Status
Available
Collection
Publication
Cambridge : Granta Publications, 1990
Description
Travel into territory that was once forbidden - the new Europe previously shrouded behind the Iron Curtain. Now that the Iron Curtain has lifted and the Cold War is over, Michael can enjoy a new freedom to roam unhindered across an unexplored swathe of this continent. From Estonia in the north to Turkey in the south, where Europe reaches out to Asia across the Bosphorus, Michael's journey takes him through twenty countries, some Central European, some Eastern European, some straddling continents, and all compelling.
User reviews
LibraryThing member RobertOK
Published early in 1990, this issue focuses on the extraordinary movement to democracies from socialism that swept through many Eastern European countries in late 1989. Decades of repressive regimes fell and Soviet influence was rebelled against. The Berlin Wall fell and Poland, Czechoslovakia,
It was an exciting time to be a European, but despite this issue's focus on the changes, it fails to be remotely exciting to read. The majority of the issue is a bunch of essays by intellectuals, historians, poets and authors who are looking at the bigger picture and don't capture the elation at the new sense of freedom. The best that can be said is there's some interesting ideas about consumerism and capitalism versus systems of government that force people to be more interior and subtle in their thought and actions.
The best entries are two fiction pieces by Russian fiction writers that show first-hand life under a repressive government. Also enjoyable is the second part of Jonathan Raban's humorous memoir of moving to America, although it is way too short.
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Hungary, Romania, all saw mostly peaceful transfers of power to democracies led by the will of the people. People ultimately were tired of the corruption of their leaders, the repression of personal rights and the inability to achieve a better quality of life than people in the West.It was an exciting time to be a European, but despite this issue's focus on the changes, it fails to be remotely exciting to read. The majority of the issue is a bunch of essays by intellectuals, historians, poets and authors who are looking at the bigger picture and don't capture the elation at the new sense of freedom. The best that can be said is there's some interesting ideas about consumerism and capitalism versus systems of government that force people to be more interior and subtle in their thought and actions.
The best entries are two fiction pieces by Russian fiction writers that show first-hand life under a repressive government. Also enjoyable is the second part of Jonathan Raban's humorous memoir of moving to America, although it is way too short.
Show Less