A brilliantly researched narrative history of "the real Casablanca"--the city which during World War Two saw no fighting but was cluttered with spies from all nations, displaced European royalty and furtive bankers and businessmen seeking to protect their wealth from the destruction all around them. Lisbon had a pivotal role in the history of World War II, though not a gun was fired there. The only European city in which both the Allies and the Axis power operated openly, it was a temporary home to much of Europe's exiled royalty, over one million refugees seeking passage to the US and a host of spies, secret police, captains of industry, bankers, prominent Jews, writers and artists, escaped POWs, and black marketeers. An operations officer writing in 1944 described the daily scene at Lisbon's airport as being like the movie Casablanca, times twenty. IN this riveting narrative, renowned historian Neill Lochery draws on his relationships with high-level Portuguese contacts, access to records recently uncovered from Portuguese secret police and banking archives, and other unpublished documents to offer a revelatory portrait of the War's back stage. And he tells the story of how the Portugal, a relatively poor European country trying frantically to remain neutral amidst extraordinary pressures, survived the war not only physically intact but significantly wealthier. The country's emergence as a prosperous European Union nation would be financed in part, it turns out, by a cache of Nazi gold.
Lisbon: War in the Shadows of the City of Light, 1939-45
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An evocative chronicle of this little known corner of World War II... Distilling an enormous quantity of research, (Neill Lochery) has rendered a fascinating and readable account of this small country's role.
--Wall Street Journal Europe
"This was an ugly regime, and Lochery's Lisbon, under Salazar and his secret police, an ugly city... a city, in short, so morally bankrupt that even the Duke and Duchess of Windsor do not seem out of place. If Victor Laszlo and Ilsa Lund had had any sense they would have got
themselves on the first plane back to Casablanca." --The Spectator, 4th January
"The twists and turns of Salazar's tight-rope diplomacy form the central thread of Neill Lochery's impressive account of wartime Lisbon and its leader... The personalities, plots and counterplots within that tale are absorbing... The book's principal worth lies in its illumination of Salazar, who emerges from Lochery's pages as a fascinating, tireless and single-minded figure."
--Literary Review, February 2012
--Wall Street Journal Europe
"This was an ugly regime, and Lochery's Lisbon, under Salazar and his secret police, an ugly city... a city, in short, so morally bankrupt that even the Duke and Duchess of Windsor do not seem out of place. If Victor Laszlo and Ilsa Lund had had any sense they would have got
themselves on the first plane back to Casablanca." --The Spectator, 4th January
"The twists and turns of Salazar's tight-rope diplomacy form the central thread of Neill Lochery's impressive account of wartime Lisbon and its leader... The personalities, plots and counterplots within that tale are absorbing... The book's principal worth lies in its illumination of Salazar, who emerges from Lochery's pages as a fascinating, tireless and single-minded figure."
--Literary Review, February 2012
About the Author
About the author: Neill Lochery, PhD, is a worldrenowned source on Israel, the Middle East and Mediterranean history. He is the author of five books and countless newspaper and magazine articles. He regularly appears on television in the UK, the USA and the Middle East. He is currently based at University College London and regularly gives talks in the UK, Europe, Middle East and North America. For more details see his website at www.Neill-Lochery.co.uk
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4 of 4 people found the following review helpful
Format:Kindle Edition|Amazon Verified Purchase
A good account of Portuguese history during the Second World War. The focus is on Portugal's dictator, Salazar, far more than the city in which he was based.
It's pretty easy reading and for people who don't know much about the Second World War (like me) it's clear and interesting. For people who do know a bit about the subject, I suspect it's treading over some old territory. For example I know the story of the Duke and Duchess of Windsor (who spent weeks trapped in Lisbon at a critical juncture in the war) has been told many times before. But most of it is fascinating - particularly the account of how Portugal enriched itself throughout the war by selling tungsten for looted German gold.
I would have liked the book to live up to its title, and to know a bit more about wartime Lisbon - this critical, neutral city. The author makes a few stabs at describing the atmosphere in the city's cafes, but really there's almost nothing in here about what day-to-day life in Lisbon was like between 1939 and 1945.
It's pretty easy reading and for people who don't know much about the Second World War (like me) it's clear and interesting. For people who do know a bit about the subject, I suspect it's treading over some old territory. For example I know the story of the Duke and Duchess of Windsor (who spent weeks trapped in Lisbon at a critical juncture in the war) has been told many times before. But most of it is fascinating - particularly the account of how Portugal enriched itself throughout the war by selling tungsten for looted German gold.
I would have liked the book to live up to its title, and to know a bit more about wartime Lisbon - this critical, neutral city. The author makes a few stabs at describing the atmosphere in the city's cafes, but really there's almost nothing in here about what day-to-day life in Lisbon was like between 1939 and 1945.
8 of 10 people found the following review helpful
By LusoCali
Format:Kindle Edition
Just when I thought the world of books had pretty much covered every aspect of World War II, there comes along a book (and a superb one at that) which tells the tale of Portugal during the war. In it's opening line the words Casablanca sets the backdrop to the dark dealings and goings on that took place in Lisbon during the 1940's. Great characters and high stakes diplomacy - refugees, the rich and famous, exiled royalty of Europe, film stars and whole host of spies (both German and British) - dealing and double-dealing. Beautifully written, excellent and extensive archive research, this book makes a valuable contribution and is a hugely engaging read for anyone. I highly recommend it - 5 stars.
4 of 5 people found the following review helpful
By ArtPad
Format:Hardcover
Excellent writing about the little known, but important, 'theatre' during WWII that happened in Portugal. A wide-ranging, conscientious and in-depth researched book. Some rarely seen and fascinating photographs of the various participants taken during 1939-1945 round this book off beautifully. I have thoroughly enjoyed the book and am now listening along to the audio edition.
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Most Recent Customer Reviews
4.0 out of 5 stars
Lisbon
The book is very interesting, well researched and well written. The author however seems to have used for his research mostly allied archives and not German archives. Read more
Published 2 months ago by Bernardo Herold
3.0 out of 5 stars
How accurate?
This book is about Portugal's backstage role in WWII. Although Lisbon is in the title, I would say the book is more about Salazar and his regime. Read more
Published 3 months ago by Watchdog
4.0 out of 5 stars
Paper quality
The paper quality of this book was not the best and the spine had some slight damage. Both of which does not effect the books content so I have given it 4 stars.
Published 4 months ago by Miss Joanne Alder
1.0 out of 5 stars
Great subject, lousy execution
This is very disappointing. There could have been a great book on Lisbon during the Second World War. Read more
Published 6 months ago by Bookworm of St Leonards
1.0 out of 5 stars
Portugal in the WW II for dummies
I was a fool in buying the book. It is full of trivial knowkedge of Portugal during WW II. The author doesn't add anything new. Read more
Published 17 months ago by TTT
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