Worldview

by Emma Kay

Worldview is a fascinating chronicle of the history of the world written from memory. The book begins just before the ‘big bang’ and ends as the twentieth century draws to a close. Written without any recourse to reference material, relying solely on Emma Kay’s memory to chart history, from a variety of sources − newspapers, books, films, TV programmes, computer games, memories of school lessons, music, advertising and her own travels.

Light-hearted but rigorous in its content, Worldview will stimulate your own knowledge of the history of the world. The neutral and authoritative style admits no doubts, yet is fallible: the gaps, inaccuracies and the missing parts of history are as important to the work as the recollections themselves.

Worldview challenges you not just to correct and question, but to doubt your own account of history. How would you balance pre-history against the Black Death, the Bayeux Tapestry or Reagan’s Strategic Defence Initiative?

224 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1999

Reviews

[Emma · Rating 4 out of 5]

Kay writes the history of the world from memory. It's eurocentric (she's English), present-centric, and mostly drawn from biopics and novels. It's a fib that I've read this - I've read some of it. It's really enough to skim and pick out whatever strikes you. That's how it was written after all. It's a little scary how plausible it all seems.

[Anthony · Rating 5 out of 5]

One of the most confusing pieces of literature I have come across, utterly enthralling.