In Civil Wars, Hans Magnus Enzensberger, Germany's most astute literary and political critic, chronicles the global changes taking place as the result of evolving notions of nationalism, loyalty, and community. Enzensberger sees similar forces at work around the world, from America's racial uprisings in Los Angeles to the outright carnage in the former Yugoslavia. He argues that previous approaches to class or generational conflict have failed us, and that we are now confronted with an "autism of violence": a tendency toward self-destruction and collective madness.

Known worldwide as an essayist, journalist, poet, translator, and dramatist, Hans Magnus Enzensberger is the author of many books, including Europe, Europe; Critical Essays; Politics and Crime; The Sinking of the Titanic; Selected Poems; and The Consciousness Industry.  He lives in Munich.