Overview

In 2010, Robert Menasse journeyed to Brussels to begin work on a novel centered on the European Union. His extended stay resulted in a completely different book—Enraged Citizens, European Peace and Democratic Deficits, a work of nonfiction examining the history of the European project and the evolving politics of nation-states. Spanning from the beginning of the transnational idea with 1951’s Montanunion—the European Coal and Steel Community—to the current financial crisis, Menasse focuses on the institutional structures and forces both advancing and obstructing the European project. Given the internal tensions among the European Commission, Parliament, and Council, Menasse argues that current problems that are frequently misunderstood as resulting from the financial crisis are, in fact, political. Along the way, he makes the bold claim that either the Europe of nation-states will perish—or the project of transcending the nation-states will. A provocative book, Enraged Citizens, European Peace and Democratic Deficits deftly analyzes the financial and bureaucratic structures of the European Union and sheds much-needed light on the state of the debt crisis. Menasse brings his considerable literary expertise to the unraveling of the real state of the Union, along the way weaving an intriguing tale of one continent’s efforts to become a truly postnational democracy.

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9780857423627

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A short polemic in defense of the European project. . . .This is a vivid, oddball screed, the most eloquent defense of an indefensible secular Europe. --First Things Menasse concludes that the EU is at a crossroad: future developments could either lead to a post-national European democracy or bring about the resurrection of the European nation-state. This book presents a provocative thesis on an important topic. Recommended. --Choice

Author Information

Robert Menasse is an Austrian novelist and essayist. He is the author of many books, including Wings of Stone and Reverse Thrust, both available in English. Craig Decker is a literary scholar, translator, and professor of German. He is the translator of numerous authors, including Thomas Bernhard, Peter Henisch, and Ödön von Horváth.

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