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Last Days in Old Europe: Trieste '79, Vienna '85, Prague '89 by Richard Basset |
The fascinating reminiscences of a man who started as principal horn in Ljubijlana Opera House in Slovenia and finished as Times correspondent in central Europe. In 1980's Trieste and Vienna, he encounters the survivors of the Habsburg aristocracy, including the last Empress, and an Austria which has an ambivalent Cold War status. Moving on to Germany and Poland he witnesses the fall of communism. A journalist in the era before instant communication meant competing for getting the story first and put a premium on local insight.
(Tony Pratt - bwl 98 Autumn 2020 ) |
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