- Published: 31 January 2019
- ISBN: 9780241014875
- Imprint: Penguin eBooks
- Format: EBook
- Pages: 192
Last Days in Old Europe
Trieste '79, Vienna '85, Prague '89
- Published: 31 January 2019
- ISBN: 9780241014875
- Imprint: Penguin eBooks
- Format: EBook
- Pages: 192
If Oscar Wilde was correct that "history is gossip," then Bassett serves up a delicious cocktail of the very best kind-polite, learned, and insightful, merely leavened with touches of history and geopolitics, making one thirsty for more. ... A memoir can breathe life into history, and this is indeed Bassett's achievement as he breathes new life into shattered kingdoms, their now-moldering cast of characters, and all of the fascinating stories that would otherwise vanish with them.
Kevin J. McNamara, Kirk Centre
Richard Bassett's spirited memoir of ten crucial years in recent European history is full of insights into the last days of two empires: the Habsburg, whose embers he savours beautifully, and the Communist, which he vividly shows us collapsing in front of him. The book is charming and funny, but it has a serious purpose, lightly worn, and a flavour all of its own.
Anne Applebaum