Goodbye Eastern Europe: An Intimate History of a Divided Land

Jacob Mikanowski

An Almost Forgotten History

552 Kč

DMOC: 690 Kč

-20% Momentálně nedostupné

An epic history of the ‘other’ Europe, a place of conflict and coexistence, of faith and folklore

Eastern Europe is more than the sum total of its annexations, invasions and independence declarations. From the Baltics to the Balkans, from Prague to Kiev, the area exuded a tragicomic character like no other.

This is a paean for a disappearing world of movable borders, sacred groves and syncretism. And an invitation to not forget.

Review

‘An insightful chronicle… distilling more than a decade of research, [Mikanowski] carefully argues that if something marks out Europe’s eastern half, it is not homogeneity but wild, glorious diversity, including the long presence of Judaism, Islam and religious practices that blended Christianity and paganism.’

-- Economist

'A lively and sweeping history'

― Washington Post

'Do not rush to bid farewell to eastern Europe until reading this book. Meticulously researched and beautifully written, this very personal story of the place that one can’t find on the map pays tribute to the origins of the experiences, cultures and ideas that continue to shape political and ideological battles of the modern world.'

-- Serhii Plokhy, author of The Last Empire

'A highly captivating book that delights on every page and dispels the "damaging stereotypes" and "dour connotations" traditionally associated with Eastern Europe. Far more than a simple history, Goodbye Eastern Europe is a magical swan song for an astonishingly diverse but disappearing world of peasants and poets, resilience and romance, calamity and fantasy, where a shared affinity for the absurd has long been essential for survival.'

-- Rebecca Lowe, author of The Slow Road to Tehran

‘An intriguing attempt to trace the residual power of those who are no longer there… [an] intimate history.’

-- Financial Times

‘An eloquent and absorbing new plea for the retention of the idea of Eastern Europe… Emphasising how there is far more to the region than its post-Sovietness, this is a wonderful exploration forged by a deep love of Europe.’

-- New European

‘[Mikanowski] challenges the simplifying and often false narratives written by those in power… part history, part sentimental journey… Accessibly written, often humorous in tone, Goodbye Eastern Europe reads more like a western (but in the east) than a traditional history… Mikanowski continues the process that began with the 1989 revolutions of unearthing the alternative stories that exist on the margins of history, in the soil, in literature, in the landscape.’

-- Irish Independent

'Ambitious...a stunning portrait of a "land of small states with complicated fates". Shot through with lyrical reflections and astute analysis, this is a rewarding portrait of a diverse and complex part of the world.'

-- Publishers Weekly, starred review

About the Author

Jacob Mikanowski is a writer and academic. His parents were Polish immigrants to the US, and he spent his childhood between Poland and Pennsylvania. He is now a PhD candidate at the UC Berkeley in California. Concurrently, he has become a well-known essayist and freelance journalist, writing pieces for publications including the Guardian, New York Times, Atlantic, New Yorker, Harper’s, Slate, Aeon, Prospect Magazine and many more. His two long reads for the Guardian were included in the paper’s ‘Best of the Year’ round-up in 2018.