Last Days Behind the Curtain : Trieste '79, Vienna '85, Prague '89

Resumen del libro

Part memoir, part reflection, this book will bring to life central Europe during the last ten years of the Cold War. It begins in Trieste in 1979 where the embers of the Habsburg Empire still burnt brightly. The second part moves to the darker, claustrophobic world of Vienna in 1985, where the atmosphere of the Cold War seemed to infiltrate every brick of a city hovering between two worlds, and even the most seemingly harmless of culinary establishments masked the game of espionage between east and west.

In the third part, the story shifts to Prague in 1989 during the dramatic, intoxicating days of the "velvet revolution" and the long-awaited opening up of the east. Revolution, when it came was from above rather than below: Moscow was far more engaged with events during those turbulent November weeks than is generally appreciated. Throughout the book we encounter a diverse array of glittering characters: penniless aristocrats, charming gangsters, even Amazonian blondes in the service of eastern European spy agencies; fractious diplomatists and disinherited royalty supply a colourful supporting cast.

With enormous charm, wit and insight, Richard Bassett recreates through his personal encounters the farce and tragedy of the last days of communism.

Biografía del autor

x{0026}lt;p x{0026}lt;strong Richard Bassett x{0026}lt;/strong es un aclamado historiador, biógrafo y autor británico. Estudió Derecho en el Christx{0026} x02019;s College de la Universidad de Cambridge y, posteriormente, obtuvo una maestría en Historia del Arte en el Courtauld Institute of Art. Se especializó en Historia de Europa Central, convirtiéndose en un experto en la materia sobre la que terminaría publicando varios libros. Después de graduarse en Cambridge, trabajó como músico profesional en Eslovenia, antes de convertirse en corresponsal para x{0026}lt;em The Timesx{0026}lt;/em en Viena, Roma y Varsovia desde 1979 hasta el final de la década de los años ochenta. Sus crónicas y noticias, durante esta época, cubrieron el final de la Guerra Fría y dieron advertencias tempranas de la inminente desintegración de Yugoslavia. De su prolífica obra, cabe destacar, más allá del presente libro, x{0026}lt;em Por Dios y por el Káiserx{0026}lt;/em y x{0026}lt;em El enigma del almirante Canarisx{0026}lt;/em .x{0026}lt;/p