The Long View #016 | Writing About War with Ian Buruma

In this episode of The Long View, Ian Buruma discusses his book Stay Alive: Berlin, 1939–1945 and reflects on the broader question of how war is written and remembered.

The conversation considers life in Berlin during the Second World War, the cultural and human dimensions of wartime experience, and the moral complexities faced by individuals living under authoritarian rule. It also expands beyond World War II to examine the craft of writing about war, both during conflict and after the fact.

This episode offers a historical and reflective perspective on how narratives of war shape our understanding of the past and inform the present.