David Pryce-Jones
Encyclopedia
David Eugene Henry Pryce-Jones FRSL (b. 15 February 1936 Vienna
, Austria
) is a conservative
British
author and commentator.
and read History at Magdalen College, Oxford
, where he studied under A.J.P. Taylor.
He did his National Service
in the Coldstream Guards
, in which he was commissioned in 1955, promoted Lieutenant
in 1956, and served in the British Army of the Rhine
. In 1956, Pryce-Jones lectured the men under his command about the necessity of the Suez War, but admits that he did not believe what he was saying. At the time, he believed that the Islamic world would soon progress after decolonization, and was disappointed when this did not happen. He has worked as a journalist
and author. He was Literary Editor at the Financial Times
1959-61, and The Spectator
from 1961-63.
Pryce-Jones currently works as senior editor at National Review
magazine. He also contributes to The New Criterion
and Commentary
, and for Benador Associates. Pryce-Jones often writes about the contemporary events and the history of the Middle East, Eastern Europe, and intelligence matters.
In his 1989 book The Closed Circle, Pryce-Jones examined what he considered to be the reasons for the backward state of the Arab world. A review described the book as more of an "indictment" than an examination of the Arab world. In Pryce-Jones's opinion, the root cause of Arab backwardness is tribal nature of Arab political life, which reduces all politics to war of rival families struggling mercilessly for power. As such, Pryce-Jones's view power in Arab politics consists of a network of client-patron relations between powerful and less powerful families and clans. Pryce-Jones considers as an additional retarding factor in Arab society the influence of Islam
, which hinders efforts to build a Western style society where the family and clan are not the dominant political unit. Pryce-Jones argues that Islamic fundamentalism is a means of attempting to mobilize the masses behind the dominant clans.
His most recent book, Betrayal: France, the Arabs, and the Jews has accused the French government of being anti-Semitic and pro-Arab, and of consistently siding against Israel
in the hope of winning the favour of the Islamic world.
, and Marie-Cecile or Mitzi Springer, later Mrs Frank Wooster or Mary Wooster, whose father was the industrialist Baron Gustav Springer (1842–1920). She also had a brother Baron Max Fould-Springer (1906–1999), and two sisters Helene Propper de Callejón (1907–1997), wife of Spanish diplomat Eduardo Propper de Callejón
and grandmother of actress Helena Bonham Carter
, and Baroness Liliane de Rothschild (1916–2003).
Through his mother, Pryce Jones is partly of Jewish extraction and is connected to several Jewish business dynasties. His parents married in 1934 in Vienna, and Pryce Jones was born in Vienna
. In 1940, a four year old David was stranded with his nanny in Dieppe
and was rescued from the invading German army by his mother's brother-in-law Eduardo Propper de Callejón
. Pryce Jones acknowledged his uncle-by-marriage's efforts in saving his own life when Propper de Callejón retired from Spanish diplomatic service.
He married Clarissa Caccia, daughter of diplomat Harold Caccia, Baron Caccia
, in 1959. They have three surviving children, (one deceased, Sonia: 1970-1972), Jessica, Candida and Adam, and live in London.
Pryce Jones is a first cousin of Elena Propper de Callejón, wife of late banker Raymond Bonham Carter
and mother of actress Helena Bonham Carter
. Another cousin is Baron Nathaniel de Rothschild, only son of the better known Baron Élie de Rothschild
.
Vienna
Vienna is the capital and largest city of the Republic of Austria and one of the nine states of Austria. Vienna is Austria's primary city, with a population of about 1.723 million , and is by far the largest city in Austria, as well as its cultural, economic, and political centre...
, Austria
Austria
Austria , officially the Republic of Austria , is a landlocked country of roughly 8.4 million people in Central Europe. It is bordered by the Czech Republic and Germany to the north, Slovakia and Hungary to the east, Slovenia and Italy to the south, and Switzerland and Liechtenstein to the...
