The man behind The Conservative Mind - an interview with Cecilia Kirk Nelson

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Dear

John,

I’m pleased to share that The Conservative Mind, translated into Portuguese, has just been published in Brazil! For the virtual book launch on January 12th, Alex Catharino, who wrote the introduction, conducted a live interview with Jeff and Cecilia Nelson. Alex asked them about "the man behind the book" with a focus on Russell's role as a mentor for the pair. Jeff had the unique experience of working as Russell's assistant, then published several of his books, and later co-founded the Center with me.

This is the first time that my daughter Cecilia has spoken extensively about her father’s ideas and personal life as an integrated whole and responded to the question of her role in promulgating his literary legacy. I hope you enjoy watching some of this English-language discussion on the YouTube channel of É Realizações, the publishing company.

É Realizações Editora took a strategic approach to bringing The Conservative Mind to a Brazilian audience. Translator Marcia Xavier de Brito frequently stayed at the Kirk Center to gain familiarity with Russell’s thought while translating his books into Portuguese. The editors decided to publish Eliot and His Age (2011) to introduce Russell’s literary and cultural thought first. I traveled to Brazil for that book launch and spoke to an auditorium of journalists about Russell’s connection to and appreciation for T. S. Eliot.

In 2013, they published The Politics of Prudence, followed in 2016 by Edmund Burke: A Genius Reconsidered, to which Jeff contributed a new afterword. As Alex explained during the interview, there is a “deep Burkean tradition in Brazil” that creates common ground between Anglo-American and Brazilian conservatism. This series built up an audience familiar with Russell’s books that is prepared to engage with A Mentalidade Conservadora de Edmund Burke a T. S. Eliot.

In fact, it seems that interest in The Conservative Mind has grown internationally. Within the last five years, the book has been translated into Chinese, Italian, Korean, Japanese, Polish, and Turkish and published in those respective countries. The Kirk Center often receives questions from scholars and professors abroad about Russell’s thought and we provide them with the requested information.

Let us hope for a greater renaissance of engagement with the ideas and practices that Russell articulated throughout his works here in the United States. The Center’s most popular page among the younger generation is Ten Conservative Principles, which I encourage you to share, well, liberally.

Best regards,

Annette Y. Kirk, President
The Russell Kirk Center

P.S. I'm pleased to share that we're nearing the successful completion of our 25th Anniversary Campaign. We are only $25,000 away from our goal, and would be honored to have you join with conservatives from across the nation (and world) in supporting our ongoing work.

Join Our 25th Anniversary Campaign

The Russell Kirk Center

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Mecosta, MI 49332

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