Book recommendations
The summer break offers a great opportunity to catch up on the books that have been on your reading list. If you are looking for inspiration or hoping to expand beyond your usual genres, we have got you covered.
Our team has made a list of recommended books that can enhance your understanding of the Danube Region and Central Europe – and beyond. You will find that our selections are often influenced by current events and geopolitical developments. While some of these books might initially seem a bit weighty for holiday reading, do not judge them by their covers: each one has the potential to offer valuable insights and engaging content.
Our team’s special recommendation:
My Danube Story
This little book is the result of a competition organized by the IDM. Readers on the story.one platform selected the 16 best contributions we received, each telling a unique story about the currents of life along the Danube. The reader can find personal travel reports, as well as stories about the struggles of generations living on the shores of the river. Some date further back into history, taking us behind the Iron Curtain, while others even dare a look to the future of Europe.
Воєнний стан – State of war 2023
Anthology / Introduction by Valeriy Zaluzhny.
The Russian aggression against Ukraine continues. But so does life. For Ukrainians as well as for us. The difference is that there is this looming danger that – depending on where you are in Ukraine – you have 1-7 minutes to seek shelter when the alarms sound. This anthology shows very different aspects of what it means to be in a state of war. For me, it was impossible to read more than one or two stories at once, but that gives you the possibility to maybe fit it in between a lighter summer read.
Who would be particularly interested in it? Anyone who wants to read the stories of 35 of the most interesting and gifted Ukrainian writers as well as intellectuals including Serhiy Zhadan, who decided to enlist to the Ukrainian Armed Forces and defend his country on the physical battlefield too. The collection gives an insight to the fragility of peace and helps not to forget how quickly life can become very different.
Sebastian Schäffer, IDM Director
The Book of Laughter and Forgetting (Kniha smíchu a zapomnění) 1979
Milan Kundera
A beautiful collection of seven interrelated stories that initially seem independent but gradually come together as a cohesive whole. It is a book about different forms of oblivion and laughter, about people who refuse to forget – whether love or history – and who stand up against the communist regime in Czechoslovakia. When it was published in 1979, Kundera was stripped of his Czechoslovak citizenship. He only regained the Czech citizenship 40 years later in 2019.
Who would be particularly interested in it? Anyone interested in the times of communist Czechoslovakia and/or great story telling – sometimes touching, sometimes ironic – and rich characters. I would also recommend it to anyone who enjoyed Kundera’s famous The unbearable lightness of being (Nesnesitelná lehkost bytí) (1984) and has not read any other books by this author yet.
Sophia Beiter, IDM Research Associate
Das achte Leben (Für Brilka), 2014 / The Eighth Life (for Brilka)
Nino Haratischwili
This is the best kind of novel: beautifully written, the characters seem to live and breathe as you turn the pages and become entirely engrossed in the events that unfold. From the simplicity of love to the incomprehensible nature of pride, from the power and perils of beauty to the most hideous acts of cruelty, Tbilisi-born author Nino Haratischwili portrays the many dimensions of humanity. You may recognise some historical figures, but the author denies giving them a name, for the story is ultimately about the ordinary and not-so-ordinary Georgian people who are unidentified in history books. As the struggle between democracy and authoritarianism intensifies, bringing the question of Georgia’s relationship with Europe into sharp relief, the book will give you a rich and sweeping insight into this troubled country in the South Caucasus.
Who would be particularly interested in it? If you enjoy well-researched fiction based on fact and would like to gain an impression of the processes that have shaped Georgia and affected its people since the turn of the twentieth century, then this book is for you.
Rebecca Thorne, Research Associate
The Long Hangover: Putin’s New Russia and the Ghosts of the Past, 2018
Shaun Walker
The Long Hangover by Walker, written in 2018, is an essential read for understanding the historical and cultural forces shaping contemporary Russia and Ukraine, especially in light of the 2022 invasion. The book delves into how Russia’s Soviet past influences its present politics and society, examining the resurgence of nationalism and the manipulation of historical narratives underpinning Putin’s regime. As the world witnesses the war in Ukraine, Walker’s analysis of Russian expansionism and foreign policy in Crimea and Donbas offers crucial context. Through vivid storytelling and on-the-ground reporting, the book provides a human dimension to Russian politics, making it both engaging and informative, as well as particularly timely for current global issues.
Who would be particularly interested in it? Given the book was written in 2018, four years before the full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022, anyone following the ongoing war would gain a deeper understanding of the historical and ideological motivations behind Russia’s actions in Ukraine.
