Children of the Night

The Strange and Epic Story of Modern Romania

Children of the Night
Paul Kenyon
RRP:
NZ$ 45.00
Our Price:
NZ$ 36.00
Hardback
h234 x 153mm - 496pg
19 Aug 2021 UK
International import eta 7-19 days
9781789543162
Out Of Stock
Currently no stock in-store, stock is sourced to your order
A darkly humorous and horrifying history of some of the strangest dictators that Europe has ever seen. A vivid, brilliant, darkly humorous and horrifying history of some of the strangest dictators that Europe has ever seen. Balanced precariously on the shifting fault line between East and West, Romania' s schizophrenic, often violent past is one of the great untold stories of modern Europe. The country that gave us Vlad Dracula, and whose citizens consider themselves descendants of ancient Rome, has traditionally preferred the status of enigmatic outsider. But this beautiful and unexplored land has experienced some of the most disastrous leaderships of the last century. After a relatively benign period led by a dutiful King and his vivacious British-born Queen, the country oscillated wildly. Its interwar rulers form a gallery of bizarre characters and extreme movements: the corrupt and mentally unbalanced King Carol; the fascist death cult led by Corneliu Codreanu; the vain General Ion Antonescu, who seized power in 1940 and led the country into a catastrophic alliance with Nazi Germany. After 1945 power was handed to Romania' s tiny communist party, under which it experienced severe repression, purges and collectivisation. Then in 1965, Nicolae Ceau? escu came to power. And thus began the strangest dictatorship of all. ' A witty and page-turning narrative full of grotesque characters' Misha Glenny' Paul Kenyon sweeps away the myths of romance and horror that cling to this fascinating and mysterious country' Allan Little' Absolutely essential reading for anyone interested in Romania past and present' John Simpson
' Paul Kenyon sweeps away the myths of romance and horror that cling to this fascinating and mysterious country and uncovers a history that is more gripping and colourful than the fiction. The characters that people his history are boldly animated and the narrative sizzles with energy' -- Allan Little, BBC correspondent and author of The Death of Yugoslavia ' A witty and page-turning narrative full of grotesque characters who led the country into a series of disasters, from the home-grown fascism of Codreanu and Antonescu to the demented Stalinist personality cult of Nicolae and Elena Ceausescu' -- Misha Glenny, author of McMafia and The Balkans ' An excellent and beautifully researched book . . . Absolutely essential reading for anyone interested in Romania past and present' -- John Simpson, BBC World Affairs Editor PRAISE FOR DICTATORLAND: ' The stories it tells of dictators such as Robert Mugabe and Muammer Gaddafi are grimly fascinating and leave the reader to ponder why so many of Africa' s liberation heroes turned into villains' Finanical Times, Books of the Year. ' A familiar story, but still shocking' Sunday Times. ' Mr Kenyon narrates a jaw-dropping tale of greed, corruption and brutality' Frederick Forsyth, Daily Express. ' Dictatorland is a humane, timely, accessible and well-researched book that shines a light on urgent African issues [. . . ] that, when we consider the state of our own societies, can no longer be dismissed as merely somewhere else' s problem' Irish Times. ' It is [the] minute observations that make Mr Kenyon' s book so hard to put down' Economist. ' Highly readable . . . A chapter on the rise of Felix Houphouet-Boigny is especially vivid' * The Times *
Paul Kenyon has travelled in almost every African country in the footsteps of the dictators. He is a distinguished BBC correspondent and BAFTA award-winning journalist and author.
Status: Active
ISBN-13: 9781789543162
Published: 19 Aug 2021
Published In: United Kingdom
Imprint: Apollo
Publisher: Head of Zeus
Format: Hardback
Height: 234mm
Width: 153mm
Pages: 496

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