) is a conservative
Conservatism
Conservatism is a political and social philosophy that promotes the maintenance of traditional institutions and supports, at the most, minimal and gradual change in society. Some conservatives seek to preserve things as they are, emphasizing stability and continuity, while others oppose modernism...
British
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
author and commentator.
Career
He was educated at EtonEton College
Eton College, often referred to simply as Eton, is a British independent school for boys aged 13 to 18. It was founded in 1440 by King Henry VI as "The King's College of Our Lady of Eton besides Wyndsor"....
and read History at Magdalen College, Oxford
Magdalen College, Oxford
Magdalen College is one of the constituent colleges of the University of Oxford in England. As of 2006 the college had an estimated financial endowment of £153 million. Magdalen is currently top of the Norrington Table after over half of its 2010 finalists received first-class degrees, a record...
, where he studied under A.J.P. Taylor.
He did his National Service
National service
National service is a common name for mandatory government service programmes . The term became common British usage during and for some years following the Second World War. Many young people spent one or more years in such programmes...
in the Coldstream Guards
Coldstream Guards
Her Majesty's Coldstream Regiment of Foot Guards, also known officially as the Coldstream Guards , is a regiment of the British Army, part of the Guards Division or Household Division....
, in which he was commissioned in 1955, promoted Lieutenant
Lieutenant
A lieutenant is a junior commissioned officer in many nations' armed forces. Typically, the rank of lieutenant in naval usage, while still a junior officer rank, is senior to the army rank...
in 1956, and served in the British Army of the Rhine
British Army of the Rhine
There have been two formations named British Army of the Rhine . Both were originally occupation forces in Germany, one after the First World War, and the other after the Second World War.-1919–1929:...
. In 1956, Pryce-Jones lectured the men under his command about the necessity of the Suez War, but admits that he did not believe what he was saying. At the time, he believed that the Islamic world would soon progress after decolonization, and was disappointed when this did not happen. He has worked as a journalist
Journalist
A journalist collects and distributes news and other information. A journalist's work is referred to as journalism.A reporter is a type of journalist who researchs, writes, and reports on information to be presented in mass media, including print media , electronic media , and digital media A...
and author. He was Literary Editor at the Financial Times
Financial Times
The Financial Times is an international business newspaper. It is a morning daily newspaper published in London and printed in 24 cities around the world. Its primary rival is the Wall Street Journal, published in New York City....
1959-61, and The Spectator
The Spectator
The Spectator is a weekly British magazine first published on 6 July 1828. It is currently owned by David and Frederick Barclay, who also owns The Daily Telegraph. Its principal subject areas are politics and culture...
from 1961-63.
Pryce-Jones currently works as senior editor at National Review
National Review
National Review is a biweekly magazine founded by the late author William F. Buckley, Jr., in 1955 and based in New York City. It describes itself as "America's most widely read and influential magazine and web site for conservative news, commentary, and opinion."Although the print version of the...
magazine. He also contributes to The New Criterion
The New Criterion
The New Criterion is a New York-based monthly literary magazine and journal of artistic and cultural criticism, edited by Hilton Kramer and Roger Kimball. It has sections for criticism of poetry, theater, art, music, the media, and books...
and Commentary
Commentary (magazine)
Commentary is a monthly American magazine on politics, Judaism, social and cultural issues. It was founded by the American Jewish Committee in 1945. By 1960 its editor was Norman Podhoretz, a liberal at the time who moved sharply to the right in the 1970s and 1980s becoming a strong voice for the...
, and for Benador Associates. Pryce-Jones often writes about the contemporary events and the history of the Middle East, Eastern Europe, and intelligence matters.
