Microcosm

Norman Davies's dogged efforts to convince us to stop seeing Europe in terms of 'the artificial division' between East and West resulted in this historical survey of the Silesian city of Wroclaw. That he is neither German nor Polish made him perfect for the part, according to the city's President, who cajoled him into taking on the task. From prehistoric origins as a settlement on the banks of the Oder through Mongol invasions and its days as a major Bohemian city, Wroclaw has attracted cultures and nationalities such as Jews, Slavs and Germans. All are given space here, their stories enhanced by the marvellous illustrations that accompany the text. Central Europe's importance during Germany's 19th-century ascendancy gives way to the effect of the hunger for expansion shared by Third Reich 'lebensraum' and Stalin's view of all points west as potentially his. As a consequence, the mid-20th century could only look bleak for 'the lands between' these two enormous powers. As Breslau, the city was the last bastion of Nazi Germany to fall in 1945, and utter devastation was wreaked on its people. Their sense of panic is empathetically portrayed through newspaper headlines and diary extracts telling of refugees trudging through sub-zero temperatures. They were the lucky ones, for the city struggled through a grim 80-day siege before finally falling to the Soviets four days after Berlin. Wroclaw - one of up to 50 names recorded throughout the city's history - does indeed provide the perfect microcosm of Central Europe. And by bravely throwing their study open to as many perspectives as possible, Davies and his co-author Roger Moorehouse have produced a hefty, detailed piece of research that doubles as a fond tribute to the city, whatever its name might be at this point in history. As absorbing as it is educational. (Kirkus UK)