Vilnius
City of strangers
Laimonas
Briedis, University of Toronto and Lithuanian
Science Academy, Vilnius
Explores the history of Vilnius,
from its legendary beginnings in the fourteenth century
to the twentieth century dramas of wars, revolutions
and massacres, through the insightful impressions of
foreign travelers. Napoleon, Dostoyevsky, Stendhal,
Döblin, Tolstoy, Bakhtin and Brodsky: these voices
– among others equally compelling though lesser
known – reveal the essence of Europe in their
narrative encounter with this threshold city, situated
at the geographical centre of Europe. Laimonas Briedis
has woven their letters, diaries, utterances and reflections
of Vilnius into a compelling and intimate story, and
shares with the reader a deep understanding of the Lithuanian,
Polish, Russian and German identities of the place,
as well as its centrality in European Jewish culture.
Lavishly illustrated and carefully researched, the book
is a veritable hall of mirrors, which yields an illuminating
vision of Vilnius and an exceptional window on Europe.
"Briedis,
the cultural geographer, locates Vilnius concretely
by showing how the sweep of European history defines
it. He does so by assembling - to use Briedis's word
from Döblin - 'a collage of jagged impressions,
juxtaposed thoughts and descriptive contradictions'.
Between those impressions, thoughts, and descriptions
he fills the interstices so well that the city's disjunctive
history 'reads' as an informative and engaging story."
– Slavic Review
"...
subtle and evocative book" – The Economist
"For
a complete visit to Vilnius, visitors and residents
alike should pick up a copy of the book and get acquainted
with the city’s rich, interesting and multicultural
history" – The Baltic Times
"Briedis
verdient Anerkennung für sein anregend und lebendig
geschriebenes historisches Lesebuch über Vilnius,
das, obwohl essayistisch verfasst, durch einen sorgfältigen
Umgang mit den historischen Quellen und Fakten überzeugt."
- Jahrbücher für Geschichte Osteuropas
Contents: Prologue Chapter 1:
The Brink of Europe Chapter 2: Mapping
Sarmatia Chapter 3: Enlightenment Shadows
Chapter 4: Napoleon’s Curse Chapter
5: Russian Intrigue Chapter 6:
German Intrusion Chapter 7: The Absent
Nation Chapter 8: Maelstrom Europe
Notes Illustrations Cited Works Index
Published by Baltos
Lankos, Vilnius, distributed by CEU Press.
2009
296 pages, 76 illustrations
(maps and photos), cloth
ISBN 978-963-9776-44-9
$45.00 / €34.95 / £30.00
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