Germans are celebrating George Eliot’s birthday by electing a pro-British (and pro-American for that matter) woman as Chancellor. Today, Angela Merkel became the “first ever elected female head of government” of the Federal Republic. Perennial Bush-basher and Chirac chum Gerhard Schröder seems to have permanently sidelined.
It is fitting that a strong woman would come to power on George Eliot’s birthday as that great lady was fluent in German, traveled there frequently and translated Feuerbach’s Essence of Christianity and Strauss’ Life of Jesus from German into English.
On such a day honoring strong European women, I am delighted that Penguin also recognizes a strong American one as they are releasing my Athena‘s latest — John Paul the Great: Remembering a Spiritual Father.
So, continue the celebration of George Eliot’s birthday by cheering Chancellor Merkel’s election and buying Peggy’s book!
Who?
And the comments dwindle down to a precious few…September, November…
#2
That was stimulating.
Angela Merkel will be to Germany what Golda Meir was to Israel – a tough, no-nonsense leader who values US relations and won’t sell us down the river a la Chirac und Schroeder. Also, despite having grown up in the DDR (that is East Germany, for you people who weren’t home-schooled), she is VERY hawkish and conservative.
Come to think about it, most people I personally know who grew up in places like the former USSR, Cuba and Cambodia have all turned out to be conservative Republicans. Curious, no?
Regards,
Peter Hughes