Stone voices is aschersons return to his native scotland. Neal ascherson scottish journalist, author of black sea. Whether youve loved the book or not, if you give your honest and detailed thoughts then people will find new books that are right for them. On its publication in 1995, the book received high praise from critics such as richard bernstein, timothy garton ash, karl miller and noel malcolm. Its subject is the black sea and its surrounding lands. Journalist of the year in 1986, his books include games with shadows. Although neal ascherson defines a geographical region, he is mainly concerned with questions of ethnic and national identity of the various people who settle along the black sea, from the. British journalist aschersons fascination with the black sea was fired by his father, who was present as a midshipman when the royal navy evacuated the defeated white russian army from novorossisk. Black sea is an amalgamation of travelogue and history, and an excellent narrative about the many peoples and cultures that have livedand, in some cases, still liveon the shores of the black sea. Most wonderfully, ascherson emerges largely successful from his epic and sentimental journey into the spacetime continuum we call the black sea.
What makes the back sea cultures distinctive, ascherson agrues, is the way their comonent parts came. The writer, neal ascherson, describes personal trips to different parts of the region, and incorporates these experiences with historical. Black sea by neal ascherson 1995, hardcover for sale. Neal ascherson has 39 books on goodreads with 3708 ratings. Winner of thelos angeles timesbook prize for history in this study of the fateful encounters between europe and asia on the shores of a legendary sea, neal ascherson explores the disputed meaning of community, nationhood, history, and. Open library is an initiative of the internet archive, a 501c3 nonprofit, building a digital library of internet sites and other cultural artifacts in digital form. Black sea by neal ascherson penguin books australia. Reviewed by norman youngblood published on habsburg november, 1996 in his 1995 work black sea, neal ascherson presents a captivating view of the regions diverse. It evokes the culture, history and politics of the volatile region which surrounds the black sea. To borrow aschersons own words with which he describes the discourse of a greek itinerant philosopher dio chrysostom, one of his vividly portrayed protagonists. It is only in the last, the eleventh chapter, that the sea itself is finally discussed in the shape of a well informed ecological evaluation. It is only by turning its back on continental inland powers vast like russia, smaller like georgia that this small country can rejoin the world on its own terms. Ascherson says his 1995 book black sea is a sort of salute to my father, who in 1920 was a young royal navy midshipman and participated in the evacuation of the defeated white russian army from.
Neal aschersons most popular book is the periodic table. The reader is, oddly, given no list of chapter titles, only the simple trifurcation into introduction, black sea and epilogue. Everyday low prices and free delivery on eligible orders. As neal ascherson shows in a colorful, learned, and surprising chronicle, the black sea has been a decisive personality in the history of europe and asia. And on the black sea, seventy years on, i saw the beginning of its end. His books on poland and his collected essays on the strange britain to which he returned from europe in the mid1980s were deeply influential. Almost one third of the entire land area of continental europe drains into it and, during the last 30 years, the black sea environment. He reported from asia, africa and central europe for the observer, where he later began a celebrated weekly column in the independent on sunday. Charles neal ascherson born 5 october 1932 is a scottish journalist and writer.
In 1995, black sea won critical praise in many languages and several literary prizes. Black sea by neal ascherson penguin books new zealand. The black sea is the worlds largest landlocked inland sea. It is supplied by a number of major rivers, such as the danube, dnieper, rioni, southern bug, and dniester.
Not a conventional history that chronologically works its way through the centuries up until the present day, but a fragmentary collection of people, peoples and historic episodes, interspersed with accounts of visits on the ground by the author. Publication date 1995 topics black sea region history publisher new york. In this study of the fateful encounters between europe and asia on the shores of a legendary sea, neal ascherson explores the disputed meaning of community, nationhood, history, and culture in a region famous for its dramatic conflicts. Ascherson is a writer who knows the world, writes beautifully, and moves easily between scotland and poland, germany and the black sea, and can range even further afield in his journalism if he wants to marseilles to malaya, in my reading. It explores the culture, history and politics of the volatile region which surrounds the black sea. Journalist of the year in 1986, aschersons books include games with shadows, the polish august and the king incorporated. In a colorful, learned and wholly original chronicle, neal ascherson shows us the black sea and its place in the history of europe and asia, from jason and the. Black sea by neal ascherson overdrive rakuten overdrive.
Black sea is a nonfiction book of travel and history by the scottish writer neal ascherson. Buy the black sea first edition by ascherson, neal isbn. The black sea was joint winner of the 1995 saltire scottish book of. The black sea is a body of water between southeastern europe and western asia, bounded by bulgaria, georgia, romania, russia, turkey, and ukraine. Travelogue, historical detail, and shrewd comment on contemporary nationalism combine in this brilliant and witty account of an area that has seen civilizations come and go for nearly 3,000 years. The black sea was joint winner of the 1995 saltire scottish book of the year award. Ascherson says his 1995 book black sea is a sort of salute to my father, who in 1920 was a young royal navy midshipman and participated in the. Black sea 1996 read online free book by neal ascherson. Black sea is a homage to an ocean and its shores and a meditation on eurasian history, from the earliest times to the present. If ascherson the polish august cannot pinpoint precisely where xenophons 10,000 soldiers were when, lost on the march home from persia 2600 years ago, they saw the sea and thought they were home, t. Buy a cheap copy of black sea book by neal ascherson.