Includes bibliographical references (pages 301-306) and index.

"Unfinished Dialogue is the fruit of nearly fifteen years of discussion, in person and by letter, between world-famous British philosopher Isaiah Berlin (1909-1997) and Dr. Beata Polanowska-Sygulska of the Jagiellonian University in Krakow, Poland. Berlin always felt a special affinity for scholars from Eastern Europe, and the unique chemistry between him and this younger enthusiast for his ideas yielded a remarkable body of material, most of it hitherto unpublished."

"This volume sheds considerable light on Berlin's thinking and clarifies some of the central themes of his philosophy. After an introductory memoir, the book is divided into four sections. The first is a selection from the correspondence conducted between Berlin and Polanowska-Sygulska from 1983 to 1997. These letters are published here in their entirety for the first time. The second section comprises two interviews Berlin gave in 1991 for Polish periodicals. Next come edited transcripts of a number of conversations recorded between 1986 and 1995. In one of these, Berlin tellingly recalls his childhood and youth. In other exchanges, he is pressed to be more concise about some of his most contested views, particularly his concepts of liberty and value pluralism, and to respond to criticism of these ideas by a wide range of authors.

In one of his last letters to Polanowska-Sygulska, Berlin writes: "I have never expressed myself so clearly before, I believe.' The book concludes with a selection of articles by Polanowska-Sygulska on Berlin's thought, stemming from her long-standing immersion in his work. Berlin thoroughly discussed three of these with the author and approved their publication." "Complete with a foreword by Henry Hardy, Berlin's editor and collaborator of thirty years, and now one of his literary trustees, this collection of letters, conversations and articles will be of the greatest interest and value to students and scholars of one of the twentieth century's most renowned intellectuals."--Jacket.

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