Matthew Longo

Exhilarating . . . skilfully dramatises the extraordinary chain of events at a summer party in Hungary that led to the end of Soviet power [and] became a catalyst for the dramatic peaceful revolutions that reunited the continent . . . gripping

Evoking the dramatic events in vivid colour . . . providing an insight into how deeply this history still matters today . . . fascinating

Revelatory . . . Longo's engrossing and dramatic book adds a new, captivating chapter to the history of the Cold War

This little gem of a book tells the story of . . . a key Cold War moment . . . Longo’s vivid narrative captures the tension of the moment . . . an intensely moving story that explores the nature of freedom

Gripping . . . refreshingly fast-paced, effortlessly moving the reader from one place and moment to another . . . should be required reading

Beautifully written . . . The Picnic reads like a thriller

Peter Frankopan, Chair of the Judges of the Orwell Prize for Political Writing

Brisk and engaging . . . It’s an uplifting tale, but Longo takes care not to oversentimentalise it

Captivating . . . Longo recounts the drama in a vivid, fast-paced narrative [which] never lacks verve

Elegantly crafted . . . He tells a gripping tale . . . relating to both timeless questions of struggle and agency, and topics in the headlines today

A great story . . . this is history told from the point of view of those who make it

A terrific work of history that also becomes a meditation on what freedom means and how tyrannies fall

The true charm of Mr Longo’s book, and its greatest historical value, lies in his accounts of ordinary citizens – mostly East German – who sought to throw off their Communist shackles by fleeing west at great personal peril. We also owe him a debt for resuscitating . . . the Picnic that changed the world

Extensively documented, well written, and thoughtful in its consideration of what freedom means, this book is an informative and engaging history of the event, its origins, and the aftermath ... A much-needed reminder of the inexhaustibility of the human quest for personal and collective freedom

Stunning ... Longo traces the heart-wrenching stories of these freedom-seekers ... impressive research ... This captivating narrative brings an underreported Cold War turning point into focus

Full of insight and empathy, The Picnic is beautifully written and ingeniously plotted. Like all the best books about the past, it brings the present compellingly to life

Brilliantly researched and endlessly fascinating, The Picnic is history at the human level. A compulsive and compelling read

Giles Milton, author of Checkmate in Berlin

A fascinating reconstruction of the extraordinary moment in 1989 when the spontaneous actions and inactions of a few individuals made history swing wide open on its hinges

Longo perfectly captures the idealism of the time and its echoes today

Christina Lamb, judge of the Orwell Prize for Political Writing

Exhilarating . . . A gem of a book, filled with timely and compelling insights into the power of ordinary people

A compelling, poignant, beautifully textured retelling of the collapse of communism culminating in a heartfelt rethinking of the meaning of 1989 for the world today

Stephen Holmes, coauthor of The Light that Failed

Matthew Longo's writing reanimates the heady days of freedom of 1989 and reflects on what was missed in that extraordinary year

Told through interviews, this unreported moment in history unspools the role of ordinary citizens in ending the Cold War

Tortoise Media, *Best Nonfiction of 2024*

An Escape to Freedom and the Collapse of the Iron Curtain

A gripping reconstruction of the daring escape to freedom of hundreds of East Germans in the summer of 1989 and how it led to the fall of the Berlin Wall. 
 
In August 1989, a group of Hungarian activists did the unthinkable: they entered the forbidden militarised zone of the Iron Curtain - and held a picnic. On wisps of rumour, thousands of East German 'holiday-makers' had made their way to the border, surveilled by lurking Stasi agents. The stage was set for the greatest border breach in Cold War history. The fall of the Berlin Wall, the end of the Soviet Union - the so-called end of history - all would flow from what happened next. Drawing on dozens of original interviews with those involved, Matthew Longo reconstructs this world-shaping event and its tumultuous aftermath.

Matthew Longo

Praise for The Picnic

Exhilarating . . . skilfully dramatises the extraordinary chain of events at a summer party in Hungary that led to the end of Soviet power [and] became a catalyst for the dramatic peaceful revolutions that reunited ...

Evoking the dramatic events in vivid colour . . . providing an insight into how deeply this history still matters today . . . fascinating

Revelatory . . . Longo's engrossing and dramatic book adds a new, captivating chapter to the history of the Cold War

Exhilarating . . . skilfully dramatises the extraordinary chain of events at a summer party in Hungary that led to the end of Soviet power [and] became a catalyst for the dramatic peaceful revolutions that reunited ...

Evoking the dramatic events in vivid colour . . . providing an insight into how deeply this history still matters today . . . fascinating

Revelatory . . . Longo's engrossing and dramatic book adds a new, captivating chapter to the history of the Cold War

Exhilarating . . . skilfully dramatises the extraordinary chain of events at a summer party in Hungary that led to the end of Soviet power [and] became a catalyst for the dramatic peaceful revolutions that reunited ...

Evoking the dramatic events in vivid colour . . . providing an insight into how deeply this history still matters today . . . fascinating

Revelatory . . . Longo's engrossing and dramatic book adds a new, captivating chapter to the history of the Cold War

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