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The Basque History of the World
 
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The Basque History of the World (Paperback)

by Mark Kurlansky (Author)
4.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (20 customer reviews)
RRP: £9.99
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Product details

  • Paperback: 400 pages
  • Publisher: Vintage; New edition edition (2 Nov 2000)
  • Language English
  • ISBN-10: 0099284138
  • ISBN-13: 978-0099284130
  • Product Dimensions: 19.6 x 12.8 x 3.2 cm
  • Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (20 customer reviews)
  • Amazon.co.uk Sales Rank: 57,289 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

    Popular in these categories:

    #18 in  Books > History > Europe > Spain
    #26 in  Books > History > Europe > France

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Product Description

Amazon.co.uk Review

After basking in the shallows of success that surrounded Cod: A Biography of the Fish that Changed the World, Mark Kurlansky turns his attentions to the people who first hunted it and in doing so may have discovered America before John Cabot could say Isparsortalderatu. In a sense The Basque History of the World is the natural successor to Cod, for it grows organically from that book's early chapters. It unfolds the dramatic tale of the Basques as they fight off the challenges of the Vikings, the Romans, the Muslims and, for centuries now, the Spanish; proudly defensive of the remote and rugged hills on the edge of the Pyrenees, where Shakespeare set Love's Labour's Lost and that echoes with their peculiar agglutinating tongue. They are possibly Europe's aborigines and their language, unlike any other, was reputed to originate from, variously, the Tower of Babel, Atlantis and even the Garden of Eden. What's for certain is that it has defined their being when all else has been taken from them and that today, emerging from the shadow of the Franco regime's persecution, Europe's oldest nation wants to be its newest state. Kurlansky's recipe is reassuringly and familiarly unorthodox: intermingled with a stirring narrative are maps, photographs, pieces of reportage, quirky facts and, of course, recipes--the Basques are justly proud of their fish--and bean-based cuisine, something Kurlansky is not slow to savour. Where Cod was not simply about a big fish in The Big Pond but embraced the thorny problem of global over-fishing, The Basque History of the World does not confine its scope to the two and a half million people living in the seven Basque provinces. It speaks of violently modern and pervasive issues such as the notion of nationhood, borders and identity, and does so in a slyly humorous yet always passionate way. Be warned: This is not insipid, literary chloroform. What the imperious Kurlansky has written is a magnificently personal and driven tribute to a people and culture that have spellbound him for years and will warm the cockles of your heart (before adding them to a Ttoro stew). --David Vincent --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.


Product Description

They are a mythical people, almost an imagined people, writes Kurlansky. Signs of their civilization exist well before the arrival of the Romans in 218BC. Their forbidden tongue is equally mysterious, it is related to no other, but today the Basques are enjoying what may be the most important cultural renaissance in their long existence.

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Customer Reviews

20 Reviews
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 (10)
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Average Customer Review
4.0 out of 5 stars (20 customer reviews)
 
 
 
 
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17 of 18 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars Four plus three equals one (Basque graffiti), 6 Aug 2005
By Bert Ruiz "author/journalist" (Pleasantville, NY) - See all my reviews
(TOP 100 REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)   
There are a total of seven provinces in Basque land. Three are in France and four are in Spain. Consequently, the birth of local Basque wall graffiti, "four plus three equals one." "The Basque History of the World," is a comprehensive historical portrait of a proud people. Moreover, author Mark Kurlansky details the very unique and "tenacious" characteristics of the Basque population. Interestingly enough, Kurlansky argues that the Basque tongue, "Euskera" is likely the oldest living European language.

Kurlansky's narrative starts in the Bronze age, examines the bloody difficulties of the Spanish Civil War, it documents the stunning bravery of the Basque people during World War II, and reports the terrible human rights violations inflicted on the Basque people by the Franco Dictatorship. Kurlansky also does not fail to report the impressive economic development of the region from fishing to shipbuilding to steel manufacturing. On a diplomatic note, the author makes a point of reporting the shameful American State Department betrayal of the Basque people due to Cold War politics. Finally, this book is an important source of information for all Latin Americans...you may very well discover your own links to the Basque culture. Recommended.

Bert Ruiz

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8 of 8 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars The Basque History of the World., 16 Nov 2003
By Frederick Garner (London United Kingdom) - See all my reviews
So much I have always wanted to know.

