‘Beautifully written . . . The Picnic reads like a thriller’ Peter Frankopan
‘Exhilarating’ Observer
‘Intensely moving’ Sunday Times
‘Engrossing and dramatic’ William Boyd

In August 1989, a group of activists did the unthinkable: they entered the forbidden militarised zone of the Iron Curtain – and held a picnic. On wisps of rumour, thousands of East German ‘holiday-makers’ had made their way to the border, surveilled by lurking Stasi agents. The stage was set for the greatest border breach in Cold War history. The fall of the Berlin Wall, the end of the Soviet Union – the so-called end of history – all would flow from what happened next. Drawing on dozens of original interviews with those involved, Matthew Longo reconstructs this world-shaping event and its tumultuous aftermath.

‘Revelatory . . . adds a new, captivating chapter to the history of the Cold War’ New Statesman

‘Gripping . . . refreshingly fast-paced, effortlessly moving the reader from one place and moment to another’ History Today

‘Evoke[s] the dramatic events in vivid colour . . . fascinating’ Katja Hoyer, Telegraph *****

‘A great story . . . this is history told from the point of view of those who make it’ Ben Rogers, Times Literary Supplement

*WINNER OF THE ORWELL PRIZE FOR POLITICAL WRITING 2024*

*SHORTLISTED FOR THE HISTORICAL WRITERS ASSOCIATION NON-FICTION CROWN*

‘Engrossing and dramatic . . . captivating’ William Boyd, New Statesman

‘Intensely moving’ Sunday Times

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, awaiting an opportunity, fearing prison, surveilled by lurking Stasi agents. The stage was set for the greatest border breach in Cold War history. The fall of the Berlin Wall, the end of the Soviet Union – the so-called end of history – all would flow from what happened next.

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 this world-shaping event and its tumultuous aftermath.

‘A pivotal – and exhilarating – moment in 20th century history. . . gripping’ Observer

‘Evoke[s] the dramatic events in vivid colour . . . fascinating’ Katja Hoyer, Telegraph *****

‘Captivating . . . a vivid, fast-paced narrative’ New York Times

* A GUARDIAN BIGGEST FICTION AND NON-FICTION FOR 2024 * A WATERSTONES ‘BOOK YOU NEED TO READ IN 2024’ * A FOYLES TOP TEN READ FOR JANUARY 2024 *