis, Jacques-Louis David's The Death of Marat, J. M. W. Turner's The Slave Ship, Vincent van Gogh's Wheat Field with Crows, Picasso's Guernica and Mark Rothko's Seagram Murals.[31] It was also shown on PBS in the United States.[32]

In October 2008, on the eve of the presidential election won by Barack Obama, the BBC broadcast a four-part television series called The American Future: A History presented and written by Schama. In March 2009, Schama presented a BBC Radio 4 show entitled Baseball and Me, both exploring the history of the game and describing his own personal support of the Boston Red Sox.[33]

In 2010, Schama presented a series of ten talks for the BBC Radio 4 series A Point of View:

Why We Like Tough Guys in Politics: When times are hard people seem to prefer tough leaders. Singing in the Rain: Schama looks forward to spring with personal reflections on the changing seasons. At the Heart of the Matter: The politics surrounding President Barack Obama's healthcare reforms. The Gift of the Gab: The history of political rhetoric and the power during election campaigns of televised debates. Behold, Newstralia!: Celebrates the distinctive history and culture of New Zealand and regrets any renewed talk of joining forces with Australia. A Welcome Slice of American Pie: Reflection on the quality of American food and eating habits. The Drama of Politics: The timeless drama of British politics. When Money is Just an Illusion: Reflection on the meaning of money as represented by coins and notes and in art. Hearts of Oak: Reflection on the significance of one of the sights that will greet new MPs in the chamber of the House of Commons – the panelling made of solid oak. Britain's New Politics: Reflection on the 2010 United Kingdom general election, favourably comparing the British system for a swift handover of power to the cumbersome American one.[34] In 2011 the BBC commissioned Simon Schama to write and present a five-part series called A History of the Jews for BBC Two for transmission in 2012,[35] The title became The Story of the Jews and broadcast was delayed until September 2013.[36] Writing in The Observer, Andrew Anthony called it "an astonishing achievement, a TV landmark."[37]

In 2018, Simon Schama wrote and presented five of the nine episodes of Civilisations, a reboot of the 1969 series by Kenneth Clark.[38]

Personal life Schama is Jewish. He is married to Virginia Papaioannou, a geneticist from California; they have two children, Chloe and Gabriel.[39] As of 2014, he resides in Briarcliff Manor, New York.[40] Schama is a Tottenham Hotspur supporter.[41]

Politics In 2010, Schama was a financial donor to Oona King's unsuccessful campaign to become Mayor of London.[42]

In August 2014, Schama was one of 200 public figures who were signatories to a letter to The Guardian expressing their hope that Scotland would vote to remain part of the United Kingdom in September's referendum on that issue.[43]

In November 2017, Schama joined Simon Sebag Montefiore and Howard Jacobson in writing a letter to The Times about their concern over antisemitism in the Labour Party under Jeremy Corbyn's leadership, with particular reference to a growth in Anti-Zionism and its "antisemitic characteristics". Schama and Sebag Montefiore have both written historical works about Israel, while Jacobson has written regularly about Israel and the UK Jewish community in his newspaper columns.[44] Schama made a further criticism of the party in July 2019, when he joined other leading Jewish figures in saying, in a letter to The Guardian, that the crisis was "a taint of international and historic shame" and that trust in the party was "fractured beyond repair".[45]

Israel Schama was critical of a call by British novelist John Berger for an academic boycott of Israel over its policies towards the Palestinians. Writing in The Guardian in an article co-authored with Anthony Julius, Schama compared Berger's academic boycott to policies adopted by Nazi Germany, saying: "This is not the first boycott call directed at Jews. On 1 April 1933, only weeks after he came to power, Hitler ordered a boycott of Jewish shops, banks, offices and department stores."[46]

In 2006 on the BBC, Schama debated with Vivienne Westwood the morality of Israel's actions in the Israel-Lebanon War.[47] He described Israel's bombing of Lebanese city centres as unhelpful to Israel's attempt to "get rid of" Hezbollah.[47] He said: "Of course the spectacle and suffering makes us grieve. Who wouldn't grieve? But it's not enough to do that. We've got to understand. You've even got to understand Israel's point of view."[47]

United States Schama was a supporter of President Barack Obama[48] and a critic of George W. Bush.[49] He appeared on the BBC's coverage of the 2008 US presidential election, clashing with John Bolton.[50]

