The Curtain and the Wall

Emma — Thu, 07 Sep 2023 00:00:00 +0000

An epic journey across 5,000 kilometres and through eight decades, to tell a new story about the old Cold War faultlinesWith the fall of the Berlin Wall, it seemed that the old divisions between East and West had been consigned to history. But with tensions once again rising, the past has much to tell us about our present. Here Timothy Phillips undertakes a fascinating journey along the full length of the former Iron Curtain, from the Arctic Circle to Turkey’s eastern border, to meet the people who bore witness to this tumultuous era and those who continue to live in its shadow. ‘A first class analysis of Cold War history’ Sunday Independent'[Phillips] visited strange places that very few people have ever heard of but which were vitally important in the east-west divide… Phillips is a good observer… [with] excellent powers of narrative’ Sunday Times’Narrated with energy and aplomb… Phillips has a good ear for historical anecdotes and writes with empathy and acuity about the people and places he encounters’ Times Literary Supplement

The Curtain and the Wall

Emma — Thu, 13 Oct 2022 00:00:00 +0000

A landmark journey along the full length of the old Iron Curtain – from the Arctic Circle to Turkey’s eastern border – tracing the history of the Cold War and meeting the people who live with its legacy.The Iron Curtain divided the continent of Europe, north to south, with the Berlin Wall as its most visible, infamous manifestation. Since the Cold War ended and these borders came down, Europe has transformed itself. New generations have grown up, freed from the tensions and restrictions of the past. But what do the Curtain and the Wall mean today? What has happened to the people and places they divided? What have they left in their wake?In a major new book, Timothy Phillips travels the route of the Iron Curtain from deep inside the Arctic Circle to the meeting point of Armenia, Azerbaijan and Turkey. He explores the borderlands where the clash of civilisations was at its most intense between 1945 and 1989, and where the world’s most powerful ideologies became tangible in reinforced concrete and barbed wire. He looks at the new Europe that emerged from the ruins. The people he meets bear vivid witness to times of change. There are those who look back on the Cold War with nostalgia and affection. Others despise it, unable to forgive the hard and sometimes lost decades that their families, friends and nations endured. These old fault lines have much to tell us about Europe now and about our societies’ current disputes – over borders, and about belonging and the meaning of progress. The Curtain and the Wall transports the reader across 5,000 kilometres of Europe and through eight decades to show how one of the defining stories of the 20th century continues to shape our world today.

Phillips, Timothy – The Bell Bookshop

The Curtain and the Wall

The Curtain and the Wall