The Unknown Europe
How Eastern Europe Got That Way
- Publisher: Cascade Books (Wipf and Stock)
- Published: 2021
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Publisher's Description
The fascinating history of Eastern Europe includes highs of soaring cultural achievement and lows of almost unimaginable repression. But we in the West don't know much about Eastern Europe or its history--this book helps us see why. We got interested when the region became a threat during the Cold War, but what we learned focused on the Communist period after World War II--not Eastern Europe itself or its deep history, a history that continues to live in the hearts of its peoples. James Payton offers an accessible treatment of the history of the region, an opportunity to learn about Eastern Europeans as they are. He overviews that story from pre-history to the present, examining eleven turning points that profoundly shaped Eastern European history. His treatment considers the backgrounds to the turning points, the events, and the long-lasting impacts they had for the various Eastern European nations. This helps us understand how Eastern Europeans themselves see their history--the "long haul" over the centuries, with the influence and impact of events of the sometimes-distant past shaping how they see themselves, their neighbors, and their place in the world.
Endorsements (4)
“This propitious and important publication is at once an invitation, passport, and contextualizing guided tour informing of the lands, peoples, and stories of the historically significant ‘other Europe.’”
“After decades of slumber, many of us are being freshly reawakened to the urgency of political and religious developments in Russia and Eastern Europe. Yet even for the historically minded among us, few in the West know the stories of the peoples and cultures of what Payton rightly calls ‘the unknown Europe.’ Here, finally, is a beautiful, accessible, and trustworthy overview, proven through decades of study, travel, and relationships, from one of the West’s finest interpreters of Eastern Europe. You will not be disappointed.”
“As a native of Eastern Europe—the subject of this book—I am impressed by the fairness and accuracy by which James Payton presents the centuries-long history of this vast area, by focusing on the eleven most-important watershed events. Payton is writing from a general Western vantage point, specifically from a distinctly North American perspective. He insists that viewing Eastern Europe primarily by focusing on the period of its Soviet domination yields a warped impression. It is much more accurate to affirm, as he does, the crucial role of the Christian Byzantine Empire in the formation of Eastern European cultures.”
“This meticulous study brings alive the unknown, mysterious, and still exotic elements of Eastern Europe that were forgotten by the West. In James Payton’s writing, Eastern Europe comes alive, and memories of long-gone ancestors help us make sense of and conceptualize solutions to the problems facing the region today. This book is an invaluable resource for all those who are ready and willing to take the journey to the other Europe.”
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