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Europa. Między Wschodem a Zachodem
Znakomita książka wybitnego historyka!
Europa - między Wschodem a Zachodem Normana Daviesa to niesamowita podróż po świecie historii, sztuki i literatury. Wyprawa, podczas której naszym przewodnikiem jest niezwykły erudyta, doskonały pisarz, a przede wszystkim wielki historyk.
Norman Davies, znany ze swojego zamiłowania do przełamywania utartych schematów, czyni to także na kartach tej książki. Dowiemy się z niej, dlaczego historia „cywilizacji zachodniej” nie jest tym samym co historia Europy, w czym Australia jest podobna do Syberii i dlaczego nie zdajemy sobie sprawy, że Niemcy przez ostatnie tysiąc lat byli najlepszymi przyjaciółmi Polaków. Autor zdradzi nam źródła swoich inspiracji oraz sekrety historycznego i pisarskiego warsztatu.
To wielka gratka zarówno dla miłośników książek Normana Daviesa, jak i dla tych, którzy przygodę z nimi dopiero zaczynają.
Europa - między Wschodem a Zachodem Normana Daviesa to niesamowita podróż po świecie historii, sztuki i literatury. Wyprawa, podczas której naszym przewodnikiem jest niezwykły erudyta, doskonały pisarz, a przede wszystkim wielki historyk.
Norman Davies, znany ze swojego zamiłowania do przełamywania utartych schematów, czyni to także na kartach tej książki. Dowiemy się z niej, dlaczego historia „cywilizacji zachodniej” nie jest tym samym co historia Europy, w czym Australia jest podobna do Syberii i dlaczego nie zdajemy sobie sprawy, że Niemcy przez ostatnie tysiąc lat byli najlepszymi przyjaciółmi Polaków. Autor zdradzi nam źródła swoich inspiracji oraz sekrety historycznego i pisarskiego warsztatu.
To wielka gratka zarówno dla miłośników książek Normana Daviesa, jak i dla tych, którzy przygodę z nimi dopiero zaczynają.
356 pages, Hardcover
First published September 26, 2006
21 people are currently reading
311 people want to read
About the author
Norman Davies
105 books540 followersIvor Norman Richard Davies FBA, FRHistS is a leading English historian of Welsh descent, noted for his publications on the history of Europe, Poland, and the United Kingdom. From 1971, Davies taught Polish history at the School of Slavonic and East European Studies (SSEES) of the University of London, where he was professor from 1985 to 1996. Currently, he is Supernumary Fellow at Wolfson College, Oxford. Throughout his career, Davies has lectured in many countries, including the United States, Canada, Australia, Japan, China, Poland, and in most of the rest of Europe as well.
The work which established Davies' reputation in the English-speaking world was God's Playground (1981), a comprehensive overview of Polish history. In Poland, the book was published officially only after the fall of communism. In 2000, Davies' Polish publishers Znak published a collection of his essays and articles under the title Smok wawelski nad Tamizą ("The Wawel Dragon on the Thames"). It is not available in English.
