New York Times bestselling author Robert Edsel discusses his book “Monuments Men,” his dedication to storytelling and more as the special guest on this week’s Tango Alpha Lima podcast.
No.1 New York Times bestselling author Robert Edsel was at a career crossroads. When he was 39, the next logical step for him was to own a public company. But he saw that as a “danger sign,” and knew that while it would be financially rewarding there was a more precious commodity.
“I’m driven by curiosity,” he says during his special guest appearance on this week’s episode of The American Legion Tango Alpha Lima podcast. “I have an appreciation for how precious time is. That’s the real commodity. The currency of my life has been meaningfulness.”
That curiosity led him to wonder about what happened to famous French works of art during World War II. When he couldn’t learn the answer, he searched out the survivors of those who protected the works of art, better known as the Monuments Men and Women.
Among his five nonfiction books is “The Greatest Treasure Hunt in History: The Story of the Monuments Men,” which served as the basis for Academy Award recipient George Clooney’s 2014 film.
He is recognized as one of the world’s foremost advocates for art preservation and the recovery of cultural treasures missing since World War II. The last 20 years of his life have been dedicated to the meticulous research of the Monuments Men and Women, the soldier-scholars who helped save so many of the world’s great art and cultural treasures from the destruction of war and theft by the Nazis.
“The most important thing was to preserve their legacy and put it to use, so in future conflicts in places like Iraq that we are mindful that we have a duty to collect those cultural treasures of those countries,” says Edsel, who addressed last month’s American Legion national convention.
In the course of his work, he located and interviewed 21 monuments officers including three women, and dozens of family members.
“As a storyteller, I have two important responsibilities,” says Edsel, whose father served in the Marine Corps in the Pacific during World War II. “One is to get the facts right. We (with his researcher) felt a duty to the men and women buried there to make sure we got their story right. The second responsibility is context. Facts are dangerous if you don’t provide context.”
Also in this episode:
• Co-host Joe Worley gives a heartfelt reflection on the anniversary of his “Alive Day.”
• Co-host Stacy Pearsall shares how Sesame Street characters are giving back to the military community.
• Reflections from family members with loved ones in the Netherlands cemetery.
You can also check out the more than 300 Tango Alpha Lima podcasts available in both audio and video formats here. You can also download episodes on Apple Podcasts, Spotify other major podcast-hosting sites. The video version is available at the Legion’s YouTube channel.
- Tango Alpha Lima