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rebeccacider's review against another edition
5.0
Picked this up to research a writing project; thanks to this book, my project exploded into something much bigger. DNF because it was due back to the library, but planning on purchasing it.
Peter Demetz delivers an excellent political and social history of Bohemia through the lens of Prague. I love this approach because it's both European history and local history, which gives the narrative a sense of continuity that historical surveys sometimes lack. Demetz is a sensitive historian and remains keenly aware of the human element in all that he writes.
Czech history truly has everything—an origin story that features a literal war between the sexes, kings and emperors who are brilliant politicians but also assholes, badass nuns, tenacious Jews, epic power struggles that cut across lines of class, religion, and ethnicity, magnificent castles, magnificent cathedrals, university drama, subversive writers, peasant uprisings, bourgeoisie uprisings, alchemists, astronomers, HERETICS SO MANY HERETICS, and all the major players in European politics leaving their thumbprints, one way or another. It is fascinating, heartbreaking stuff. And I only read through the year 1600!
Recommended for those seeking a fresh look at European history. It turns out I actually do like political history; my brain just tends to shut off at any mention of Lancasters and Yorks and Tudors. This book brings the machinations of political dynasties down to the human level.
Peter Demetz delivers an excellent political and social history of Bohemia through the lens of Prague. I love this approach because it's both European history and local history, which gives the narrative a sense of continuity that historical surveys sometimes lack. Demetz is a sensitive historian and remains keenly aware of the human element in all that he writes.
Czech history truly has everything—an origin story that features a literal war between the sexes, kings and emperors who are brilliant politicians but also assholes, badass nuns, tenacious Jews, epic power struggles that cut across lines of class, religion, and ethnicity, magnificent castles, magnificent cathedrals, university drama, subversive writers, peasant uprisings, bourgeoisie uprisings, alchemists, astronomers, HERETICS SO MANY HERETICS, and all the major players in European politics leaving their thumbprints, one way or another. It is fascinating, heartbreaking stuff. And I only read through the year 1600!
Recommended for those seeking a fresh look at European history. It turns out I actually do like political history; my brain just tends to shut off at any mention of Lancasters and Yorks and Tudors. This book brings the machinations of political dynasties down to the human level.
forever_amber's review against another edition
4.0
A really wonderful account of the history and culture of one of my most favourite cities.
Despite the enormous quantity of facts, names and information, it is written in an easy to read and a smooth, witty way. A crossroad of many nationalities/ethnicites, Prague has been a place of victories and downfalls, of deplorable wars and enticing culture. I finally understood the nature of the Czech-German relations and intertwining, which were very obscure to me before. They are very old indeed, dating somewhere back to second half of the Early Middle Ages. The nature of the religious wars (Hussite and Thirty years' war) is also very elaborately described, and I dare say they're the second more disgusting thing to me after the French revolution.
Oh, I am so in love with Bohemia!
PS. However, I still insist on the fact that it is very wrong to say St. Cyril and St. Methodius (mentioned in the very beginning of the book) were of a Greek origin. (It is not yet confirmed at all, plus there is also some difference between "Greek" and "Byzantine", which should be observed by historians. Usually it is said they have orthodox (father) and maybe slav (mother) origin, but the truth is yet to be discovered).
Despite the enormous quantity of facts, names and information, it is written in an easy to read and a smooth, witty way. A crossroad of many nationalities/ethnicites, Prague has been a place of victories and downfalls, of deplorable wars and enticing culture. I finally understood the nature of the Czech-German relations and intertwining, which were very obscure to me before. They are very old indeed, dating somewhere back to second half of the Early Middle Ages. The nature of the religious wars (Hussite and Thirty years' war) is also very elaborately described, and I dare say they're the second more disgusting thing to me after the French revolution.
Oh, I am so in love with Bohemia!
PS. However, I still insist on the fact that it is very wrong to say St. Cyril and St. Methodius (mentioned in the very beginning of the book) were of a Greek origin. (It is not yet confirmed at all, plus there is also some difference between "Greek" and "Byzantine", which should be observed by historians. Usually it is said they have orthodox (father) and maybe slav (mother) origin, but the truth is yet to be discovered).
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