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History of the Present: Essays, Sketches and Despatches from Europe in the 1990s
 
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History of the Present: Essays, Sketches and Despatches from Europe in the 1990s (Hardcover)

by Timothy Garton Ash (Author)
4.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (4 customer reviews)

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Product details

  • Hardcover: 440 pages
  • Publisher: Allen Lane (14 Jun 1999)
  • Language English
  • ISBN-10: 0713993235
  • ISBN-13: 978-0713993233
  • Product Dimensions: 24.1 x 16.5 x 4.5 cm
  • Average Customer Review: 4.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (4 customer reviews)
  • Amazon.co.uk Sales Rank: 940,502 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

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Product Description

Amazon.co.uk Review

In the 1980s, Timothy Garton Ash was a respected Central Europe reporter, his books The Uses of Adversity, We the People and The Polish Revolution required reading on the area, but still very much a specialised field. Over the last decade, Europe's supposed margins have forced their way centre stage, and everyone wants to know, needs to know about Lech Walesa's fall from power in Poland, why Czechoslovakia and Yugoslavia crumbled into pieces, about Bosnia and Kosovo, where Russia is going. These are the stories that now fill our front pages, and dominate discussions in Brussels and beyond. History of the Present is a series of 29 essays, sketches and despatches filed during the 1990s, its title coined by George Kennan in an attempt to capture the uniqueness of Garton Ash's work--at once journalistically contemporary, and yet with a real sense of historical perspective usually only found with that handily sure- footed guide, hindsight. Some of the pieces are now "outdated" in a narrow news sense, but all the more valuable for that--history-with-hindsight will inevitably iron out all the telling creases that Garton Ash records. What he produces is, in his own word, a "kaleidoscope" that eludes crass summary, but even so he concludes with some wise words on what Europe might now mean at the end of the decade. We should all read this book. --Alan Stewart


Review

A chronicle of the major European events from 1990 to 1999 written as they happened, this is a 'history from within' in which Garton Ash collects journalistic pieces written on events as they took place but with the perspective that they will soon become history. This is more than pure journalism as it gives the fullest possible context of events from within their time so that when they are analysed in future the contemporary understanding of their relevance can be taken into account. As he takes us through this tumultuous decade - German unification, the aftermath of Solidarity in Poland, the horrors of the Bosnian and Kosovan wars, the movement towards monetary union in Paris and Bonn - we see that a new European order is being created. That these essays are written in the present not only makes them highly prescient but also gives them a compassionate, personal tone borne out of the reality that people's lives are being affected as he writes. (Kirkus UK)
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Customer Reviews

4 Reviews
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Average Customer Review
4.8 out of 5 stars (4 customer reviews)
 
 
 
 
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5.0 out of 5 stars An essential guide to recent European history, 10 Mar 2000
By A Customer
Timothy Garton Ash has a rare talent in that he can bring his subject alive. Too many books about politics and history are ruined by dry, stale writing - 'History of the Present' is a gripping account of events in Central Europe over the past decade.

Where Timothy Garton Ash scores is that for most of the major events, such as the fall of the Berlin Wall and the overthrow of the Czech government, he was actually there on the inside.

With the analysis of a great historian and the perception and fluid style of a gifted journalist, his 'History of the Present' is a benchmark for all future books of a similar ilk.

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5.0 out of 5 stars An excellent read by a great historian of our age., 24 Nov 1999
By A Customer
I recommend this book to anyone interested in post-cold war world. Free from obesessive theoretical approach to international relations which is a prevailing trend in North America, the book (and each chapter) is well-structured based upon his witness accounts and deep understanding of history of the region. I have been even more interested in comtemporary history of Eastern, rather, Cenral Europe. It led me to re-read Milan Kundera's works and I found something new in those novels as well. If you think that this book is too bulky for you, start with Garton Ash's THE FILE, by which you may find yourself pulled in more than by the first-rated espionage novels. Robert Kaplan's THE BALKAN GHOST could be supplementary if you have not read it. Lastly, I would also like to recommend this book to persons whose country has "never" been occupied by a foreign country.
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4.0 out of 5 stars Excellent context for today's headlines, 13 Jul 1999
By A Customer
Central Europe in the 90's. Ash takes us there with a true insider's view. Add the historian's perspective and the journalist's writing style, and you have a fascinating read of our times.

Highly relevant in the context emerging Europe. What place Central Europe in the rush to Western European Union? What price to pay?

Ash provides depth for understanding what is happening and why in Central Europe from the Baltic to the Balkans. He asserts that Western Europe has not accepted appropriate responsibility for assisting Central Europe through this period of transition from Soviet satellite to stable, developing, western, liberal democratic states.

This is fine, page-turning, contemporary history.

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5.0 out of 5 stars Superb!
I recently ordered this superlative book along with the stunning new novel of the Second World War, "The Triumph and the Glory", and must commend Timothy Ash for an... Read more
Published on 2 Jul 1999

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