Paul du Quenoy

Paul du Quenoy (center) with Their Imperial Highnesses Prince and Princess Ermias Sahle Selassie of Ethiopia at the Russian Ball of Washington, DC, January 11, 2014

Paul du Quenoy (b. November 15, 1977) is a historian and critic, currently on the History faculty of the American University of Beirut,^[1] and an internationally recognized specialist in several fields, including Russian History, Modern Europe, and the History of Music. He is the author of two notable books, Stage Fright: Politics and the Performing Arts in Late Imperial Russia (2009) and Wagner and the French Muse: Music, Society, and Nation in Modern France (2011). He is also a well known music critic and travel writer.

Background

A child prodigy, du Quenoy graduated summa cum laude from George Washington University at age 20 and went on to receive his Ph.D. with distinction from Georgetown University,^[2] where he was the last Ph.D. graduate of the late Russian History scholar Richard Stites. He has held two Fulbright fellowships for study in Russia (2003-2004 and 2012) and in 2004-2005 was an inaugural fellow of the National Endowment for the Arts in Washington, DC. He has also held research awards from the Kennan Institute for Advanced Russian Studies, the American Historical Association, and the Andrew W. Mellon Foundation. Prior to his current post, du Quenoy taught at Georgetown and the American University in Cairo.^[1]

Academic Work

Paul du Quenoy's scholarly interests range from cultural history to global military and diplomatic affairs, with articles ranging from early modern cartography to Soviet foreign policy. His first book, Stage Fright: Politics and the Performing Arts in Late Imperial Russia (2009), won high praise. Princeton University Russia scholar Caryl Emerson declared it "wonderfully unusual" and praised "its devastating command of the historical record."^[3] Professor E. Anthony Swift of the University of Essex welcomed it as an "important new contribution to the field" that "should be read by anyone interested in the relationship of politics and the arts."^[4][5] According to The American Historical Review, Stage Fright "demolishes Soviet arguments" and conclusively demonstrates the vital commercial elements in Russian culture, which du Quenoy argues was relatively free before the Revolution of 1917.^[6] The Modern Language Review said that "this book offers a detailed counter-argument to teleological readings of the cultural and political situation in late imperial Russia."^[7] Du Quenoy subsequently published Wagner and the French Muse: Music, Society, and Nation in Modern France (2011), which has been lauded by University of Illinois French literature specialist Margaret Miner as a "pleasantly readable, extensively documented narrative"^[8] of the German composer Richard Wagner's reception in France. Novelist, poet, and Welsh National Opera dramaturg Simon Rees's review in Opera magazine called it a "rattling good read" and "well-written analysis."^[9]

Throughout his career, du Quenoy has enjoyed great popularity as a teacher. His courses in Beirut have been known to fill to capacity in less than one second after the opening of registration. His appearance in classrooms is often greeted by rounds of applause, to which he usually reacts with feigned surprise.

He has lectured in 25 countries and visited over 60.

Criticism and Travel and Tourism

In addition to his academic work, Paul du Quenoy is a professional music critic with bylines from the world's leading theatrical capitals, including Paris, Berlin, Vienna, New York, San Francisco, London, Milan, St. Petersburg, Barcelona, Santa Fe, and the Salzburg, Bayreuth, and Verona Festivals.^{[10][11][12][13]} He is also a sought after lecturer in the travel and tourism industry, particularly in cruise itineraries. In 2012 he was a Distinguished Guest Speaker on Seabourn Cruise Line's World Cruise.^[14] His travel writing specializes globally in high-end resorts, hotels, and hospitality and entertainment.^[15][16]

Society

In 2011 du Quenoy became one of the youngest people ever elected to membership in Washington, DC's elite Cosmos Club, where National Geographic magazine was founded. He also belongs to Washington's University Club and serves as chairman of the Russian Ball of Washington, DC.

Select Bibliography

Books:

Wagner and the French Muse: Music, Society, and Nation in Modern France (2011)

Stage Fright: Politics and the Performing Arts in Late Imperial Russia (2009)

Articles:

“Arabs under Tsarist Rule: The Russian Occupation of Beirut, 1773-1774,” Russian History/Histoire Russe, 41: 2, 2014.

"Staging Russia: The Russian Repertoire at the Metropolitan Opera, 1943-1972," Beirut Humanities Review, 1: 1, 2014.

“‘It Could Be A Lot Worse:’ Imperial Russian Theatrical Censorship in a Comparative Perspective," Canadian-American Slavic Studies, 46: 3, 2012.

“Tidings From A Faraway East: The Russian Empire and Morocco,” International History Review, 33: 2, June 2011.

“‘Honeymoon to Bayreuth:’ French Appreciations of Richard Wagner in the Interwar Era,” Wagner Journal, 5: 1, March 2011.

“Vladimir Solov’ev in Egypt: The Origins of the ‘Divine Sophia’ in the Development of Russian Religious Philosophy,” Revolutionary Russia, 23: 2, December 2010.

“The Russian Empire and Egypt, 1900-1915,” Journal of World History, 19: 2, June 2008.

“Perfecting the Show Trial: The Case of Baron von Ungern-Sternberg,” Revolutionary Russia, 19:1, June 2006.

“With Allies Like These, Who Needs Enemies?: Russia and the Problem of Italian Entry into World War I,” Canadian Slavonic Papers, 45: 3-4, September-December 2003.

“Warlordism à la russe: Baron von Ungern-Sternberg’s Anti-Bolshevik Crusade, 1917-1921,” Revolutionary Russia, 16: 2, December 2003.

“The Role of Foreign Affairs in the Fall of Nikita Khrushchev in 1964,” International History Review, 25: 2, June 2003.

“The Opiate of the Intellectuals?: Reflections on Communism at the Turn of the Millennium,” Security Studies, 11: 3, Spring 2002.

“Guillaume de Beauplan’s Description de l’Ukraine and its Place in Ukrainian Historiography,” Ukrainian Quarterly, 57: 3-4, Fall-Winter 2001.

“The Skoropadsky Hetmanate and the Ukrainian National Idea,” Ukrainian Quarterly, 56: 3, Fall 2000.

References