In his 1989 book The Closed Circle, Pryce-Jones examined what he considered to be the reasons for the backward state of the Arab world. A review described the book as more of an "indictment" than an examination of the Arab world. In Pryce-Jones's opinion, the root cause of Arab backwardness is tribal nature of Arab political life, which reduces all politics to war of rival families struggling mercilessly for power. As such, Pryce-Jones's view power in Arab politics consists of a network of client-patron relations between powerful and less powerful families and clans. Pryce-Jones considers as an additional retarding factor in Arab society the influence of Islam
Islam
Islam . The most common are and . : Arabic pronunciation varies regionally. The first vowel ranges from ~~. The second vowel ranges from ~~~...
, which hinders efforts to build a Western style society where the family and clan are not the dominant political unit. Pryce-Jones argues that Islamic fundamentalism is a means of attempting to mobilize the masses behind the dominant clans.
His most recent book, Betrayal: France, the Arabs, and the Jews has accused the French government of being anti-Semitic and pro-Arab, and of consistently siding against Israel
Israel
The State of Israel is a parliamentary republic located in the Middle East, along the eastern shore of the Mediterranean Sea...
in the hope of winning the favour of the Islamic world.
Personal life
He is the son of writer Alan Payan Pryce Jones (1908–2000) by his first wife (married 1934), Therese "Poppy" Fould-Springer (1908-February 1953). Therese was a daughter of Baron Eugène Fould-Springer, a French-born banker who was a cousin of Achille FouldAchille Fould
Achille Fould was a French financier and politician.Born in Paris, the son of a successful Jewish banker, he was associated with and afterwards succeeded his father in the management of the business. As early as 1842 he entered political life, having been elected in that year as a deputy for the...
, and Marie-Cecile or Mitzi Springer, later Mrs Frank Wooster or Mary Wooster, whose father was the industrialist Baron Gustav Springer (1842–1920). She also had a brother Baron Max Fould-Springer (1906–1999), and two sisters Helene Propper de Callejón (1907–1997), wife of Spanish diplomat Eduardo Propper de Callejón
Eduardo Propper de Callejón
Eduardo Propper de Callejón was a Spanish diplomat who is mainly remembered for having facilitated the escape of thousands of Jews from occupied France during the World War II between 1940 and 1944....
and grandmother of actress Helena Bonham Carter
Helena Bonham Carter
Helena Bonham Carter is an English actress of film, stage, and television. She made her acting debut in a television adaptation of K. M. Peyton's A Pattern of Roses before winning her first film role as the titular character in Lady Jane...
, and Baroness Liliane de Rothschild (1916–2003).
Through his mother, Pryce Jones is partly of Jewish extraction and is connected to several Jewish business dynasties. His parents married in 1934 in Vienna, and Pryce Jones was born in Vienna
Vienna
Vienna is the capital and largest city of the Republic of Austria and one of the nine states of Austria. Vienna is Austria's primary city, with a population of about 1.723 million , and is by far the largest city in Austria, as well as its cultural, economic, and political centre...
. In 1940, a four year old David was stranded with his nanny in Dieppe
Dieppe, Seine-Maritime
Dieppe is a commune in the Seine-Maritime department in France. In 1999, the population of the whole Dieppe urban area was 81,419.A port on the English Channel, famous for its scallops, and with a regular ferry service from the Gare Maritime to Newhaven in England, Dieppe also has a popular pebbled...
and was rescued from the invading German army by his mother's brother-in-law Eduardo Propper de Callejón
Eduardo Propper de Callejón
Eduardo Propper de Callejón was a Spanish diplomat who is mainly remembered for having facilitated the escape of thousands of Jews from occupied France during the World War II between 1940 and 1944....
. Pryce Jones acknowledged his uncle-by-marriage's efforts in saving his own life when Propper de Callejón retired from Spanish diplomatic service.
He married Clarissa Caccia, daughter of diplomat Harold Caccia, Baron Caccia
Harold Caccia, Baron Caccia
Harold Anthony Caccia, Baron Caccia, GCMG, GCVO, GCStJ was a British diplomat....
, in 1959. They have three surviving children, (one deceased, Sonia: 1970-1972), Jessica, Candida and Adam, and live in London.