Amazing information on Basque history, politics and best of all cooking.... Baccaloa recipes.

The section on the linguistics of the Basque language is so easy to follow and I very much enjoyed the guide on how to pronounce the inpenetrable "tx."

The coverage of the American influence on Basque feelings and the effect of Franco on the immediate lives of the Basque people was electrifying.

The bibliograhy is stunning.

An extremely well-written and wonderfully researched book.

I would reccommend it anyone who is interested in exploring the totality of "Spanish Culture and History."

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23 of 25 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars A book for historical survival, 31 May 2001
Mark Kurlansky, author of 'The Basque History of the World' (Jonathan Cape; 1999) presents one of the most accomplished books on Basque history ever written in English. Kurlansky blends human stories with cultural, political and culinary history. He, like many other authors is attracted by the challenge of the survival of this small country throughout thousands of years. Kurlansky reveals a different point of view on the Basque people, far from the stereotypes imposed by many modern journalists. The author, as a journalist himself, highlights the Basque's outstanding impact on Europe's historical evolution. "No word less describes Basques than the term separatist...Considering how small a group the Basques are, they have made remarkable contributions to world history", Kurlansky adds. The modern Basque Country represents a human group constituted by hardly three million people lost in the swarms of the great human crowds. A significant fact of the Basque Country is the tenacity for the historical survival, its touch of distinction for the cultural creation, and its collective memory for the development of a social identity. While the world has entered into the Third Millennium, over 650,000 people are speaking a language, Euskera, whose roots can be found in the Stone Age (6,000BC). The Basque sociologist Ruiz de Olabuenaga argues that "something that had defined and is still defining men and women of the Basque society is the conviction that we ourselves must create our own future and that the excellence of the history of this country can be lost. We are a small country but solid, intense,passionate between the unconditional fidelity to our tradition and the maximum compromise to the ambiguity of the future". Kurlansky summarizes the aspiration of the Basque people for such historical survival in the final sentence of his book: 'Garean gareana legez' - 'Let us be what we are' - (from Esteban de Garibay, Basque Historian, XVIthC).
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Most Recent Customer Reviews

1.0 out of 5 stars From a Basque: this book is rubbish
I read this book when it came out and I just have taken it in my hands again to see if I have the same feeling about it now as I had it then. Indeed I do. Read more
Published 14 months ago by justin case

4.0 out of 5 stars Interesting book
Kurlansky's book is an interesting first approach to Basque History. It gives an interesting historical background on many places as well as a detailed insight of the historical... Read more
Published on 19 April 2007 by LAS@Portugal

4.0 out of 5 stars the basques are no longer an enigma
the basques, like the irish before the peace process, tended to get only negative press before this book was written. it's a gem. Read more
Published on 5 Oct 2004

3.0 out of 5 stars An interesting concept, but....
As I was planning a trip to Bilbao, I thought this book would be an ideal choice of background reading material. Up to a point, it was just that. Read more
Published on 2 Nov 2003 by R. A. Lipscombe

5.0 out of 5 stars The Basque History of The World
This is the first time I have ever seen an English language publication that informs and educates on Euskal Herria, and manages to mention the word "Basque" without adding... Read more
Published on 11 Aug 2003

5.0 out of 5 stars The Basque problem
This book is an excellent introduction for someone ignorant in the subject. The Basque problem has always been misunderstood and misread either by the own Basques or by the... Read more
Published on 8 Oct 2002 by de_toca

3.0 out of 5 stars Good introduction
A book thats great strength is also its biggest weakness: the blind love of the subject by the author. Read more
Published on 21 Nov 2001 by No Monarch

5.0 out of 5 stars Excellent, intelligent stuff
I found this book to be very interesting indeed. The author tells the story of the Basque people with obvious extensive research and honesty that educates a person without... Read more
Published on 2 Oct 2001

5.0 out of 5 stars Beautiful, illuminating, fascinating... and very readable!
This book is a masterpiece. Kurlansky evidently not only knows his subject inside and out, he also has great affection for it, which he conveys in every carefully crafted chapter... Read more
Published on 26 Feb 2001

5.0 out of 5 stars A wonderfully written insight into the real Basque world
Mark Kurlansky is to be congratulated for writing a brilliant book on a fascinating topic. He manages to combine economic and political history with a well researched insight... Read more
Published on 22 Feb 2001 by royharwood

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