Mariusz Szczygiel Gottland

Annotation

Winner of the European Book Prize, Gottland is essential reading for anyone wanting to understand the history of modern Europe- a history of foreign occupation, a tussle between East and West and the extraordinary bravery of individual citizens living through these times. Gottland is a kaleidoscopic portrait of Czechoslovakia, a nation living through extreme events. Kafka's niece, the sculptor who made the world's biggest statue of Stalin, Karel Gott, winner of the Most Favourite Male Singer Award a record thirty-six times, and the Bata brothers and their shoe empire all gather in this landmark history written by a celebrated Polish journalist, a Czechophile, and one of the best-known members of the Polish school of reportage. Through meticulous research and hundreds of interviews, Szczygiel creates a compelling portrait of the country that brought us Franz Kafka, Milan Kundera and Tom Stoppard. He is uniquely qualified to create this portrait of Czechoslovakia and its people in those tragic and bizarre times.