The American writer, historian and journalist Russell Shorto will deliver the nineteenth Mandeville Lecture on Thursday 5 June 2014 at the auditorium of the Erasmus University Rotterdam. The title of his lecture will be:
The Advantage of Threat: Water, Commerce and the Dutch
In his speech, he will also be referring to Rotterdam. Erasmus University Rotterdam has invited Russell Shorto to hold this honorary lecture in recognition of his contributions to cultural relations between the Netherlands and the U.S., and the fresh perspective his books bring to Dutch historiography. In his writing, Shorto makes the history of the Netherlands accessible to a wide international audience.
From January 2008 to November 2013, Shorto served as Director of the John Adams Institute in Amsterdam, which was established to promote the American culture in the Netherlands.
Shorto is best known for his book on the Dutch origins of the city of New York, The Island at the Center of the World. Last year he published Amsterdam: A History of the World's Most Liberal City, which dealt with the history of Amsterdam. Until recently, Shorto was a resident of the Dutch capital. His books have been translated into 14 languages.
Shorto is a graduate of George Washington University and a contributing writer at the New York Times Magazine. In 2009 he received a royal award for his efforts to strengthen U.S.-Dutch relations.
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The Mandeville Lecture, named after the Rotterdam-born philosopher and physician Bernard Mandeville (1670-1733), is a special honorary degree awarded by Erasmus University Rotterdam. It is a token of appreciation for the recipient’s significant social achievements. After the Lecture, the laureate is presented with the Mandeville Medal and the award certificate. The Mandeville Lecture is an initiative of Erasmus University Rotterdam, the Rotterdam business community (Club Rotterdam) and the Erasmus Trust Fund, united in the Bernard Mandeville Foundation. Previous laureates include Jean-Claude Trichet, Jeroen van der Veer and Carla Del Ponte.
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