'In Europe' by Geert Mak
I know book recommendations belong on Amazon, but I'm more of a Vltava person.
This is one of the best books I have ever read. Geert Mak is a Dutch journalist and author. I am ashamed to say that I knew nothing of his work until I picked up 'In Europe' on a bookstall in Brussels. I have now ordered all his work (from Amazon).
'In Europe' is an exploration of the extraordinary mosaic of European cultural diversity, written by a man who knows a remarkable amount about history and who has a keen eye for the small details which illuminate larger-scale truths. He also has a phonographic ear for the way people speak, and reports it all - the explanations of the great, the eye-witness accounts of activists caught up in history, and the colloquial narratives of ordinary people - vividly and clearly.
The book is written in the form of a series of journeys. It darts back and forth in time, but the result is not confusion but coherence. Mak has the breadth of vision to see how things might be connected across time and space. He knows a lot about the history of every country in Europe, every ethnic group, every community. He knows a lot about the rural roots of Europe, and is fascinated by the changes wrought by urbanisation.
More than anything, he strikes me as a man devoted to justice and fair dealing. Perhaps he is a typical Dutchman in this respect. He avoids making judgements in his account of his travels and conversations, but his point of view shines through everything he writes: he is on the side of the oppressed and the marginalised, he speaks for the 'underdog', and he is dismayed by the cruelty which defiles so much of Europe's 20th Century story.
I have made 'In Europe' sound rather serious. It is not; it is a joy to read... I cannot remember an author who was able to weave knowledge, observation, wit, good judgement and a moral point of view into such an entertaining and informative volume.
If you are intrigued by Europe... please read it!
This is one of the best books I have ever read. Geert Mak is a Dutch journalist and author. I am ashamed to say that I knew nothing of his work until I picked up 'In Europe' on a bookstall in Brussels. I have now ordered all his work (from Amazon).
'In Europe' is an exploration of the extraordinary mosaic of European cultural diversity, written by a man who knows a remarkable amount about history and who has a keen eye for the small details which illuminate larger-scale truths. He also has a phonographic ear for the way people speak, and reports it all - the explanations of the great, the eye-witness accounts of activists caught up in history, and the colloquial narratives of ordinary people - vividly and clearly.
The book is written in the form of a series of journeys. It darts back and forth in time, but the result is not confusion but coherence. Mak has the breadth of vision to see how things might be connected across time and space. He knows a lot about the history of every country in Europe, every ethnic group, every community. He knows a lot about the rural roots of Europe, and is fascinated by the changes wrought by urbanisation.
More than anything, he strikes me as a man devoted to justice and fair dealing. Perhaps he is a typical Dutchman in this respect. He avoids making judgements in his account of his travels and conversations, but his point of view shines through everything he writes: he is on the side of the oppressed and the marginalised, he speaks for the 'underdog', and he is dismayed by the cruelty which defiles so much of Europe's 20th Century story.
I have made 'In Europe' sound rather serious. It is not; it is a joy to read... I cannot remember an author who was able to weave knowledge, observation, wit, good judgement and a moral point of view into such an entertaining and informative volume.
If you are intrigued by Europe... please read it!