Prizes and other honours 1977: Wolfson History Prize, for Patriots and Liberators 1977: Leo Gershoy Award, for Patriots and Liberators 1987: New York Times Best Books of the Year, for The Embarrassment of Riches 1989: New York Times Best Books of the Year, for Citizens: A Chronicle of the French Revolution 1989: Yorkshire Post Book Award, for Citizens: A Chronicle of the French Revolution 1995: Elected to Honorary Fellowship, Christ's College, Cambridge 1996: Lionel Trilling Book Award, for Landscape and Memory 1996: WH Smith Literary Award, for Landscape and Memory 2001: St. Louis Literary Award from the Saint Louis University Library Associates[51][52] 2001: Broadcasting Press Guild Writer's Award, for A History of Britain 2001: Nominated for BAFTA Huw Wheldon Award for Specialised Programme or Series (Arts, History, Religion and Science), for A History of Britain[53] 2002: Nominated for BAFTA Richard Dimbleby Award for the Best Presenter (Factual, Features and News), for A History of Britain 2003: Nominated for Outstanding Individual Achievement in a Craft: Writing Emmy Award for The Two Winstons, an episode of A History of Britain[54] 2006: National Book Critics Circle Award for Non-fiction winner, for Rough Crossings[55] 2006: Hessell-Tiltman Prize Shortlist, for Rough Crossings 2007: International Emmy Award, for Bernini, an episode of Simon Schama's Power of Art[56] 2007: Nominated for BAFTA Huw Wheldon Award for Specialised Factual Programme or Series, for Simon Schama's Power of Art 2008: The Daily Telegraph's 110 Best Books: The Perfect Library, for Citizens: A Chronicle of the French Revolution 2011: Kenyon Review Award for Literary Achievement[57] 2015: Corresponding Fellow of the British Academy[58] 2017: Fellow of the Royal Society of Literature[59] 2018: Knight Bachelor, for services to history Bibliography Books Patriots and Liberators: Revolution in the Netherlands 1780–1813 (1977) Two Rothschilds and the Land of Israel (1978) The Embarrassment of Riches: An Interpretation of Dutch Culture in the Golden Age (1987) Citizens: A Chronicle of the French Revolution (1989)[1] Dead Certainties: Unwarranted Speculations (1991, ISBN 0394222202) Landscape and Memory (1995, ISBN 0679402551)[22][60] Rembrandt's Eyes (1999, ISBN 0676593925)[60] A History of Britain Vol. I (2000, ISBN 0-563-48714-3) A History of Britain Vol. II (2001, ISBN 0-563-48718-6) A History of Britain Vol. III (2002, ISBN 0-563-48719-4) Hang Ups: Essays on Art (2004, ISBN 0563521732) Rough Crossings (2005, ISBN 0-06-053916-X) Simon Schama's Power of Art (2006, ISBN 0-06-117610-9)[32] The American Future: A History (2009, ISBN 0-06-053923-2) Scribble, Scribble, Scribble: Writing on Politics, Ice Cream, Churchill and My Mother (2011, ISBN 978-0062009869) The Story of the Jews, Volume I: Finding the Words, 1000 BCE–1492 CE (2013, Bodley Head, ISBN 9781847921321)[61] The Face of Britain: The Nation through Its Portraits (2015, ISBN 9780241963715) Belonging: The Story of the Jews 1492–1900, Volume II of the trilogy (2017, Bodley Head, ISBN 9781847922809)[62] Television documentaries Landscape and Memory (1995), in five parts Rembrandt: The Public Eye and the Private Gaze (1995) A History of Britain by Simon Schama – BBC (2000), in 15 parts Murder at Harvard – PBS (2003) Rough Crossings – BBC (2005) Simon Schama's Power of Art – BBC (2006), in eight parts The American Future: A History – BBC (2008), in four parts Simon Schama's John Donne – BBC (2009) Simon Schama's: Obama's America – BBC (2009) Simon Schama's Shakespeare – BBC (2012) The Story of the Jews – BBC (2013), in five parts Schama on Rembrandt: Masterpieces of the Late Years – BBC (2014) The Face of Britain by Simon Schama – BBC (2015), in five parts Civilisations – BBC (2018), five of nine parts

סיימון מייקל שאמה

' (אנגלית: Simon Michael Schama; נולד ב-1945) הוא סופר והיסטוריון יהודי בריטי המתמחה בתולדות האמנות ובהיסטוריה של צרפת. מכהן כפרופסור באוניברסיטת קולומביה בניו יורק. ידוע בין היתר בזכות ספריו וסדרות התעודה הפופולריות שמשדר ב-BBC. שימש כמבקר אמנות עבור המגזין ניו יורקר.

תוכן עניינים 1 חייו 1.1 נעוריו והשכלתו 1.2 ספרות היסטורית 1.3 טורים עיתונאיים 1.4 יצירתו הטלוויזיונית 1.5 חיים אישיים 2 סגנונו 3 ציונים לשבח 4 עבודותיו 5 קישורים חיצוניים 6 הערות שוליים חייו נעוריו והשכלתו שאמה נולד בבריטניה, לדור שני של מהגרים עם שורשים מיהדות ליטא, יהדות רומניה ויהדות טורקיה. אביו היה סוחר טקסטיל שעבר לסאות׳אנד-און-סי שבאסקס שם גדל שאמה בילדותו ובנעוריו שבה משפחתו ללונדון. זכה במלגה לבית הספר הפרטי HABS, ובהמשך למד היסטוריה באוניברסיטת קיימברידג'.

