Goodbye Eastern Europe
An epic history of the ‘other’ Europe, a place of conflict and coexistence, of faith and folklore.
‘Do not rush to bid farewell to eastern Europe until reading this book. Meticulously researched and beautifully written, this very personal story of the place that one can’t find on the map pays tribute to the origins of the experiences, cultures and ideas that continue to shape political and ideological battles of the modern world.’ Serhii Plokhy
Eastern Europe is more than the sum total of its annexations, invasions and independence declarations. From the Baltics to the Balkans, from Prague to Kiev, the area exuded a tragicomic character like no other.
This is a paean for a disappearing world of movable borders, sacred groves and syncretism. And an invitation to not forget.
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A SPECTATOR BOOK OF THE YEAR 2023
‘An insightful chronicle… distilling more than a decade of research, [Mikanowski] carefully argues that if something marks out Europe’s eastern half, it is not homogeneity but wild, glorious diversity.’ —Economist
‘A lively and sweeping history.’ —Washington Post
‘Goodbye Eastern Europe is a thematic history of a divided half-continent, a goulash of imperial histories, shifting frontiers and heartbreaking family stories, spiced with myth and poet-martyrs, and deeply satisfying on the palate… vital and informed.’ —TLS
Jacob Mikanowski is a writer and academic. His parents were Polish immigrants to the US, and he spent his childhood between Poland and Pennsylvania. He is a well-known essayist and freelance journalist, writing pieces for publications including the Guardian, New York Times, Atlantic, New Yorker and many more.