In 1984, Davies published Heart of Europe, a briefer history of Poland. Interestingly, the chapters are arranged in reverse chronological order. In the 1990s, Davies published Europe: A History (1996) and The Isles: A History (1999), about Europe and the islands of Great Britain and Ireland, respectively. Each book is a narrative interlarded with numerous sidepanel discussions of microtopics. In 2002, at the suggestion of the city's mayor, Bogdan Zdrojewski, Davies and his former research assistant, Roger Moorhouse, co-wrote a history of Wrocław / Breslau, a Silesian city. Titled Microcosm: Portrait of a Central European City, the book was published simultaneously in English, Polish, German and Czech. Davies also writes essays and articles for the mass media. Among others, he has worked for the BBC as well as British and American magazines and newspapers, such as The Times, The New York Review of Books and The Independent. In Poland, his articles appeared in the liberal Catholic weekly Tygodnik Powszechny. Davies' book Rising '44. The Battle for Warsaw describes the Warsaw Uprising. It was followed by Europe at War 1939-1945: No Simple Victory (2006). In 2008 Davies participated in the documentary film "The Soviet Story"
Some historians, most vocally Lucy Dawidowicz and Abraham Brumberg, object to Davies' historical treatment of the Holocaust in Nazi-occupied Poland. They accuse him of minimizing historic antisemitism, and of promoting a view that accounts of the Holocaust in international historiography largely overlook the suffering of non-Jewish Poles. Davies’s supporters contend that he gives due attention to the genocide and war crimes perpetrated by both Hitler and Stalin on Polish Jews and non-Jews. Davies himself argues that "Holocaust scholars need have no fears that rational comparisons might threaten that uniqueness. Quite the opposite." and that "...one needs to re-construct mentally the fuller picture in order to comprehend the true enormity of Poland’s wartime cataclysm, and then to say with absolute conviction ‘Never Again’." In 1986, Dawidowicz’s criticism of Davies’ historical treatment of the Holocaust was cited as a factor in a controversy at Stanford University in which Davies was denied a tenured faculty position for alleged "scientific flaws". Davies sued the university for breach of contract and defamation of character, but in 1989 the court ruled that it did not have jurisdiction in an academic matter.
Davies holds a number of honorary titles and memberships, including honorary doctorates from the universities of the Jagiellonian University (since 2003), Lublin, Gdańsk and Warsaw (since 2007), memberships in the Polish Academy of Learning (PAU) and the Academia Scientiarum et Artium Europaea, and fellowships of the British Academy and the Royal Historical Society. Davies received an honorary DLitt degree from his alma mater the University of Sussex. Davies is also an honorary
The work which established Davies' reputation in the English-speaking world was God's Playground (1981), a comprehensive overview of Polish history. In Poland, the book was published officially only after the fall of communism. In 2000, Davies' Polish publishers Znak published a collection of his essays and articles under the title Smok wawelski nad Tamizą ("The Wawel Dragon on the Thames"). It is not available in English.
In 1984, Davies published Heart of Europe, a briefer history of Poland. Interestingly, the chapters are arranged in reverse chronological order. In the 1990s, Davies published Europe: A History (1996) and The Isles: A History (1999), about Europe and the islands of Great Britain and Ireland, respectively. Each book is a narrative interlarded with numerous sidepanel discussions of microtopics. In 2002, at the suggestion of the city's mayor, Bogdan Zdrojewski, Davies and his former research assistant, Roger Moorhouse, co-wrote a history of Wrocław / Breslau, a Silesian city. Titled Microcosm: Portrait of a Central European City, the book was published simultaneously in English, Polish, German and Czech. Davies also writes essays and articles for the mass media. Among others, he has worked for the BBC as well as British and American magazines and newspapers, such as The Times, The New York Review of Books and The Independent. In Poland, his articles appeared in the liberal Catholic weekly Tygodnik Powszechny. Davies' book Rising '44. The Battle for Warsaw describes the Warsaw Uprising. It was followed by Europe at War 1939-1945: No Simple Victory (2006). In 2008 Davies participated in the documentary film "The Soviet Story"
Some historians, most vocally Lucy Dawidowicz and Abraham Brumberg, object to Davies' historical treatment of the Holocaust in Nazi-occupied Poland. They accuse him of minimizing historic antisemitism, and of promoting a view that accounts of the Holocaust in international historiography largely overlook the suffering of non-Jewish Poles. Davies’s supporters contend that he gives due attention to the genocide and war crimes perpetrated by both Hitler and Stalin on Polish Jews and non-Jews. Davies himself argues that "Holocaust scholars need have no fears that rational comparisons might threaten that uniqueness. Quite the opposite." and that "...one needs to re-construct mentally the fuller picture in order to comprehend the true enormity of Poland’s wartime cataclysm, and then to say with absolute conviction ‘Never Again’." In 1986, Dawidowicz’s criticism of Davies’ historical treatment of the Holocaust was cited as a factor in a controversy at Stanford University in which Davies was denied a tenured faculty position for alleged "scientific flaws". Davies sued the university for breach of contract and defamation of character, but in 1989 the court ruled that it did not have jurisdiction in an academic matter.
