The history man

Malcolm Bradbury's "The History Man" is a satirical novel that dissects the life of Howard Kirk, a charismatic and morally ambiguous sociology professor at a newly established British university in the 1970s.

The novel explores themes of academic posturing, sexual liberation, and the corrosive nature of intellectual hypocrisy.

Kirk, a self-proclaimed Marxist, embodies the contradictions of the era, embracing radical rhetoric while indulging in personal hedonism.

Through a series of encounters and events, Bradbury exposes the superficiality and moral bankruptcy lurking beneath the surface of the university's progressive facade.

The novel offers a critical commentary on the changing landscape of higher education and the cultural shifts of the time.