בין השנים 1966–1976 היה חבר סגל בג'יזס קולג' (Jesus College) בקיימברידג', שם למד אצל ההיסטוריון ג'ון פלאם, אשר נטע בו את החשיבות למה שהפך לימים לסימן ההיכר של שאמה כמדען פופולרי: הצגת נושאים היסטוריים בסגנון ציורי על מנת למשוך קהל לא אקדמי.[1] מקיימברידג' עבר לשמש כעמית ומרצה בהיסטוריה מודרנית בברייזנוז קולג' (Brasenose College) באוניברסיטת אוקספורד, שם התמחה במהפכה הצרפתית.

ספרות היסטורית את הקריירה האקדמית שלו החל שאמה כהיסטוריון מן השורה, ועד מהרה הפך לאחד ההיסטוריונים הבריטים הידועים ביותר. בשנת 1977 פרסם את ספרו הראשון, "פטריוטים ומשחררים" ("Patriots and Liberators"), שזכה בפרס וולפסון להיסטוריה מטעם קרן וולפסון. הספר התמקד בהשפעת מהפכת הפטריוטים בהולנד באמצע המאה ה-18. ספרו השני, שיצא לאור גם בעברית בהוצאת מאגנס בשם "בית רוטשילד וארץ־ישראל" (1980), הוא מחקר על היעדים הציוניים של אדמונד ג'יימס דה רוטשילד וג'יימס ארמנד דה רוטשילד.[2]

בשנת 1980 עבר לארצות הברית והחל לשמש כפרופסור להיסטוריה באוניברסיטת הרווארד עד שנת 1993. בארצות הברית פרסם את ספרו "מבוכת העושר: פרשנות על תרבות הולנד בתקופת תור הזהב", שזכה להצלחה ביקורתית ומסחרית. ספרו השני שיצא בארצות הברית, "אזרחים" (1989, אודות המהפכה הצרפתית) זיכה אותו בין היתר בפרס הספרות NCR בשנת 1990. הספר בן ה-900 עמודים חובר בתוך 18 חודשים ונכנס לרשימות הספרים הטובים ביותר של הניו יורק טיימס והדיילי טלגרף. שאמה הדגיש בספר זה, בין היתר, את טרור האלימות באותה מהפכה וטען כי היא הייתה מראשיתה "פולחן דם", בניגוד - למשל - לדימוי ההירואי בקרב הצרפתים על נפילת הבסטיליה.

ספרו "Dead Certainties" מ-1991 מוצא קישור יוצא דופן בין מות הגנרל הבריטי ג'יימס וולף במלחמת שבע השנים בקוויבק ב-1759, לבין מקרה הרצח של הרופא ג'ורג' פארקמן בשנת 1840 בבוסטון על ידי פרופ' בהרווארד.

ספרו "נוף וזיכרון" (1995, Landscape and Memory) התקבל בביקורות מעורבות, אך זכה להצלחה מסחרית וזיכה את שאמה בפרסים רבים. הספר דן בזיקה שבין הזיכרון לטבע, תוך סקירת ההיסטוריה התרבותית של שלושה מרכיבי נוף: יער, מים וסלע. כך, למשל, תיאר שאמה מתוך זיכרונותיו כילד שהשתתף בנטיעות ביערות קק"ל בישראל, כיצד מילאו השתילים החדשים את תפקיד המהגרים, והיערות - את הכמיהה להיות נטועים:

אף פעם לא היינו בטוחים בדיוק בשביל מה היו כל העצים. מה שכן ידענו היה שיער נטוע הוא הנוף ההפוך למקום של חולות נודדים, סלעים חשופים ואדמה אדומה הנפוצה לכל רוח. הגולה הייתה חול. ומה, אם כך, צריכה להיות ישראל, אם לא יער, הניצב במקומו, נטוע וזקוף?

מאז שנת 1994 מכהן שאמה כפרופסור להיסטוריה ולתולדות האמנות באוניברסיטת קולומביה. בשנת 1999 יצא לאור ספרו "עיני רמברנדט" ("Rembrandt's Eyes") המציג הערכה מחודשת, אפולוגטית ושנויה במחלוקת לדמותו של האמן ההולנדי.[3]

טורים עיתונאיים בשנת 1995 מונה למבקר אמנות במגזין ניו יורקר והמשיך בכתיבה למשך שלש שנים.[4] מבחר ממסותיו פורסמו בכתב העת ב-2005 תחת הכותרת "Hang Ups". בין השנים 1999–2010 כתב מאמרים שונים עבור העיתון הגרדיאן. ב-2007 כתב טור אוכל עבור הירחון האמריקאי ווג, ובשנת 2010 החל לכתוב מאמרים עבור העיתון פיננשל טיימס.[5]

יצירתו הטלוויזיונית בשנות ה-90 החל שאמה להתמקד ביצירה קולנועית-טלוויזיונית, שכללה עם השנים למעלה משלושים סרטים, רובם על בסיס ספרים שיצאו לאור במקביל לשידורם בערוצים BBC ו-PBS.

