The bloody age of Vyacheslav Molotov Bullying bibliophileMar 4th 2010From The Economist print edition Stalin’s violent henchman and his library may have inspired a modern classic Molotov’s Magic Lantern: A Journey in Russian History. By Rachel Polonsky. Faber and Faber; 388 pages; £20. EXPATRIATE spouses living pampered lives in Moscow often think it would be …
Tag Archive: book reviews
Feb 11
Asmus book review
Georgia and Russia Ungodly sufferingJan 21st 2010 From The Economist print edition An American take on a war that fed conspiracies throughout Europe A Little War That Shook the World: Georgia, Russia, and the Future of the West. By Ronald Asmus. Palgrave Macmillan; 250 pages; $27 and £20. TWO points about the war in Georgia …
Jan 05
Berlin Airlift review
e Berlin airlift Flying coalDec 30th 2009 From The Economist print edition A human history of the allies’ airlift that saved West Berlin Daring Young Men: The Heroism and Triumph of the Berlin Airlift, June 1948-May 1949. By Richard Reeves. Simon & Schuster; 304 pages; $28 and £16.99. HEROISM, geopolitics and new technology make an …
Dec 10
Chechnya book review
War in the Caucasus A small corner, very bloodyDec 10th 2009 From The Economist print edition Chechnya may have been largely pacified, but it is far from being at peace Towers of Stone: The Battle of Wills in Chechnya. By Wojciech Jagielski. Translated by Soren Gauger. Seven Stories Press; 329 pages; $19.95. Buy from Amazon.com …
Nov 21
Kati Marton
Type your sA child in communist Hungary Little girls, big story Nov 19th 2009From The Economist print edition Getty Images Capitalist rulers are so much nicer Enemies of the People: My Family’s Journey to America. By Kati Marton. Simon & Schuster; 288 pages; $26. Buy from Amazon.com COMMUNIST bullies had a nasty trick when dealing …
Nov 21
Czechoslovakia and historical vinegar
Czechoslovakia A chequered history Nov 19th 2009From The Economist print edition Czechoslovakia was born out of trickery and died in failure. Only up to a point Czechoslovakia: The State That Failed. By Mary Heimann. Yale University Press; 406 pages; $45 and £25. Buy from Amazon.com, Amazon.co.uk OUTSIDERS tend to have a soft spot for Czechoslovakia. …
Nov 08
1989 books
The fall of Communism Wall stories Nov 5th 2009From The Economist print edition How communism in eastern Europe collapsed, and what came next. Scholars and journalists give their account Uncivil Society: 1989 and the Implosion of the Communist Establishment. By Stephen Kotkin. Modern Library; 197 pages; $24. Buy from Amazon.com 1989: The Berlin Wall: My …
Sep 04
Europe view 144 summer reading
EUROPE Europe.view Summer reading Aug 6th 2009From Economist.com Investigations, analyses and a rediscovered novel NOTHING happens in eastern Europe during August, save the odd war, coup or financial collapse, so people interested in the region have a whole month to catch up on good books, old and new. This summer brings a crop that should …
Jul 24
Andrew Roberts book review
Andrew Roberts on the second world war The road to hellJul 23rd 2009 From The Economist print edition A British historian argues that Hitler lost the war for the same reason that he unleashed it—because he was a Nazi The Storm of War: A New History of the Second World War. By Andrew Roberts. Allen …
Jul 05
russian intelligentsia book review
Russia’s intelligentsia under communism Yearning to be freeJul 2nd 2009 From The Economist print edition Illustration by Daniel Pudles Zhivago’s Children: The Last Russian Intelligentsia. By Vladislav Zubok. Harvard University Press/Belknap; 464 pages; $35 and £25.95. Buy from Amazon.com, Amazon.co.uk THE Soviet Union was a prison, especially for the lively minded, whose travel abroad and …
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