Kamila Bogdanova, Research Assistant
Österreicher bist du erst in Jesolo – Eine Identitätssuche, 2024
Gerald Heidegger
No worries, it’s neither a travel guide about Jesolo nor a book about Austrian tourism. The northern Italian city, Jesolo, which became an important holiday destination for the Austrian lower and middle classes after the 1960s, remains a symbol for the centuries-old relationship between Austria and Italy. While part of present-day Italy once belonged to the Austrian Empire, Italian art, jurisprudence, and Italian „thinking“ in general have greatly influenced Austria and the “Viennese” way of life. Formalistic-aesthetic thinking, baroque theatricality of politics and society, more appearance than substance – Heidegger shows in his book how „Italian“ Austria and its culture still are. Art, philosophy, music, gastronomy, and everyday life are presented in a readable style, but with philosophical depth. Even if it’s not about Jesolo, you can read it there as well.
Who would be particularly interested in it? If you want to understand Austria, you should actually know Italy very well – that is essentially the main message of the book. Therefore, the book is interesting for anyone who wants to understand the distinctiveness of Austrian culture within the German-speaking world, the absurdities and the contradictions of Austrian thinking and life. The path to this understanding leads through Italy, making the book a beautiful trans-European “travel”.
Péter Techet, Research Associate
The Magic Lantern: The Revolution of ’89 Witnessed in Warsaw, Budapest, Berlin and Prague, 2019
Timothy Garton Ash
Thirty-five years after the fall of the Berlin Wall, it is fascinating to read this account from one of the most influential historians and writers on the recent history of Central and Eastern Europe. While the original edition was published in 1990 immediately after the events it describes, this new one includes reconsiderations from twenty years of hindsight, linking the past to our present.
Who would be particularly interested in it? Everyone who wants to revisit a story they did not witness through a very personal and vivid narration, capable of bringing you back in time. Consider it an opportunity to reflect on the advancements we have enjoyed since the end of the communist regimes, but also on the many promises that still need to be fulfilled.
Francesco Danieli, Trainee
Goodbye Eastern Europe (2023)
Jacob Mikanowski
Despite oversimplifications, this book is an informative, enjoyable and engaging description of Central and Eastern Europe from the perspective of “little people” and family stories. It is a journey through the collective memory of a place which, as the author points out, no longer exists in the perception of its inhabitants: “There is no such thing as Eastern Europe anymore. No one comes from there. People come from countries (…). Or they come from cities (…). But wherever they come from, people don’t identify as Eastern Europeans. (…) Even before the fall of the Berlin Wall, Czechia, Slovakia, Hungary, and Poland all declared themselves part of Central Europe. The Baltic states (…) would now prefer to be thought of as members of a “Nordic” zone”.
Who would be particularly interested in it? Everyone interested in Central and Eastern Europe (even if you were allergic to history at school!).
Malwina Talik, Research Associate
Near Abroad: Putin, the West, and the Contest over Ukraine and the Caucus (Dec. 2019)
Gerard Toal
While the physical war in Ukraine did not start in 2022, but in 2014, the psychological battle for influence in the post-Soviet sphere began in 1991. One must observe conflicts in the region through the lens of Russian, Ukrainian, and Georgian sovereignty, national identity, history, and geopolitical tactics. Toal crafts an avenue for understanding the ideology of Russian decision-making in the Caucasus and Eastern Europe post 1991, while not endorsing their politics. His argument emphasizes that Russian invasions of Georgia in 2008 and Ukraine in 2014 are part of a broader, conscious, strategy to counter the West and maintain spheres of influence. At the core of the book is his concept of the Russian “Near Abroad”. Russia seeks to reassert its dominance over regions that were once part of the Soviet Union or greater Russian Empire through economic, military, and political tactics.
Who would be particularly interested in it? Those who concentrate on post-Soviet studies, specifically around Ukraine and the Caucasus Regions, will find this work insightful. Similarly, people interested in geopolitics and international relations will find there is much to learn from the tracing of political manoeuvering through the studied regions. Lastly, Toal’s accessible writing style lends itself to the casual reader who wants to start exploring the history and dynamics of Russian foreign policy.
Stephen Chilimidos, Trainee
Untenrum frei (2018)
Margarete Stokowski
Must-read of German language feminist literature. The anecdotal book by the Polish-German author is especially suitable for people new to feminist literature.
Melanie Jaindl, Research Associate
Válka s mloky / War with the Newts (1937)
Karel Čapek
War with the Newts is a fascinating and terrifying book that offers not only a strong political message, but also an unusual and innovative literary style. The book was written in 1936 by the Czech writer Karel Čapek and is considered one of his most important works. The book is interesting for its philosophical undertones and the questions it raises. It reflects on how much people can control the natural environment and what the consequences of human intervention in nature are.
Who would be particularly interested in it? War with the Newts is a great example of how literary art can be used as a tool of societal and political criticism. The topics covered in the book are still highly relevant and have a great impact on today’s society. Čapek’s portrayal of the exploitation and eventual rebellion of the newts serves as an allegory for colonialism, capitalism, and the often self-destructive nature of humanity. This satirical edge remains relevant in today’s world, making readers reflect on contemporary societal issues.
Daniel Martínek, Research Associate