בשנת 2000 שב לבריטניה לאחר שנשכר על ידי ה-BBC להפיק את הסדרה התיעודית "היסטוריה של בריטניה", כחלק מחגיגות המילניום. הסדרה בת ה-15 פרקים סיקרה את קורות הממלכה המאוחדת עד לשנת 1965, הפכה לאחת מהצלחות ה-DVD התיעודיות הגדולות של ה-BBC, והייתה מועמדת לפרס אמי.

בשנת 2006 יצר סדרה בת 8 פרקים המציגה אמנים ויצירות גדולות ששינו, לתפיסתו, את פני העולם: ז'אק-לואי דויד (מות מארה), ויליאם טרנר (ספינת העבדים), ואן גוך (שדה חיטה עם עורבים), קאראווג'ו (דוד עם ראשו של גוליית), ברניני (האקסטזה של תרזה הקדושה), רמברנדט (הקונספירציה של קלאודיוס סיביליס), פיקאסו (גרניקה) ומארק רותקו (ציורי הקיר בבניין סיגרם). הסדרה זיכתה את שאמה בפרס אמי. הופיעה בתרגום לעברית תחת השם "כוחה של האמנות".

מספר שבועות לאחר היבחרו של ברק אובמה כנשיא האמריקאי-אפריקאי הראשון של ארצות הברית, שידר בשנת 2008 את הסדרה "העתיד האמריקאי: היסטוריה", ארבעה פרקים המסקרים את ארצות הברית לאור היחס של האומה האמריקאית בעבר לסוגיות רגישות כמו מלחמה, דת והגירה. שנה לאחר מכן יצר את "אמריקה של אובמה" אודות העידן שלאחר אובמה.

בשנת 2013 פרסם את הכרך הראשון בסדרה "סיפורם של היהודים", שעל בסיסה יצר ושידר ב-BBC את חמשת פרקי הסדרה באותו שם, המסקרים את תולדות עם ישראל מימי חורבן בית שני ועד ימיו, וחוקרים את נסיבות הישרדותו כעם חרף הרדיפות מהן סבל כמיעוט אתני. סיפורו של העם היהודי, אותו מציג שאמה כ"סיפור של אינטראקציה בין מילים לאנשים", מסופר בין היתר באמצעות עדויות של יהודים בני התקופה, כגון מכתב מאב לבנו משנת 475 לפני הספירה, ובאמצעות גילויים ארכאולוגיים חשובים, בהם ציורים שנמצאו במערכות קבורה ובתי כנסת יהודים המעידים על השפעות הלניסטיות.[6] מבקר העיתון האובזרבר כינה את הסדרה "הישג מדהים וציון דרך טלוויוני". כתב עיתון הארץ באנגלית, אנשיל פפר, ציין כי "לאחר שהסדרה משתחררת ממלכודת הדבש של השמאלץ", היא "נכנסת למסלול משלה... ומתארת גם נרטיב של כתות ושסעים שעל אף שתמיד הייתה ידועה להיסטוריונים, רק לעיתים נדירות היא הוצגה מחוץ לאקדמיה". [7][8] בשנת 2018 הגיש לצד מרי בירד ודייוויד אולוסוגה את הסדרה התיעודית הבריטית "ציוויליזציה" שהופקה על יד רשת BBC בשיתוף עם רשת PBS.

חיים אישיים שאמה נשוי לוירג'יניה פאפאיואנהו (Papaioannou), גנטיקאית באוניברסיטת קולומביה, לזוג המתגורר בניו יורק ילד משותף. שאמה מצהיר בגאון על זהותו היהודית בהופעותיו הציבוריות, מגן לעיתים קרובות על מדיניות ישראל ואף השווה במאמר משותף את החרם האקדמי על ישראל לחרמות שהטיל אדולף היטלר על בתי מסחר של יהודים בשנות ה-30 של המאה ה-20.[9]

סגנונו יחד עם היסטוריונים כקרלו גינצבורג ונטלי זימון דייוויס, נחשב שאמה לאחד ממייצגי אסכולת "ההיסטוריה התרבותית החדשה" שהתפתחה בשנות ה-70, המתמקדת בסיפור ההיסטורי מנקודות מבט אנתרופולוגיות שלא נחקרו בעבר כגון משפחה, יחסים בין המינים, שפה ועוד.