Davies holds a number of honorary titles and memberships, including honorary doctorates from the universities of the Jagiellonian University (since 2003), Lublin, Gdańsk and Warsaw (since 2007), memberships in the Polish Academy of Learning (PAU) and the Academia Scientiarum et Artium Europaea, and fellowships of the British Academy and the Royal Historical Society. Davies received an honorary DLitt degree from his alma mater the University of Sussex. Davies is also an honorary
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Displaying 1 - 13 of 13 reviews
May 7, 2008
"Thirty years ago, when I wrote my first book, the Cold War was at its height." I was hooked on this book of essays from this very first sentence in Davies' introduction. Why? It came as quite a shock to realize that I was old enough to remember the time of the Cold War very well. (Thirty years ago??) I cannot overstate how much the Cold War affected us at the time. As a schoolchild we often conducted drills of what to do in case of a nuclear attack. As we crouched under our desks, or filed into underground shelters, we were filled with fear. Meanwhile, Spencer W. Kimball in almost every address given to members of the Church, urged them to pray for the breaking down of the Iron Curtain.
In these essays, the historian Norman Davies laments the tendency of others of his profession to continue the attitudes of the Cold War, ignoring Eastern Europe, the non-communist countries of Poland, Hungary, Czechlosovakia, and indeed many countries of Western Europe in favor of a skewed view of Europe's history. He calls this a "mental gulf," and essays to add variety to our anachronistic picture of European history.
This is a very readable collection which left me wanting more. I devoured the chapter which tells the story of how he wrote and organized his _Europe: A History._ "I set myself the impossible task of writing a total history of European life in all aspects, in all countries and in all periods." I was fascinated to hear his views of why European history is so slanted. It was interesting to see Davies blast the unwritten assumptions of the past and then to wonder why I had also accepted these assumptions. Being surrounded by Muslims at the moment, I avidly read his chapter on the Islamic strand in European history, which you definitely don't get in high school or even college Western Civ classes!
My favorite chapter was the one on language and literature, which presented his thesis through poetry, literature, and Davies' personal experience. This book gave the impression that you were sampling just a taste of a vast untouched banquet which awaited the openminded student of European history.
In these essays, the historian Norman Davies laments the tendency of others of his profession to continue the attitudes of the Cold War, ignoring Eastern Europe, the non-communist countries of Poland, Hungary, Czechlosovakia, and indeed many countries of Western Europe in favor of a skewed view of Europe's history. He calls this a "mental gulf," and essays to add variety to our anachronistic picture of European history.
This is a very readable collection which left me wanting more. I devoured the chapter which tells the story of how he wrote and organized his _Europe: A History._ "I set myself the impossible task of writing a total history of European life in all aspects, in all countries and in all periods." I was fascinated to hear his views of why European history is so slanted. It was interesting to see Davies blast the unwritten assumptions of the past and then to wonder why I had also accepted these assumptions. Being surrounded by Muslims at the moment, I avidly read his chapter on the Islamic strand in European history, which you definitely don't get in high school or even college Western Civ classes!
My favorite chapter was the one on language and literature, which presented his thesis through poetry, literature, and Davies' personal experience. This book gave the impression that you were sampling just a taste of a vast untouched banquet which awaited the openminded student of European history.
April 12, 2018
Interesting collection of essays concerning Europe and the contrast between titular "East&West". I'm not sure if I'd recommend it to people who read Europe by same author since many subjects seem to overlap. On the other hand it seems that that some of the essays seem to explain why author wrote that book in the way that he did.
Some essays touch the common subject more directly, some barely but is usualy mentioned in one way or another.
I liked thhis book very much, not just because it made me aware of aspects of history I didn't knew anything about (and didn't even suspect that I didn't knew them) but because they tell so much about author.
I do recommend not reading essays in suggested order. Especialy the first part that consists of 3 essays on the misconceptions of the East/West divide. Reading them back to back makes for a very boring read since many of the arguments overlap.
