A World on Edge

This turbulent era left its mark on the biographies of people from all walks of life. Schoenpflug introduces readers to all these individual stories so vividly you could almost think they only happened a few moments ago. -- Sibylle Lewitscharoff, author of <i>Blumenberg</i> For a brief moment a century ago the end of the Great War offered peace and the prospect of a bright new social order to a dark, ravaged Europe. In his moving and inspired book, historian Daniel Schoenpflug recreates how these days were experienced by the people who lived them-their struggles, dreams, and desires-and traces the elusive fate of their noble visions. An evocative and deeply affecting requiem for what might have been. -- Douglas Smith, author of <i>Rasputin</i> and <i>Former People</i> Historian Daniel Schoenpflug gives us a kaleidoscope of sparkling stories . . . elegantly composed and beautifully written. -- Alexander Gallus * Die Zeit * With great care, a marvellous eye for detail and a highly accomplished style, [Daniel Schoenpflug] reveals this time anew and allows readers to rediscover the twentieth century and themselves. A masterpiece. -- Philipp Blom, author of <i>Fracture: Life and Culture in the West, 1918</i>-<i>1938</i> `Outstanding . . . a wonderfully stimulating guide to a world that knew it had changed utterly but was fearful about where it was heading.' * Evening Standard *