יצירתו מתאפיינת בהצגת אירועים היסטוריים מנקודת המבט של פשוטי העם באמצעות מציאת דימויים של בני התקופה המתוארת.[10] עבודתו זכתה לעיתים קרובות להערכה בעיקר בקרב מבקרי תרבות והציבור הרחב, בשל כישרון הסיפור שלו בלי לסטות מהראיות ההיסטוריות. עם זאת, סגנונו עורר גם ביקורת כלפיו מחוגים אקדמיים על סובייקטיביות ופופוליזם.[11][3]

ציונים לשבח שאמה זכה בשורה של פרסים ומועמדויות, בכללם פרס האקדמיה האמריקנית לאמנויות ולספרות ופרס חוג מבקרי הספרים הלאומי. חבר באקדמיה האמריקאית לאמנויות ולמדעים ובאגודה המלכותית לאמנויות. ב-2001 קיבל שאמה תואר ממסדר האימפריה הבריטית עבור תרומתו בהיסטוריה וביקורת אמנות. בשנת 2010 מונה על ידי ממשלת דייוויד קמרון יחד עם ההיסטוריון ניל פרגוסון לחבר בצוות המסייע בהכנת תוכנית הלימודים בהיסטוריה בבתי הספר.[12]

עבודותיו שאמה חיבר ארבעה עשר ספרים, חלקם תורגמו לעשרים שפות.

ספרים בית רוטשילד וארץ ישראל: אדמונד וג'יימס רוטשילד ומפעלם בארץ, שמעון שאמה, תרגם מאנגלית: מ. חצור, תש"ם 1980 הסיפור של היהודים: למצוא את המילים. 1000 לפנה"ס - 1492 לספירה, תרגם אביעד שטיר, ספרי עליית הגג, 2017 Patriots and Liberators: Revolution in the Netherlands 1780–1813 (1977) Two Rothschilds and the Land of Israel (1978) The Embarrassment of Riches: An Interpretation of Dutch Culture in the Golden Age (1987) Citizens : A Chronicle of the French Revolution (1989) Dead Certainties: Unwarranted Speculations (1991) Landscape and Memory (1995) Rembrandt's Eyes (1999) A History of Britain Vol. I (2000, ISBN 0-563-48714-3) A History of Britain Vol. II (2001, ISBN 0-563-48718-6) A History of Britain Vol. III (2002, ISBN 0-563-48719-4) Hang Ups: Essays on Art (2005) Rough Crossings (2005, ISBN 0-06-053916-X) Simon Schama's Power of Art (2006, ISBN 0-06-117610-9) The American Future: A History (2009, ISBN 0-06-053923-2) Scribble, Scribble, Scribble: Writing on Politics, Ice Cream, Churchill and My Mother The Story of the Jews, Volume I: Finding the Words, 1000 BCE-1492 CE (2013, Bodley Head, ISBN 9781847921321) סרטים דוקומנטריים Landscape and Memory (1995), in five parts Rembrandt: The Public Eye and the Private Gaze (1995) A History of Britain by Simon Schama – BBC (2000), in 15 parts Simon Schama's John Donne – BBC (2009) Murder at Harvard – PBS (2003) Rough Crossings – BBC (2005) Simon Schama's Power of Art – BBC (2006), in eight parts The American Future: A History – BBC (2008), in four parts Simon Schama's: Obama's America – BBC (2009) Simon Schama's Shakespeare – BBC (2012) The Story of the Jews – BBC (2013), in five parts Il Venerdi 6 june 2016 Ghetto Venezia קישורים חיצוניים ויקישיתוף מדיה וקבצים בנושא סיימון שאמה בוויקישיתוף F icon.svg סיימון שאמה , ברשת החברתית פייסבוק Twitter logo initial.svg סיימון שאמה , ברשת החברתית טוויטר אלי שאלתיאל, האלכימאי , באתר הארץ, 30 בספטמבר 2009 סיימון שאמה , באתר אוניברסיטת קולומביה איילת רוזן, ‏ה-BBC מנסה לפצח: יהודים, מה הסיפור שלכם? , באתר ‏מאקו‏‏, ‏16 בספטמבר 2013‏ שני ליטמן, בלפור לא התכוון שהיהודים ישתלטו על כל ארץ ישראל , באתר הארץ, 18 בינואר 2018 https://he.wikipedia.org/wiki/%D7%A1%D7%99%D7%99%D7%9E%D7%95%D7%9F_...

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• Reference: Wikipedia Simon Schama

Sir Simon Michael Schama CBE FBA FRSL (/ˈʃæmə/; born 13 February 1945) is an English historian specialising in art history, Dutch history, Jewish history and French history.[1] He is a University Professor of History and Art History at Columbia University, New York.[2]

He first came to public attention with his history of the French Revolution titled Citizens, published in 1989.[1] In the United Kingdom, he is perhaps best known for writing and hosting the 15-part BBC television documentary series A History of Britain broadcast between 2000 and 2002.[3][4] Schama was knighted in the 2018 Queen's Birthday Honours List.[5]

