The past is never dead, it isn’t even past
In the introduction to Lest We Forget, Tessa Dunlop writes: “Monuments and statues are inanimate, static entities that depend on their relationship with human beings for relevance and agency.” This statement goes to the heart of this brilliant book. Each monument is...
The Stories Old Towns Tell: A Journey through the Cities at the Heart of Europe This is in many ways a book about the history which history forgot. In it, the cities of central and eastern Europe come alive with a cornucopia of intriguing facts and fascinating...
The Bratinsky Affair is Jim Loughran’s debut novel. Set in 1976, the thrilling story unfolds through a dual perspective: one is Tom O’Brien, a closeted Irish journalist from Wicklow, seeking the story to prove his ability to his higher-ups, and Irina Bratinsky, a...
When I was asked to review this book, I jumped at the chance. Although being ex-RAF, I had no knowledge of the events that took place in Iraq in May 1941, and was keen to learn. Little, if anything, has been written about what became one of the most important...
In 2003, Michael Admiraal and his father embarked on a road trip across Europe to visit eight concentration camps. Along the Roads to Hell is the legacy of this trip; an account of their experience and memories infused with historical fact. Admiraal begins by...
Jane, It’s been a few years since the last Clara Vine novel was published. Can you tell is us about the character - and what inspired you to return to her story now in The Judgement of Stars? The original inspiration for Clara Vine came from several memoirs by women...
This work by Prit Buttar enhances his reputation as a detailed chronicler of the military campaigns in Eastern Europe in the Second World War. His understanding of the nature of the campaigns waged by both sides during the second phase of the siege of Leningrad is...
In WW2 Europe, escape routes for Jewish refugees were vanishing one by one. When Germany invaded Poland in 1939, Kaunas in Lithuania became a haven for Jewish families fleeing the brutality of the Nazis. But that safety was short-lived. As the numbers needing to flee...
Readers may recall last year’s front page feature [Issue 20], an interview with Louis Ferrante, historian, former member of the Gambino crime family and author of Borgata Volume I: Rise of Empire, as he chronicled the mob not only as it grew in power in America, but...
At 19:07 on Monday 5th May 1980, the Metropolitan Police passed control of the Iranian Embassy siege to Lt. Col Mike Rose, commanding officer of the Special Air Service. Operation Nimrod was underway, as members of B Squadron abseiled, shot or blasted their way into...
