Defeat of an Ideal

Defeat of an Ideal examines the inner workings of the United Nations during the 1950s and 1960s through firsthand accounts and extensive documentation. The book draws from Hazzard's decade of experience working within the UN system. The narrative follows the transformation of the UN from its post-war idealistic foundations to a bureaucracy marked by political maneuvering and administrative dysfunction. Through interviews and archived materials, Hazzard reconstructs key events and decisions that shaped the organization's trajectory. Staff members' personal stories reveal the impact of institutional policies on careers and lives within the UN framework. The book documents specific cases of mismanagement, retaliation against whistleblowers, and the erosion of the merit system. The work serves as both historical record and cautionary tale about how noble institutions can falter when bureaucratic interests override founding principles. Through its examination of the UN's early decades, the book raises questions about accountability in international organizations and the challenge of maintaining institutional integrity.

There are not enough internet reviews to create a summary of this book. Instead, here is a summary of reviews of Shirley Hazzard's overall work: Readers value Hazzard's precise, layered prose and complex character development, particularly in "The Transit of Venus" and "The Great Fire." Many note her ability to pack meaning into concise sentences that require careful attention. Common praise focuses on: - Sophisticated vocabulary and literary references - Detailed observations of human nature - Memorable descriptions of settings - Intellectual depth without pretension Frequent criticisms include: - Slow-moving plots - Dense writing style that can feel cold or distant - Characters that can seem remote or unsympathetic - Need to re-read passages multiple times for clarity Average ratings: Goodreads: - The Transit of Venus: 4.0/5 (5,800+ ratings) - The Great Fire: 3.7/5 (3,900+ ratings) - The Evening of the Holiday: 3.6/5 (400+ ratings) Amazon: - The Transit of Venus: 4.2/5 - The Great Fire: 4.0/5 Readers often mention needing to be in the right mindset for her challenging but rewarding prose style.

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🌟 Shirley Hazzard worked at the United Nations for a decade (1952-1962), giving her firsthand experience of the organization's internal workings that she later critiqued in this book. 📚 "Defeat of an Ideal" (1973) was published during a period of increasing skepticism about the UN's effectiveness, particularly following the organization's handling of the Congo Crisis. 🏆 Though best known for her fiction, including "The Transit of Venus" which won the National Book Critics Circle Award, Hazzard's non-fiction critique of the UN proved remarkably prescient about the organization's future challenges. 🌍 The book exposed how the UN's bureaucratic structure often undermined its founding principles, including detailed accounts of how qualified staff were sometimes pushed out for political reasons. 📝 Many of the institutional problems Hazzard identified in 1973 - including inefficient bureaucracy, political favoritism, and resistance to reform - continue to be subjects of UN criticism in the 21st century.