The award-winning author of Cod: A Biography of the Fish that
Changed the World takes an equally unconventional and engaging
approach to those curmudgeonly nationalists, the Basques. True,
this history ploughs a more or less linear furrow, from the
uncertain origins of its subject - whom many consider the first
inhabitants of Europe - through fluctuating fortunes with the Moors
and the French - to the horrors of civil war and the rise of
Euzkadi ta Askatsuna (ETA). But each chapter also addresses a
particular facet of Basque culture - whether it be their passion
for salt cod, whale meat and baby eels, the origins of their
distinctive berets, or the evolution of their unique (and
inpenetrable) language, accompanied by mouthwatering recipes
reflecting the glorious tradition of Basque cuisine. Proof - if
proof were needed - that learning about history can be fun. (Kirkus
UK)
'They are a mythical people, almost an imagined people, ' writes Mark K urlansky. Settled in seven provinces in a corner of France and Spain i n a land that is marked on no maps except their own, separated by the daunting Pyrenees Mountains, the Basques are a nation without a countr y with an ancient and dramatic story that illuminates Europe's own sag a. Signs of their civilisation exist well before the arrival of the Ro mans in 218 BC; many believe they are the original Europeans. Their an cient and forbidden tongue - Euskera - is equally mysterious: it is re lated to no other language on earth. Yet the Basques' contributions t o the world have been clear and remarkable. They have always been a pa radoxical blend of inbred tradition and cutting-edge internationalism. Prior to and during the age of exploration, they connected Europe to North and South America, Africa and Asia, and one of their own, Juan S ebastian de Elcano, was the first man to circumnavigate the globe in 1 522. Their influence has been felt in religion and in business: they w ere among the first capitalists, and later led the Industrial Revoluti on in southern Europe. Mark Kurlansky's passion for the Basque people and his exuberant eye for detail shine throughout. The book blends po litical, literary, and culinary history into a rich and heroic tale.
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