Contents Early life and education Schama was born in Marylebone, London.[1][6] His mother, Gertie (née Steinberg), was from an Ashkenazi Jewish family (from Kaunas, present-day Lithuania), and his father, Arthur Schama, was of Sephardi Jewish background (from Smyrna, present-day İzmir in Turkey), later moving through Moldova and Romania.[7][8]

In the mid-1940s, the family moved to Southend-on-Sea in Essex before moving back to London. In 1956, Schama won a scholarship to the private Haberdashers' Aske's Boys' School in Cricklewood, (from 1961 Elstree, Hertfordshire). He then studied history at Christ's College, Cambridge, where he was taught by John H. Plumb. He graduated from the University of Cambridge with a Starred First in 1966.[1]

Career Schama worked for short periods as a lecturer in history at Cambridge, where he was a Fellow and Director of Studies in History at Christ's College. He then taught for some time at Oxford, where he was made a Fellow of Brasenose College in 1976, specialising in the French Revolution.[1]

At this time, Schama wrote his first book, Patriots and Liberators, which won the Wolfson History Prize. The book was originally intended as a study of the French Revolution, but as published in 1977, it focused on the effect of the Patriottentijd revolution of the 1780s in the Netherlands, and its aftermath.[9][10]

His second book, Two Rothschilds and the Land of Israel (1978), is a study of the Zionist aims of Edmond and James Rothschild.

In the United States

Schama at New York City's Strand Bookstore in 2006. In 1980, Schama took up a chair at Harvard University. His next book, The Embarrassment of Riches (1987), again focused on Dutch history.[11] Schama interpreted the ambivalences that informed the Dutch Golden Age of the 17th century, held in balance between the conflicting imperatives, to live richly and with power, or to live a godly life. The iconographic evidence that Schama draws upon, in 317 illustrations, of emblems and propaganda that defined Dutch character, prefigured his expansion in the 1990s as a commentator on art and visual culture.[12]

Citizens (1989), written at speed to a publisher's commission, saw the publication of his long-awaited study of the French Revolution, and won the 1990 NCR Book Award. Its view that the violence of the Terror was inherent from the start of the Revolution, however, has received serious negative criticism.[1][13]

Schama appeared as an on-screen expert in Michael Wood's 1989 PBS series, Art of the Western World as a presenting art historian, commenting on paintings by Diego Velázquez, Rembrandt, and Johannes Vermeer.[14]

In 1991, he published Dead Certainties (Unwarranted Speculations),[15] a relatively slender work of unusual structure and point-of-view in that it looked at two widely reported deaths a hundred years apart, that of British Army General James Wolfe in 1759 – and the famous 1770 painting depicting the event by Benjamin West – and that of George Parkman, murdered uncle of the better known 19th-century American historian Francis Parkman.[16][17]

Schama mooted some possible (invented) connections between the two cases, exploring the historian's inability "ever to reconstruct a dead world in its completeness however thorough or revealing the documentation", and speculatively bridging "the teasing gap separating a lived event and its subsequent narration." Not all readers absorbed the nuance of the title: it received a very mixed critical and academic reception. Traditional historians in particular denounced Schama's integration of fact and conjecture to produce a seamless narrative,[18] but later assessments took a more relaxed view of the experiment.[19]

It was an approach soon taken up by such historical writers as Peter Ackroyd, David Taylor, and Richard Holmes.[20]

Sales in hardback exceeded those of Schama's earlier works, as shown by relative rankings by amazon.com.[21][original research?]

Schama's next book, Landscape and Memory (1995), focused on the relationship between physical environment and folk memory, separating the components of landscape as wood, water and rock, enmeshed in the cultural consciousness of collective "memory" embodied in myths, which Schama finds to be expressed outwardly in ceremony and text. More personal and idiosyncratic than Dead Certainties, this book was more traditionally structured and better-defined in its approach. Despite mixed reviews, the book was a commercial success and won numerous prizes.[22][23]

Plaudits came from the art world rather than from traditional academia. Schama became art critic for The New Yorker in 1995. He held the position for three years, dovetailing his regular column with professorial duties at Columbia University; a selection of his essays on art for the magazine, chosen by Schama himself, was published in 2005 under the title Hang Ups.[24] During this time, Schama also produced a lavishly illustrated Rembrandt's Eyes, another critical and commercial success. Despite the book's title, it contrasts the biographies of Rembrandt van Rijn and Peter Paul Rubens.[25]

BBC In 1995, Schama wrote and presented a series called Landscape and Memory to accompany his book of the same name. Schama returned to the UK in 2000, having been commissioned by the BBC to produce a series of television documentary programmes on British history as part of their Millennium celebrations, under the title A History of Britain.

