“Rebecca West’s magnum opus . . . one of the great books of our time.” —The New Yorker Written on the brink of World War II, Rebecca West’s classic examination of the history, people, and politics of Yugoslavia illuminates a region that is still a focus of international concern. A magnificent blend of travel journal, cultural commentary, and historical insight, Black Lamb and Grey Falcon probes the troubled history of the Balkans and the uneasy relationships among its ethnic groups. The landscape and the people of Yugoslavia are brilliantly observed as West untangles the tensions that rule the country’s history as well as its daily life. For more than seventy years, Penguin has been the leading publisher of classic literature in the English-speaking world. With more than 1,700 titles, Penguin Classics represents a global bookshelf of the best works throughout history and across genres and disciplines. Readers trust the series to provide authoritative texts enhanced by introductions and notes by distinguished scholars and contemporary authors, as well as up-to-date translations by award-winning translators.
With an introduction by Geoff Dyer First published in 1942, Rebecca West’s epic masterpiece is widely regarded as the most illuminating book to have been written on what was once Yugoslavia, essential for anyone attempting to understand the enigmatic history of the Balkan states. ‘West’s masterpiece [is] one of the great twentieth-century books of any genre.’ Independent ‘Impossible to put down, both timeless and of its time—a travel book and epic narrative history brimming with passion, anger, scholarship and intuition, hatred and love.’ Observer ‘Such incandescent writing—you find yourself wanting to mark every sentence in order to go back and relish it again.’ Brian Eno ‘One of the supreme masterpieces of the twentieth century . . . As a book about Yugoslavia it’s a kind of metaphysical Lonely Planet that never requires updating . . . this is history as it might have been written by Ryszard Kapuscinski or Gabriel García Márquez .’ Geoff Dyer, from his introduction ‘It is hard to convey the flavour of a book so rich in observation, history, philosophy, political ideas and ironic humour. West is full of digressions which are extraordinary, but never boring.’ The Times ‘The sheer quality and depth of the writing make it one of the great books of the century.’ Times Literary Supplement
Following in the famous footsteps of Rebecca West's 1945 masterpiece "Black Lamb and Grey Falcon: A Journey Through Yugoslavia," White's lively contemporaneous travelogue depicts the present-day Balkans in all its cultural glory.
The notion of citizenship is part of a national collective memory and a memory of individuals belonging to a specific geographical, historical and cultural context. The volume seeks to investigate the importance of women's relationship with citizenship and nationality from a diachronic perspective analysing different forms of writing in various European contexts. Many themes intersect in the different essays that comprise the volume, including the construction of female identity through religious ideology, the importance of translation and cultural studies as a source of feminine knowledge, and the relationship between public life and private domain within the multiculturalism of Europe. The intersection between national identity, women's writings and cultural difference surfaces in many essays and demonstrates how the notion of a necessary translation between cultures has been central for women authors since the seventeenth century.
A new edition of the classic travelogue exploring the Balkan Peninsula’s political, social, religious, and economic past. From the assassination that triggered World War I to the ethnic warfare in Serbia, Bosnia, and Croatia, the Balkans have been the crucible of the twentieth century, the place where terrorism and genocide first became tools of policy. Chosen as one of the Best Books of the Year by the New York Times, and greeted with critical acclaim as “the most insightful and timely work on the Balkans to date” (Boston Globe), Kaplan’s prescient, enthralling, and often chilling political travelogue is already a modern classic. This new edition of Balkan Ghosts includes six opinion pieces written by Robert Kaplan about the Balkans between 1996 and 2000, beginning just after the implementation of the Dayton Peace Accords and ending after the conclusion of the Kosovo war, with the removal of Slobodan Milosevic from power. Praise for Balkan Ghosts “The product of over a decade of travel and research, this is one of precious few works that allows a Western reader a look into the tortured soul of the Balkan peoples. . . . A superior narrative. . . . Kaplan is a master of this genre.” —Library Journal “A memorable portrait of an increasingly important region.” —Kirkus Review
