Kosovo: A Short History

A book that will tell you why this area is the rug of east and west Europe. Wars have started here and will continue to do so as long as nationalizm exists amoung nations. I do not want to live in Kosovo even though it has some of the prettiest land around.

This is a good book telling the history of this Balkan land.

Jimmy

One gets disgusted reading what people write against this book. This is the book people in the Balkans should read primarily. The author does not glorify anyone. He just tells that the world belongs to the living people and the dead have no right in this world. Myths should be broken. History in the Balkans is mostly based on myths and imagination. I hope to see the Serbian neighbors coming to reality and recognizing that although, they do not deserve, they live in Europe. Peace in the Balkans can come only after people understand that what Mr. Malcolm asks for: MYTH AND HISTORY ARE NOT THE SAME! I recommend this book to everybody, primarily to the people of the Balkans.

This is a well-written and thorough account of the Albanian case for the posession of Kosovo. It makes practically no use of Serb sources except to reference claims which are to be rejected. The massive immigration to Kosovo from Northern Albania since WW2 is glossed over.

The simple fact remains that the country is covered with Serb historic monuments and there are practically no Albanian ones. So we are expected to believe that the Serbs built monastries in someone else's country, whilst the Albanians lived there since the beginning of time without building anything!

Noel Malcolm's reputation as an authority on the Balkans has been established by his previous (and equally illuminating) studies of the region. In Kosovo: A Short History, Malcolm traces the origins of the myths that are relavant in regional conflicts today. But his book is more than just an explanation of historical fact: his prose and research are exemplary! Contrary to some other criticisms, his sections on ethnicity and linguistics are fascinating! The allegations of bias are valid but only in the intellectual sense that all history is subjective and therefore biased. I am Serbian, and I must admit that I approached this book with the same scepticism I approach all material relating to Serbia. Most of the content published today trivialises Serbian feelings towards Kosovo, and the Albanian's struggle for equality as well. This work is interesting and informative - a must for any student of history and anyone who wishes to understand the Balkans of today.

This is a very good book of history. It combines the scientific analysis of facts and documents with the attractive narative style. A lesson of rationalism.