Matthew Longo

the-picnic

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The Picnic

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

A pivotal &ndash; and exhilarating &ndash; moment in late 20th-century history . . . Matthew Longo&rsquo;s thoughtful and vividly realised book skilfully dramatises the extraordinary chain of events at a summer party in Hungary that led to the end of Soviet power . . . it recreates, through intimate personal histories and eye-witness recollection, the ways in which one idealistic, grass roots protest . . . became a catalyst for the dramatic peaceful revolutions that reunited the continent . . . gripping

Longo covers the Picnic at ground level, evoking the dramatic events in vivid colour . . . Anecdotes and impressions . . . are woven through the historical narrative, providing an insight into how deeply this history still matters today . . . the chain of events in 1989 and its historical context are outlined with clarity and verve. The narrative is spiked with Longo&rsquo;s commentary and anecdotes from his trips, making The Picnic a deeply personal account of a fascinating milestone of Cold War history

Fascinating and revelatory . . . The significance of the picnic has never before been documented, certainly not with this level of diligence and testimony, and Longo's engrossing and dramatic book adds a new, captivating chapter to the history of the Cold War

A brisk and engaging account, told in a lively blend of novelistic narration and reportage and featuring interviews with a number of people closely involved in these historic events . . . It&rsquo;s an uplifting tale, but Longo takes care not to oversentimentalise it

Revisits in captivating detail the actions of ordinary people during that heady summer of 1989 . . . Longo recounts the drama in a vivid, fast-paced narrative [which] never lacks verve

An elegantly crafted account of an extraordinary but largely forgotten gathering &hellip; He tells a gripping tale &hellip; relating to both timeless questions of struggle and agency, and topics in the headlines today

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

The true charm of Mr Longo&rsquo;s book, and its greatest historical value, lies in his accounts of ordinary citizens &ndash; mostly East German &ndash; 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

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

[A] gripping account of how the Hungarian border was opened&hellip; Longo has a particular gift for painting vivid pen portraits of the men and women he has interviewed&hellip; refreshingly fast-paced, effortlessly moving the reader from one place and moment to another&hellip; [this] should be required reading

An Escape to Freedom and the Collapse of the Iron Curtain

Matthew Longo is Assistant Professor of Political Science at Leiden University and the award-winning author of The Politics of Borders. He lives in The Netherlands.

The Picnic

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Matthew Longo

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