Pryce Jones is a first cousin of Elena Propper de Callejón, wife of late banker Raymond Bonham Carter
Raymond Bonham Carter
The Honourable Raymond Henry Bonham Carter was a leading British banker, and a member of a distinguished British theatrical and political family....
and mother of actress Helena Bonham Carter
Helena Bonham Carter
Helena Bonham Carter is an English actress of film, stage, and television. She made her acting debut in a television adaptation of K. M. Peyton's A Pattern of Roses before winning her first film role as the titular character in Lady Jane...
. Another cousin is Baron Nathaniel de Rothschild, only son of the better known Baron Élie de Rothschild
Élie de Rothschild
Baron Élie de Rothschild was a French banker, a member of the French branch of the Rothschild family. He followed his father as a partner in the family bank, de Rothschild Frères, and ran the Château Lafite-Rothschild premier cru claret vineyard from 1946 to 1974.-Lineage:Élie de Rothschild was...
.
Novels
- Inheritance (1992)
- The Afternoon Sun (1986) ISBN 0297788221
- Shirley’s Guild (1979)
- The England Commune (1975)
- Running Away (1971)
- The Stranger’s View (1967)
- Quondam (1965)
- The Sands of Summer (1963)
- Owls & Satyrs (1961)
Non-fiction
- Treason of the Heart. From Thomas Paine to Kim Philby (2011)
- Betrayal: France, the Arabs, and the Jews (2006) ISBN 1594031517
- The Strange Death of the Soviet Empire (1995) ISBN 0805041540
- The War that Never Was: The Fall of the Soviet Empire 1985 - 1991 (1995) ISBN 029781320X
- You Can’t be Too Careful (1992)
- The Closed CircleThe Closed Circle: An interpretation of the ArabsThe Closed Circle: An interpretation of the Arabs is a book by author David Pryce-Jones.-Summary:This book discusses the tribal roots of Arab society which form the basis of its cultural traditions...
(1989) - Cyril Connolly: Journal & Memoir (1983) ISBN 0002165465
- Paris in the Third Reich (1981)
- Vienna (1978)
- Unity Mitford (1976)
- Evelyn Waugh & his world (1973)
- The Face of Defeat (1972)
- The Hungarian Revolution (1969)
- Next Generation: Travels in Israel (1965)
- Graham Greene (1963)
Sources
- Ellen Doon. "Alan Pryce-Jones Papers", Yale, New Haven, Connecticut. May 2003. This also lists some of David Pryce-Jones's British aristocratic connections at the end. Retrieved 28 February 2008.
- Jenni Frazer. "How Helena’s grandfather was finally recognised as a true hero" The Jewish Chronicle 8 February 2008, narrating how Eduardo Propper de Callejón was recognized as "Righteous Among Nations" recently. Retrieved 28 February 2008.
- Eric Pace. Alan Pryce-Jones, 91, Editor And Eminent Man of Letters" (obituary). The New York Times, 2 February 2000. Retrieved 28 February 2008. For Pryce-Jones's ancestry
- Anne Yamey. (May 2003?). Springer and Fould-Springer families of Ansbach. Retrieved 28 February 2008.
- Gellner, Ernest "Up From Imperialism" pages 34–36 from The New RepublicThe New RepublicThe magazine has also published two articles concerning income inequality, largely criticizing conservative economists for their attempts to deny the existence or negative effect increasing income inequality is having on the United States...
, Volume 200, Number 21, Issue #3, 879, May 22, 1989.
External links
- Official website — David Pryce-Jones
- Terror Tomes: Top books on unconventional warfare — Editorial by David Pryce-Jones in The Wall Street JournalThe Wall Street JournalThe Wall Street Journal is an American English-language international daily newspaper. It is published in New York City by Dow Jones & Company, a division of News Corporation, along with the Asian and European editions of the Journal....
(2006-06-24)