Some essays touch the common subject more directly, some barely but is usualy mentioned in one way or another.
I liked thhis book very much, not just because it made me aware of aspects of history I didn't knew anything about (and didn't even suspect that I didn't knew them) but because they tell so much about author.
I do recommend not reading essays in suggested order. Especialy the first part that consists of 3 essays on the misconceptions of the East/West divide. Reading them back to back makes for a very boring read since many of the arguments overlap.
January 21, 2019
I really enjoyed this and will try to see if I can find Europe at the library at some point.
Surprisingly, as a collection of essays, it flows so well that for the first three-quarters of the book, it was like it was written to be a single book. The later essays break off from this of the early ones, but are still enjoyable.
Out of the essays, my favourites were the ones discussing his process in writing, the differences between what is studied in "western civilization" and Europe, and the history of Jews in Europe. I also enjoyed his studies in languages as well and how they informed his later writing. There are also some essays about his studies at Magdalen College and drama around different teaching methods- I enjoyed it, but it may be off-putting to other readers.
My favourite part of reading a good history book is gaining a new perspective on an era, time, or place. While I don't always agree with an author (although I very much agree that Eastern Europe should be studied as part of the history of Europe), this has really inspired me to look for other books about this period.
Library book
Surprisingly, as a collection of essays, it flows so well that for the first three-quarters of the book, it was like it was written to be a single book. The later essays break off from this of the early ones, but are still enjoyable.
Out of the essays, my favourites were the ones discussing his process in writing, the differences between what is studied in "western civilization" and Europe, and the history of Jews in Europe. I also enjoyed his studies in languages as well and how they informed his later writing. There are also some essays about his studies at Magdalen College and drama around different teaching methods- I enjoyed it, but it may be off-putting to other readers.
My favourite part of reading a good history book is gaining a new perspective on an era, time, or place. While I don't always agree with an author (although I very much agree that Eastern Europe should be studied as part of the history of Europe), this has really inspired me to look for other books about this period.
Library book
January 1, 2024
Norman Davies is an incredibly engaging writer and a first-class historian – one of our best. This is a fabulous collection of essays offering a number of fascinating and original perspectives on historical issues. Some of the essays are quite old, and it's especially interesting to see how his thoughts and predictions have held up.
August 11, 2019
Dostałem na święta, teraz muszę kupić Rozprawę historyka z historią. (Tak na prawdę to jest zbiór esei, interesujące ale trochę chaotyczne, dla ludzi w temacie) Thanks Norman!
January 5, 2014
"Europe East & West" tem um monte de coisas que me incomodou - o capítulo sobre a história da cátedra de História em Oxford absolutamente ininteligível para quem nunca estudou lá (ou nem sequer é britânico, para começar), a insistência em falar dos gulags toda vez que falava no Holocausto (sim, o regime soviético matou muito mais gente do que os nazistas, entendemos isso nas primeiras 23 menções, não era necessário continuar batendo nessa tecla até o final do livro), as incursões sobre a formação acadêmica do próprio autor, as referências aos outros livros dele... Mas o que mais me irritou foi o fato do Norman Davies meio que ter se colocado em um pedestal logo na introdução do livro e nunca mais ter saído de lá.
Eu explico: o autor não cansa de dizer como os estudos da Europa são superficiais e não incluem a parte oriental do continente, e que a história do Leste Europeu é importante e deve ser estudada, como as pessoas tem preconceito com essa parte da Europa, e como a maioria dos livros que traz "Europa" no título nem sequer menciona a Polônia ou o Quirguistão (mas Quirguistão já não é Ásia Central? Fiquei em dúvida agora). Com exceção do maravilhoso livro dele, é claro. Porque ele é - segundo ele mesmo - ótimo e nunca faria isso. Não importa se ele está certo. É irritante.
Mas nem tudo é ruim nesse livro. Deixando de lado a questão do autor se colocar em um pedestal, eu achei importante a ênfase dada ao Leste Europeu - principalmente no fato de que a antiga URSS não era uma coisa homogênea, apesar do que tendemos a pensar. Foi também a primeira vez que eu vi alguém explicar de forma didática porque Arafat recusou a oferta israelense nos Acordos de Oslo.
