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OverviewThe Sunday Times bestselling author of Dresden on the most important city of the 20th century - Berlin Throughout the twentieth century, Berlin stood at the centre of a convulsing world. This history is often viewed as separate acts- the suffering of the First World War, the cosmopolitan city of science, culture and sexual freedom Berlin became, steep economic plunges, the rise of the Nazis, the destruction of the Second World War, the psychosis of genocide, and a city rent in two by competing ideologies. But people do not live their lives in fixed eras. An epoch ends, yet the people continue - or try to continue - much as they did before. Berlin tells the story of the city as seen through the eyes not of its rulers, but of those who walked its streets. In this magisterial biography of a city and its inhabitants, bestselling historian Sinclair McKay sheds new light on well-known characters - from idealistic scientist Albert Einstein to Nazi architect Albert Speer - and draws on never-before-seen first-person accounts to introduce us to people of all walks of Berlin life. For example, we meet office worker Mechtild Evers, who in her efforts to escape an oncoming army runs into even more appalling jeopardy, and Reinhart Cruger, a 12-year-old boy in 1941 who witnesses with horror the Gestapo coming for each of his Jewish neighbours in turn. How did those ideologies - fascism and communism - come to flower so fully here? And how did their repercussions continue to be felt throughout Europe and the West right up until that extraordinary night in the autumn of 1989 when the Wall - that final expression of totalitarian oppression - was at last breached? You cannot understand the twentieth century without understanding Berlin; and you cannot understand Berlin without understanding the experiences of its people. McKay's latest masterpiece shows us this hypnotic city as never before. Full Product DetailsAuthor: Sinclair McKayPublisher: Penguin Books Ltd Imprint: Penguin Books Ltd Dimensions: Width: 12.60cm , Height: 3.80cm , Length: 19.60cm Weight: 0.360kg ISBN: 9780241991688ISBN 10: 0241991684 Pages: 464 Publication Date: 11 May 2023 Audience: Professional and scholarly , College/higher education , General/trade , Professional & Vocational , Tertiary & Higher Education Format: Paperback Publisher's Status: Active Availability: In stock  We have confirmation that this item is in stock with the supplier. It will be ordered in for you and dispatched immediately. Table of ContentsReviewsI loved this book. McKay's writing is vivid and sometimes even beautiful . . . his own observations and summaries seem always apposite and wise . . . To anyone who knows Berlin a little and is fascinated by it, but would like to understand it better, this is a wonderful aid . . . Sinclair McKay was born to write this book -- David Aaronovitch * The Times * Remarkable . . . A majestic work of non-fiction -- Matthew d'Ancona * Tortoise * McKay has written a masterful account of a city marked by infamy. Supported by meticulous research, Berlin is by turns terrifying and fascinating. If there is a book that must be read this year, this is it -- Amanda Foreman The book's principal subject is Berliners doomed role in the Second World War. Through their eyes, McKay brilliantly captures Germany's initial successes, and then the reverses and escalating defeats . . . To have uncovered so many previously unknown characters and fascinating anecdotes is especially admirable -- Iain MacGregor * Spectator * I thought I knew everything about Berlin, but then I read this stunning book. It's eye-opening, enlightening and wonderfully told -- Norman Ohler, author of Blitzed McKay's powerful imagery and magnetic prose combine to produce an electrifying new account of Berlin. 'You cannot understand the twentieth century without understanding Berlin', claims the author. He makes a compelling case -- Julia Boyd, author of Travelers in the Third Reich Powerful. Visceral. Truly revelatory. Beautifully written and utterly compelling. I didn't think Sinclair McKay could top his previous book, Dresden, which was masterful. He has proven me wrong with Berlin -- Damien Lewis, author of SAS Bravo Three Zero One of my favourite historians -- Dan Snow, History Hit Great subject, well-researched, brilliantly written. Anyone who wants to understand Berlin's incomparable place at the very centre of twentieth century history should begin with Sinclair McKay's remarkable, mesmerising book -- Keith Lowe, author of Savage Continent Powerful . . . there is rage in his ink. McKay's book grips by its passion and originality -- Max Hastings, Sunday Times, on Dresden Painstakingly researched and fascinating -- John Harding, Daily Mail on The Secret Listeners Author InformationSinclair McKay is the bestselling author of Dresden, The Secret Life of Bletchley Park, The Secret Listeners, Bletchley Park Brainteasers and Secret Service Brainteasers. He is a literary critic for the Telegraph and the Spectator and lives in London. Tab Content 6Author Website:Countries AvailableAll regions |
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