“As a reporter for the prestigious New York Times, the author David Binder interviewed many of the leading political figures of the Balkans (Illyria). He also sought out the area’s intellectuals, many of them critical of their leaders, and everyday people who provide a sense of daily life. He devotes a chapter to each ethnic group from Vlachs to Serbs, talks about their differences and similarities, and does so without giving offense. He also provides a short historical account of the various places he visits, which deepens our understanding of the local cultures.” >more (c) CEU Press, 2013
Archive for January, 2014
Posted in Uncategorized with tags Balkans, book, David Binder, Illyria on 11 January 2014 by delclem
WWI: “an imperial bloodbath that’s a warning, not a noble cause”
Posted in Uncategorized with tags Europe, First World War, history, imperialism on 8 January 2014 by delclem
“Tory claims that 1914 was a fight for freedom are absurd – but then history wars
are about the future as much as the past.”>text & illu (c) THE GUARDIAN, 2014
Jewish Surnames Explained
Posted in Uncategorized with tags Ashkenazim, Austria-Hungary, Central Europe, Jews, Russia, surnames on 5 January 2014 by delclem
“Ashkenazic Jews were among the last Europeans to take family names. Some German-speaking Jews took last names as early as the 17th century, but the overwhelming majority lived in Eastern Europe and did not take last names until compelled to do so. The process began in the Austro-Hungarian Empire in 1787 and ended in Czarist Russia in 1844.” >text (c) SLATE, 2014
Map by Richard Andree: the Jews of Central Europe, 1881.
Sarajevo, before the storm of history
Posted in Uncategorized with tags Austria-Hungary, bakery, Bosnia-Herzegovina, hsitory, photography, Sarajevo on 1 January 2014 by delclem
A photo by Auguste Léon taken on 15 Oktober 1912 in Sarajevo (c) SZ, 2013
delirium clemens 