Only about a fourth (and it's a small enough section given how short the book is) of this work was what I was expecting and interested in, the reasons for fascism's persistence, the warning signs of its resurgence, and ways to combat it's pernicious spread. And all things considered it's a succinct, pithy analysis of the issue, I found it intriguing and educational, and I had high hopes for the rest of the book. Another volume on exclusively those topics would suit me just fine.

The rest I could honestly do without. The author suddenly shifts tone and perspective, writing more of a travel log than a political essay, complete with his musings and preferences on a couple elite European hotels. For the last 120 pages or so fascism and it's spread are only obliquely mentioned, the loss of morals, the decline of European values, and the spiritual bankruptcy of science and commerce take center stage instead. I found it difficult not to interpret this whole latter section of the book as merely the soliloquy of a conservative, upper class, Euro-centric academic, secure and sheltered in his ivory tower of grand hotel symposiums and conferences with like minded intellectuals. At it's very worst it reminded me of a common, irritating scenario in which an older individual lays out exactly what they think is wrong with the world today (overemphasis on speed and quantity, superficiality, addiction to immediate gratification, the examples in this book are so ubiquitous in today's society I need hardly list them,I could just as easily being the sentence "Kids these days..." and let you fill in the gaps with the same complaints we've all heard before), without a clear solution to these apparently evident problems let alone a word on how they relate to fascism. Needless to say It's not what I anticipated or care for and it makes for terribly dull reading. ( )

Los ensayos de Riemen siempre son evocadores y despiertan el deseo de acceder o de retornar a sus principales referencias: Mann, Nietzsche, Arendt...En mi -prescindible- opinión, gana en interés cuando la reflexión es de orden más general y está menos pegada al terreno. Quizá por eso creo que el primero de los dos ensayos incluidos en este obra vuela a menos altura: sus perspicaces observaciones sufren cuando busca su ejemplificación de forma muy ceñida a la situación holandesa, inglesa o estadounidense. Y cae, creo que sin propósito, en un cierto sesgo. ( )

Aquests dos assaigs breus, escrits amb set anys de diferència, entonen el mateix crit d’alerta: que el ressentiment que tenyeix les nostres democràcies de masses, i que ha donat peu al fenomen del populisme, amaga el ressorgiment del feixisme.
Riemen reivindica que cal mantenir viu l’humanisme europeu, a la manera de Thomas Mann, Albert Camus o Natalia Ginzburg (entre molts altres pensadors dels quals parla en aquest volum) per combatre la ignorància, l’estupidesa organitzada, l’odi i la por que promouen determinades elits polítiques per destruir l’esperit autèntic de la civilització democràtica, basat en la veritat, la bellesa i la justícia.