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Ignatieff: an intellectual in politics

David Herman
  1st March 2009  —  Issue 156
Michael Ignatieff, the telegenic intellectual and writer, has had three separate careers in three different countries. Now the former presenter of the Late Show is tipped to become the next prime minister of Canada

From the Prospect archive: read all of Michael Ignatieff’s past Prospect articles, now available for free online. Plus: discuss this article at First Drafts, Prospect’s blog.

When Michael Ignatieff left Britain in 2000 for a new career across the Atlantic, he sent a farewell poem to his friends. The poem, by one of his heroes, Czeslaw Milosz, ended: “Time for me to play hooky. Buona notte. Ciao. Farewell.” Of course, Ignatieff wasn’t off to play hooky. He was starting a new phase of his career: high-flying academic at Harvard and then leading Canadian politician, possibly future prime minister. And he wasn’t just saying farewell to his friends. He was saying goodbye to his previous self.

How many intellectuals have had three distinguished but very different careers in three different countries? Ignatieff was a well-known broadcaster, writer, journalist and public intellectual in Britain for over 20 years. During that time he wrote two novels, one shortlisted for the Booker, and three screenplays. He was an Observer columnist and wrote for the best literary magazines on both sides of the Atlantic. He presented prize-winning documentaries for the BBC and serious discussion programmes for BBC2 and Channel 4. He also wrote six non-fiction books, on subjects from nationalism and war to Isaiah Berlin. Arriving a young, unknown Canadian historian, when he left he was one of the best known cultural figures in Britain.

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David Herman is a former television producer

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