Schama wrote and presented the episodes himself, in a friendly and often jocular style with his highly characteristic delivery, and was rewarded with excellent reviews and unexpectedly high ratings. There has been, however, some irritation and criticism expressed by a group of historians about Schama's condensed recounting of the British Isles' history on this occasion, particularly by those specialising in the pre-Anglo-Saxon history of Insular Celtic civilisation.[26] Three series were made, totalling 15 episodes,[27][28] covering the complete span of British history up until 1965;[28] it went on to become one of the BBC's best-selling documentary series on DVD. Schama also wrote a trilogy of tie-in books for the show, which took the story up to the year 2000; there is some debate as to whether the books are the tie-in product for the TV series, or the other way around. The series also had some popularity in the United States when it was first shown on the History Channel.[28]

In 2001, Schama received a CBE. In 2003, he signed a new contract with the BBC and HarperCollins to produce three new books and two accompanying TV series. Worth £3 million (around US$5.3m), it represents the biggest advance deal ever for a TV historian. The first result of the deal was a book and TV show entitled Rough Crossings: Britain, the Slaves and the American Revolution,[29] dealing in particular with the proclamation issued during the Revolutionary War by Lord Dunmore offering slaves from rebel plantations freedom in return for service to the crown.[30]

In 2006 the BBC broadcast a new TV series, Simon Schama's Power of Art which, with an accompanying book, was presented and written by Schama. It marks a return to art history for him, treating eight artists through eight key works: Caravaggio's David with the Head of Goliath, Bernini's Ecstasy of St Theresa, Rembrandt's Conspiracy of Claudius Civilis, Jacques-Louis David's The Death of Marat, J. M. W. Turner's The Slave Ship, Vincent van Gogh's Wheat Field with Crows, Picasso's Guernica and Mark Rothko's Seagram Murals.[31] It was also shown on PBS in the United States.[32]

In October 2008, on the eve of the presidential election won by Barack Obama, the BBC broadcast a four-part television series called The American Future: A History presented and written by Schama. In March 2009, Schama presented a BBC Radio 4 show entitled Baseball and Me, both exploring the history of the game and describing his own personal support of the Boston Red Sox.[33]

In 2010, Schama presented a series of ten talks for the BBC Radio 4 series A Point of View:

Why We Like Tough Guys in Politics: When times are hard people seem to prefer tough leaders. Singing in the Rain: Schama looks forward to spring with personal reflections on the changing seasons. At the Heart of the Matter: The politics surrounding President Barack Obama's healthcare reforms. The Gift of the Gab: The history of political rhetoric and the power during election campaigns of televised debates. Behold, Newstralia!: Celebrates the distinctive history and culture of New Zealand and regrets any renewed talk of joining forces with Australia. A Welcome Slice of American Pie: Reflection on the quality of American food and eating habits. The Drama of Politics: The timeless drama of British politics. When Money is Just an Illusion: Reflection on the meaning of money as represented by coins and notes and in art. Hearts of Oak: Reflection on the significance of one of the sights that will greet new MPs in the chamber of the House of Commons – the panelling made of solid oak. Britain's New Politics: Reflection on the 2010 United Kingdom general election, favourably comparing the British system for a swift handover of power to the cumbersome American one.[34] In 2011 the BBC commissioned Simon Schama to write and present a five-part series called A History of the Jews for BBC Two for transmission in 2012,[35] The title became The Story of the Jews and broadcast was delayed until September 2013.[36] Writing in The Observer, Andrew Anthony called it "an astonishing achievement, a TV landmark."[37]

In 2018, Simon Schama wrote and presented five of the nine episodes of Civilisations, a reboot of the 1969 series by Kenneth Clark.[38]

Personal life Schama is Jewish. He is married to Virginia Papaioannou, a geneticist from California; they have two children, Chloe and Gabriel.[39] As of 2014, he resides in Briarcliff Manor, New York.[40] Schama is a Tottenham Hotspur supporter.[41]

Politics In 2010, Schama was a financial donor to Oona King's unsuccessful campaign to become Mayor of London.[42]

In August 2014, Schama was one of 200 public figures who were signatories to a letter to The Guardian expressing their hope that Scotland would vote to remain part of the United Kingdom in September's referendum on that issue.[43]

In November 2017, Schama joined Simon Sebag Montefiore and Howard Jacobson in writing a letter to The Times about their concern over antisemitism in the Labour Party under Jeremy Corbyn's leadership, with particular reference to a growth in Anti-Zionism and its "antisemitic characteristics". Schama and Sebag Montefiore have both written historical works about Israel, while Jacobson has written regularly about Israel and the UK Jewish community in his newspaper columns.[44] Schama made a further criticism of the party in July 2019, when he joined other leading Jewish figures in saying, in a letter to The Guardian, that the crisis was "a taint of international and historic shame" and that trust in the party was "fractured beyond repair".[45]

Israel Schama was critical of a call by British novelist John Berger for an academic boycott of Israel over its policies towards the Palestinians. Writing in The Guardian in an article co-authored with Anthony Julius, Schama compared Berger's academic boycott to policies adopted by Nazi Germany, saying: "This is not the first boycott call directed at Jews. On 1 April 1933, only weeks after he came to power, Hitler ordered a boycott of Jewish shops, banks, offices and department stores."[46]

