The Picnic: An Escape to Freedom and the Collapse of the Iron Curtain

(Paperback)

Available Formats

Publishing Details

Classifications

Physical Properties

Description

Winner of the Orwell Prize 2024- the exhilarating story of the greatest border breach in Cold War history A gripping reconstruction of the daring escape to freedom of hundreds of East Germans in the summer of 1989 and how it led to the fall of the Berlin Wall. In August 1989, a group of Hungarian activists did the unthinkable- they entered the forbidden militarised zone of the Iron Curtain - and held a picnic. On wisps of rumour, thousands of East German 'holiday-makers' had made their way to the border, surveilled by lurking Stasi agents. The stage was set for the greatest border breach in Cold War history. The fall of the Berlin Wall, the end of the Soviet Union - the so-called end of history - all would flow from what happened next. Drawing on dozens of original interviews with those involved, Matthew Longo reconstructs this world-shaping event and its tumultuous aftermath.

Reviews

Exhilarating . . . skilfully dramatises the extraordinary chain of events at a summer party in Hungary that led to the end of Soviet power [and] became a catalyst for the dramatic peaceful revolutions that reunited the continent . . . gripping -- Tim Adams * Observer *
Evoking the dramatic events in vivid colour . . . providing an insight into how deeply this history still matters today . . . fascinating -- Katja Hoyer * Telegraph ***** *
Revelatory . . . Longo's engrossing and dramatic book adds a new, captivating chapter to the history of the Cold War -- William Boyd * New Statesman *
This little gem of a book tells the story of . . . a key Cold War moment . . . Longos vivid narrative captures the tension of the moment . . . an intensely moving story that explores the nature of freedom -- Victor Sebestyen * Sunday Times *
Gripping . . . refreshingly fast-paced, effortlessly moving the reader from one place and moment to another . . . should be required reading * History Today *
Beautifully written . . . The Picnic reads like a thriller -- Peter Frankopan, Chair of the Judges of the Orwell Prize for Political Writing
Brisk and engaging . . . Its an uplifting tale, but Longo takes care not to oversentimentalise it -- Houman Barekat * Guardian *
Captivating . . . Longo recounts the drama in a vivid, fast-paced narrative [which] never lacks verve * The New York Times *
Elegantly crafted . . . He tells a gripping tale . . . relating to both timeless questions of struggle and agency, and topics in the headlines today * Boston Globe *
A great story . . . this is history told from the point of view of those who make it -- Ben Rogers * Times Literary Supplement *
A terrific work of history that also becomes a meditation on what freedom means and how tyrannies fall * Slate 10 Best Books of 2023 *
The true charm of Mr Longos book, and its greatest historical value, lies in his accounts of ordinary citizens mostly East German who sought to throw off their Communist shackles by fleeing west at great personal peril. We also owe him a debt for resuscitating . . . the Picnic that changed the world * Wall Street Journal *
Extensively documented, well written, and thoughtful in its consideration of what freedom means, this book is an informative and engaging history of the event, its origins, and the aftermath ... A much-needed reminder of the inexhaustibility of the human quest for personal and collective freedom * Kirkus Best of Non-fiction 2023 *
Stunning ... Longo traces the heart-wrenching stories of these freedom-seekers ... impressive research ... This captivating narrative brings an underreported Cold War turning point into focus * Publishers Weekly *
Full of insight and empathy, The Picnic is beautifully written and ingeniously plotted. Like all the best books about the past, it brings the present compellingly to life -- Patrick McGuinness
Brilliantly researched and endlessly fascinating, The Picnic is history at the human level. A compulsive and compelling read -- Giles Milton, author of Checkmate in Berlin
A fascinating reconstruction of the extraordinary moment in 1989 when the spontaneous actions and inactions of a few individuals made history swing wide open on its hinges -- Philip Gourevitch
Longo perfectly captures the idealism of the time and its echoes today -- Christina Lamb, judge of the Orwell Prize for Political Writing
Exhilarating . . . A gem of a book, filled with timely and compelling insights into the power of ordinary people -- Clarissa Ward, author ofOn All Fronts
A compelling, poignant, beautifully textured retelling of the collapse of communism culminating in a heartfelt rethinking of the meaning of 1989 for the world today -- Stephen Holmes, coauthor ofThe Light that Failed
Matthew Longo's writing reanimates the heady days of freedom of 1989 and reflects on what was missed in that extraordinary year -- Samuel Moyn, author ofHumane

Author Bio

Matthew Longo is Assistant Professor of Political Science at Leiden University and the award-winning author of The Politics of Borders. He lives in The Netherlands.