New from Bradt is Croatia: Dalmatian Coast, a travel guidebook that focuses exclusively and in detail on this popular part of Croatia. Co-authored by travel writer Piers Letcher, who wrote six editions of Bradt’s guide Croatia, and longstanding Dalmatian resident Jane Foster, Croatia: Dalmatian Coast offers intimate local insights into where best to stay and eat, and what to see and do in this gorgeous southeast European enclave. With rugged limestone mountains, crystalline turquoise waters and pine-scented islands, Dalmatia has for centuries delighted explorers – and this is where most of today’s visitors to Croatia still head. With its balmy Mediterranean climate, this is a land of silvery-green olive groves, hillside vineyards, pebble coves, waterside villages, stone cottages, wooden fishing boats and pink-flowering oleander. Meanwhile, the Dalmatian mainland is home to the well-preserved port cities of Split, Zadar and Dubrovnik (with its UNESCO-listed, pedestrians-only old town), where sturdy fortifications protect exquisite Romanesque and Baroque churches, and bustling fish markets display mounds of wide-eyed sea bream and glistening octopus. With this Bradt guide sharing a local’s first-hand experience, you'll be sure to eat well: think fresh fish, local seasonal fruit and vegetables, and home-produced olive oil, whether consumed in excellent, family-run agrotourism eateries or newly Michelin-starred restaurants. You’ll drink great wines too, informed by the author’s knowledge of Dalmatian wines and wine-tasting. For many visitors, Dalmatia’s greatest allure involves exploring its dramatic landscapes and unspoilt nature. Castaway-style islands such as Hvar, with its rustic-chic seafood eateries and candle-lit cocktail bars, are much loved by yachters who sail around the uninhabited islets of Kornati National Park. Then there's windsurfing off Bol on Brac, scuba diving off Vis, and sea-kayaking or paddling around the Korcula archipelago too. On the mainland, rugged mountains and gaping gorges offer yet more challenges for adventure-sports enthusiasts – try hiking the soaring limestone heights of Mt Biokovo, free-climbing in Paklenica National Park or rafting down the Cetina Gorge, in the hinterland behind Omiš. Little wonder that land- and water-based adventure sports are treated to a full chapter in Bradt’s Croatia: Dalmatian Coast – the perfect companion to your visit.
A volume focusing on the popular genre of travel writing, the book examines over 400 British and American literary texts in order to outline and account for the multiple ways in which the Balkans have been represented from the mid-nineteenth century to the present day.
History and collective memories influence a nation, its culture, and institutions; hence, its domestic politics and foreign policy. That is the case in the Intermarium, the land between the Baltic and Black Seas in Eastern Europe. The area is the last unabashed rampart of Western Civilization in the East, and a point of convergence of disparate cultures. Marek Jan Chodakiewicz focuses on the Intermarium for several reasons. Most importantly because, as the inheritor of the freedom and rights stemming from the legacy of the Polish-Lithuanian/Ruthenian Commonwealth, it is culturally and ideologically compatible with American national interests. It is also a gateway to both East and West. Since the Intermarium is the most stable part of the post-Soviet area, Chodakiewicz argues that the United States should focus on solidifying its influence there. The ongoing political and economic success of the Intermarium states under American sponsorship undermines the totalitarian enemies of freedom all over the world. As such, the area can act as a springboard to addressing the rest of the successor states, including those in the Caucasus, Central Asia, and the Russian Federation. Intermarium has operated successfully for several centuries. It is the most inclusive political concept within the framework of the Commonwealth. By reintroducing the concept of the Intermarium into intellectual discourse the author highlights the autonomous and independent nature of the area. This is a brilliant and innovative addition to European Studies and World Culture.
The history of the Balkans has been a distillation of the great and terrible themes of 20th century history-the rise of nationalism, communism, fascism, genocide, identity and war. Written by one of the leading historians of the region, this is a new interpretation of that history, focusing on the uses and legacies of nationalism in the Balkan region. In particular, Professor Veremis analyses the influence of the West-from the fall of the Ottoman Empire and the rise and collapse of Yugoslavia. Throughout the state-building process of Greece, Serbia, Rumania, Bulgaria and later, Albania, the West provided legal, administrative and political prototypes to areas bedevilled by competing irredentist claims. At a time when Slovenia, Rumania, Bulgaria and Croatia have become full members of the EU, yet some orphans of the Communist past are facing domestic difficulties, A Modern History of the Balkans seeks to provide an important historical context to the current problems of nationalism and identity in the Balkans.