In 2006 on the BBC, Schama debated with Vivienne Westwood the morality of Israel's actions in the Israel-Lebanon War.[47] He described Israel's bombing of Lebanese city centres as unhelpful to Israel's attempt to "get rid of" Hezbollah.[47] He said: "Of course the spectacle and suffering makes us grieve. Who wouldn't grieve? But it's not enough to do that. We've got to understand. You've even got to understand Israel's point of view."[47]

United States Schama was a supporter of President Barack Obama[48] and a critic of George W. Bush.[49] He appeared on the BBC's coverage of the 2008 US presidential election, clashing with John Bolton.[50]

Prizes and other honours 1977: Wolfson History Prize, for Patriots and Liberators 1977: Leo Gershoy Award, for Patriots and Liberators 1987: New York Times Best Books of the Year, for The Embarrassment of Riches 1989: New York Times Best Books of the Year, for Citizens: A Chronicle of the French Revolution 1989: Yorkshire Post Book Award, for Citizens: A Chronicle of the French Revolution 1995: Elected to Honorary Fellowship, Christ's College, Cambridge 1996: Lionel Trilling Book Award, for Landscape and Memory 1996: WH Smith Literary Award, for Landscape and Memory 2001: St. Louis Literary Award from the Saint Louis University Library Associates[51][52] 2001: Broadcasting Press Guild Writer's Award, for A History of Britain 2001: Nominated for BAFTA Huw Wheldon Award for Specialised Programme or Series (Arts, History, Religion and Science), for A History of Britain[53] 2002: Nominated for BAFTA Richard Dimbleby Award for the Best Presenter (Factual, Features and News), for A History of Britain 2003: Nominated for Outstanding Individual Achievement in a Craft: Writing Emmy Award for The Two Winstons, an episode of A History of Britain[54] 2006: National Book Critics Circle Award for Non-fiction winner, for Rough Crossings[55] 2006: Hessell-Tiltman Prize Shortlist, for Rough Crossings 2007: International Emmy Award, for Bernini, an episode of Simon Schama's Power of Art[56] 2007: Nominated for BAFTA Huw Wheldon Award for Specialised Factual Programme or Series, for Simon Schama's Power of Art 2008: The Daily Telegraph's 110 Best Books: The Perfect Library, for Citizens: A Chronicle of the French Revolution 2011: Kenyon Review Award for Literary Achievement[57] 2015: Corresponding Fellow of the British Academy[58] 2017: Fellow of the Royal Society of Literature[59] 2018: Knight Bachelor, for services to history Bibliography Books Patriots and Liberators: Revolution in the Netherlands 1780–1813 (1977) Two Rothschilds and the Land of Israel (1978) The Embarrassment of Riches: An Interpretation of Dutch Culture in the Golden Age (1987) Citizens: A Chronicle of the French Revolution (1989)[1] Dead Certainties: Unwarranted Speculations (1991, ISBN 0394222202) Landscape and Memory (1995, ISBN 0679402551)[22][60] Rembrandt's Eyes (1999, ISBN 0676593925)[60] A History of Britain Vol. I (2000, ISBN 0-563-48714-3) A History of Britain Vol. II (2001, ISBN 0-563-48718-6) A History of Britain Vol. III (2002, ISBN 0-563-48719-4) Hang Ups: Essays on Art (2004, ISBN 0563521732) Rough Crossings (2005, ISBN 0-06-053916-X) Simon Schama's Power of Art (2006, ISBN 0-06-117610-9)[32] The American Future: A History (2009, ISBN 0-06-053923-2) Scribble, Scribble, Scribble: Writing on Politics, Ice Cream, Churchill and My Mother (2011, ISBN 978-0062009869) The Story of the Jews, Volume I: Finding the Words, 1000 BCE–1492 CE (2013, Bodley Head, ISBN 9781847921321)[61] The Face of Britain: The Nation through Its Portraits (2015, ISBN 9780241963715) Belonging: The Story of the Jews 1492–1900, Volume II of the trilogy (2017, Bodley Head, ISBN 9781847922809)[62] Television documentaries Landscape and Memory (1995), in five parts Rembrandt: The Public Eye and the Private Gaze (1995) A History of Britain by Simon Schama – BBC (2000), in 15 parts Murder at Harvard – PBS (2003) Rough Crossings – BBC (2005) Simon Schama's Power of Art – BBC (2006), in eight parts The American Future: A History – BBC (2008), in four parts Simon Schama's John Donne – BBC (2009) Simon Schama's: Obama's America – BBC (2009) Simon Schama's Shakespeare – BBC (2012) The Story of the Jews – BBC (2013), in five parts Schama on Rembrandt: Masterpieces of the Late Years – BBC (2014) The Face of Britain by Simon Schama – BBC (2015), in five parts Civilisations – BBC (2018), five of nine parts