Resumindo - o livro não é um lixo. Só é dispensável. É bem escrito e tem referências, afinal, o autor é um historiador sério. Mas achei o livro meio all over the place - mesmo sendo uma coletânea de textos diferentes, eu esperava que uma coerência mínima existisse entre os capítulos, e acho que isso ficou faltando. Mesmo assim, não me desanimou para ler os outros livros do autor. Pelo contrário, toda a ladainha sobre o Leste Europeu, apesar de chata, serviu para me despertar a curiosidade sobre essa parte da Europa, e eu até me pilhei para ler "Europa", o outro livro do Norman Davies.
Eu explico: o autor não cansa de dizer como os estudos da Europa são superficiais e não incluem a parte oriental do continente, e que a história do Leste Europeu é importante e deve ser estudada, como as pessoas tem preconceito com essa parte da Europa, e como a maioria dos livros que traz "Europa" no título nem sequer menciona a Polônia ou o Quirguistão (mas Quirguistão já não é Ásia Central? Fiquei em dúvida agora). Com exceção do maravilhoso livro dele, é claro. Porque ele é - segundo ele mesmo - ótimo e nunca faria isso. Não importa se ele está certo. É irritante.
Mas nem tudo é ruim nesse livro. Deixando de lado a questão do autor se colocar em um pedestal, eu achei importante a ênfase dada ao Leste Europeu - principalmente no fato de que a antiga URSS não era uma coisa homogênea, apesar do que tendemos a pensar. Foi também a primeira vez que eu vi alguém explicar de forma didática porque Arafat recusou a oferta israelense nos Acordos de Oslo.
Resumindo - o livro não é um lixo. Só é dispensável. É bem escrito e tem referências, afinal, o autor é um historiador sério. Mas achei o livro meio all over the place - mesmo sendo uma coletânea de textos diferentes, eu esperava que uma coerência mínima existisse entre os capítulos, e acho que isso ficou faltando. Mesmo assim, não me desanimou para ler os outros livros do autor. Pelo contrário, toda a ladainha sobre o Leste Europeu, apesar de chata, serviu para me despertar a curiosidade sobre essa parte da Europa, e eu até me pilhei para ler "Europa", o outro livro do Norman Davies.
July 17, 2016
This is a collection of lectures and essays from a European history professor at the University of London. Topics include Western civilization, England's place in Europe, Islam in Europe, and Judaism in Europe. Most of the material comes from the 1990s and early 2000s, and the author zeroed in on several trends that gained momentum in the ensuing period. For example, he talks about how Scotland and Northern Ireland were far more committed to the European Union than England was. He sets out to highlight many of the overlooked aspects of the European experience, both good and bad. He also makes many interesting comparisons between Eastern and Western Europe, such as comparing Irish and Polish nationalism in the 19th century, and comparing Britain's use of Australia as a prison colony in the early 19th century to Russia's use of Siberia as a prison camp during the same period. Occasionally, the author comments a bit too much on contemporary politics, but he is very interesting when he is focusing on illuminating the past.
July 15, 2008
Although very insightful in various aspects of the European continent and cultures, it is not well organized. At times it reads like a press release for his "Europe" book.
March 25, 2009
I love history, especially WWII and European history, so I really enjoy this one. This is one of those books you can jump around in.. some essays are better than others.
July 7, 2012
Za dużo o Europie Zachodniej, a za mało o Europie Wschodniej. Albo ja źle czytałam tę książkę.
November 3, 2024
Zestaw bardzo interesujących esejów. Warte przeczytania, przemyślenia, zrozumienia.
Szkoda kilku błędów (przede wszystkim wynikających ze słabej korekty) w wydaniu polskim.
Szkoda kilku błędów (przede wszystkim wynikających ze słabej korekty) w wydaniu polskim.
Displaying 1 - 13 of 13 reviews