Kosovo: a Short History

"An excellent scholarly contribution to the study of the province. . . . Seriously differs from the biased interpretations published by Serbian and Albanian historians, or trendy but shallow Western "Kosovology experts." --Canadian Slavonic Papers "A thrilling detective story." --New York Times Book Review "Excellent." --New York Review of Books "A book every policy expert, journalist and lay person must read." --Wall Street Journal "Malcolm's narrative is gripping, even brilliant at times ... He takes to his task with the vigor of a detective driven by true passion. At times his claims are, in terms of Balkan history, quite revolutionary." --Economist "Cover(s) the whole history of Kosovo, with an authority that is often breathtaking and never oppressive." --Sunday Times "Brilliantly researched and argued ... a magisterial work of history ... Kosovo will inevitably be received immediately as an immensely valuable contribution to our understanding and knowledge of a contemporary crisis. But to see the book as merely a contribution to the present-day debate is to do it a disservice. This is a profound and pioneering work which will endure for generations." --Times Literary Supplement In this awe-inspiring work, Malcolm has created a vital successor to his Bosnia: A Short History and an essential aid to anyone who wishes to understand this tragic region today...His book is exceptional not only for his unimpeachable rearch, but also for his equitable examination of the conflicting ethnic views of what really happened ... One can't help speculating on how a clear understanding of the information contained here might have affected the Dayton Accord and history. --Publisher's Weekly, 4/20/98 By far the best available guide to the fatal steps to catastrophe. --The New York Review of Books ". . .elaborately researched . . ."--Book World A contested region of Serbia bordered by Albania and Macedonia, Kosovo was left out of the Bosnian peace agreement of 1995. For the 2.2 million Albanians living in Kosovo, this sparked the abandonment of a nonviolent independence movement in favor of armed struggle. The tinderbox Balkan province of Kosovo thus remains in limbo as Albanians urgently rally their forces against Serbian rule. Exemplifying once again the best of narrative, analytical history, Noel Malcolm here provides the definitive story of Kosovo, from its origins to its current state of unrest. Kosovo clarifies the troubled past and present of this crucial region in a readable and neatly compressed style.… (more)