A dramatic and intensely moving reconstruction of the greatest
border breach in Cold War history and its tumultuous aftermath. In
August 1989, a group of Hungarian activists did the unthinkable:
they entered the forbidden militarised zone of the Iron Curtain -
and held a picnic. Word had spread of what was going to happen. On
wisps of rumour, thousands of East German 'holiday-makers' had made
their way to the border between Hungary and Austria and packed the
nearby camping sites, awaiting an opportunity, fearing prison,
surveilled by lurking Stasi agents. The highest state authorities
were choosing to turn a blind eye - but that could change at any
moment. The stage was set for the greatest border breach in Cold
War history: that day hundreds would cross from the Communist East
to the longed-for freedom of the West. The fall of the Berlin Wall,
the end of the Soviet Union - the so-called end of history - all
would flow from those dramatic hours. Drawing on dozens of original
interviews with those involved - activists and border guards,
escapees and secret police, as well as the last Communist prime
minister of Hungary - Matthew Longo reconstructs not only this
remarkable event but also its complex and bittersweet aftermath.
Freedom had been won but parents had been abandoned and families
divided. Love affairs faltered and new lives had to be built from
scratch. The Picnic is the story of a moment when the tide of
history turned. It shows how freedom can be both dream and
disillusionment, and how all we take for granted can vanish in an
instant.
General
Imprint: |
The Bodley Head Ltd
|
Country of origin: |
United Kingdom |
Release date: |
2024 |
Authors: |
Matthew Longo
|
Dimensions: |
240 x 156 x 28mm (L x W x T) |
Pages: |
256 |
ISBN-13: |
978-1-84792-779-8 |
Categories: |
Books
|
LSN: |
1-84792-779-3 |
Barcode: |
9781847927798 |
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