Překonávat hranice - Životní vzpomínky – Dahrendorf Ralf (2010)

The world-renowned sociologist, journalist, and politician returns to his childhood and the beginnings of his journalistic, scientific, and political career. This is not a classic autobiography, not only because the narrative ends before the author reaches thirty years of age, but also because Dahrendorf does not attempt to present his life as one continuous story, with each chapter harmoniously connecting to the next. Dahrendorf, who spent a significant part of his life in an Anglo-Saxon environment, comes from a prominent Hamburg social-democratic family. A large part of the book is dedicated to his German roots, his father, who was a member of the Reichstag, an opponent and prisoner of the Nazi regime, and later a significant politician in post-war Germany, as well as his youth during the tumultuous 1930s and 1940s. He also reveals much about the behind-the-scenes of university and political life in the first decade of the West German state, a life in which he actively participated. Despite the deliberately mosaic character of Dahrendorf's memories, it is a gripping narrative that includes serious moments (including those where life is literally at stake), and the author surprises the reader in many places with his ability for self-irony and English humor. Translated by Matěj Spurný.