Imagining the Balkans

Maria Todorova wrote an excellent book, which is a thorough review of the political history of the Balkan Peninsula. She explains the various political interests that have always been at play in that region.The author also qoutes different foreign travellers, diplomats, and writers showing their attitudes to the countries and the nations of the Balkans. The first part of the book (the first three chapters) will be specially interesting for larger audience while the rest of the book is more theoretical. Given the current events concerning the Balkans, and especially the disintegration of former Yugoslavia, this book will be of great help to students of history, political history, their teachers and intellectuals in general.

Todorova's book changed the way I viewed the Balkans. By analysing the way in which Balkan and Western Europeans wrote about the Balkans, "Imagining the Balkans" shows how this peninsula became the recipient of totally negative and pejoritve notions about Europe. Todorova deals well with some writers sentimentality, and over romanticization which unfortunetly persists today and leads not to understanding but to confusion of the issues. Old metaphores such as "the Balkan Pouder Keg" are shown to be only a way of dismissing a whole group of people as "irrational peasants." Although quit heavy in theory, a worth while read for any serious history student.

Todorova's book changed the way I viewed the Balkans. By analysing the way in which Balkan and Western European wrote about the Balkans, "Imagining the Balkans" shows how this peninsula became the recipient of totally negative and pejoritve notions about Europe. Todorova deals well with some writers sentimentality, and over romanticization which unfortunetly persists today and leads not to understanding but to cinfusion of the issues. Old metaphores such as "the Balkan Pouder Keg" are shown to be only a way of dismissing a whole group of people as "irrational peasants." Although quit heavy in theory, a worth while read for any serious history student.