{"title":"Derek Sayer","description":"\u003cp\u003eWelcome to our collection of works by Derek Sayer, an esteemed author renowned for his insightful explorations into history and culture. His books seamlessly blend historical analysis with captivating narratives, making complex subjects engaging and accessible to readers.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eSayer's \u003cem\u003ePostcards from Absurdistan\u003c\/em\u003e is a riveting journey through the tumultuous political landscapes and societal shifts in Central Europe. It offers a vivid portrayal of a region deeply rich in history, inviting readers to explore its complexities in a fresh, new light.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eAnother standout read is \u003cem\u003ePrague\u003c\/em\u003e, where Sayer delves into the enchanting yet often paradoxical city that has inspired countless generations of artists and thinkers. This book is both a historical documentation and a travelogue, capturing the essence of a city where past and present collide.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eThese works are perfect for those interested in \u003cem\u003eHistory \u0026amp; Military\u003c\/em\u003e as well as \u003cem\u003eTravel \u0026amp; Adventure\u003c\/em\u003e, providing a unique lens through which to view the people and events that have shaped the modern world. Dive into the compelling narratives of Derek Sayer for a thought-provoking literary experience.\u003c\/p\u003e","products":[{"product_id":"postcards-from-absurdistan-by-derek-sayer-9780691264554","title":"Postcards from Absurdistan","description":"\u003cdiv class=\"book-description\"\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003ci\u003ePostcards from Absurdistan\u003c\/i\u003e is a cultural and political history of Prague from 1938, when the Nazis destroyed Czechoslovakia's artistically vibrant liberal democracy, to 1989, when the country's socialist regime collapsed after more than four decades of communist dictatorship. Derek Sayer shows that Prague's twentieth century, far from being a story of inexorable progress toward some 'end of history', whether fascist, communist, or democratic, was a tragicomedy of recurring nightmares played out in a land Czech dissidents dubbed Absurdistan. Situated in the eye of the storms that shaped the modern world, Prague holds up an unsettling mirror to the absurdities and dangers of our own times.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eIn a brilliant narrative, Sayer weaves a vivid montage of the lives of individual Praguers—poets and politicians, architects and athletes, journalists and filmmakers, artists, musicians, and comedians—caught up in the crosscurrents of the turbulent half-century following the Nazi invasion. This is the territory of the ideologist, the collaborator, the informer, the apparatchik, the dissident, the outsider, the torturer, and the refugee—not to mention the innocent bystander who is always looking the other way and Václav Havel's greengrocer whose knowing complicity allows the show to go on. Over and over, Prague exposes modernity's dreamworlds of progress as confections of kitsch.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eIn a time when democracy is once again under global assault, \u003ci\u003ePostcards from Absurdistan\u003c\/i\u003e is an unforgettable portrait of a city that illuminates the predicaments of the modern world.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003e'Necessary.'\u003c\/b\u003e \u003ci\u003eLibrary Journal\u003c\/i\u003e starred review\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003e'Fascinating and capacious, \u003c\/b\u003e\u003ci\u003ePostcards from Absurdistan\u003c\/i\u003e\u003cb\u003e surveys Prague's anguished recent past, raising concerns for its future amid new global conflicts and challenges.'\u003c\/b\u003e \u003ci\u003eForeword Reviews\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003e'Intriguing... Covering literature, the graphic arts, music, philosophy, architecture, and photography, Sayer profiles a staggering cast of artists and intellectuals.'\u003c\/b\u003e \u003ci\u003ePublishers Weekly\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003e'Informative and illuminating.' Alena Dvokov,\u003c\/b\u003e \u003ci\u003eDublin Review of Books\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003e'[A] kaleidoscopic romp across five decades of intellectual, artistic, cultural, and political foment and creativity in Prague, from the Nazi Anschluss to the collapse of communism... The book offers a magnificent and expansive collection of close readings, insightful narratives, obscure gems, and sometimes-funny, sometimes-wrenching reflections on Prague's cultural elites... \u003c\/b\u003e\u003ci\u003ePostcards from Absurdistan\u003c\/i\u003e\u003cb\u003e represents the crowning achievement of Professor Sayer's prodigious scholarship on Czech modernity.'\u003c\/b\u003e 2023 Canadian Jewish Literary Awards jury citation\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003c\/div\u003e","brand":"NewSouth Books","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":46849911128300,"sku":"9780691264554","price":69.99,"currency_code":"NZD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0705\/7784\/8556\/files\/2632683482434.jpg?v=1759061226"},{"product_id":"postcards-from-absurdistan-by-derek-sayer-9780691185453","title":"Postcards from Absurdistan","description":"\u003cdiv class=\"book-description\"\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003ci\u003ePostcards from Absurdistan\u003c\/i\u003e is a cultural and political history of Prague from 1938, when the Nazis destroyed Czechoslovakia's artistically vibrant liberal democracy, to 1989, when the country's socialist regime collapsed after more than four decades of communist dictatorship. Derek Sayer shows that Prague's twentieth century, far from being a story of inexorable progress toward some 'end of history', whether fascist, communist, or democratic, was a tragicomedy of recurring nightmares played out in a land Czech dissidents dubbed Absurdistan. Situated in the eye of the storms that shaped the modern world, Prague holds up an unsettling mirror to the absurdities and dangers of our own times.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eIn a brilliant narrative, Sayer weaves a vivid montage of the lives of individual Praguers—poets and politicians, architects and athletes, journalists and filmmakers, artists, musicians, and comedians—caught up in the crosscurrents of the turbulent half century following the Nazi invasion. This is the territory of the ideologist, the collaborator, the informer, the apparatchik, the dissident, the outsider, the torturer, and the refugee—not to mention the innocent bystander who is always looking the other way and Václav Havel's greengrocer whose knowing complicity allows the show to go on. Over and over, Prague exposes modernity's dreamworlds of progress as confections of kitsch.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eIn a time when democracy is once again under global assault, \u003ci\u003ePostcards from Absurdistan\u003c\/i\u003e is an unforgettable portrait of a city that illuminates the predicaments of the modern world.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003e‘Necessary.’\u003c\/b\u003e \u003ci\u003eLibrary Journal\u003c\/i\u003e\u003cb\u003e starred review\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003e‘Fascinating and capacious, \u003ci\u003ePostcards from Absurdistan\u003c\/i\u003e surveys Prague's anguished recent past, raising concerns for its future amid new global conflicts and challenges.’\u003c\/b\u003e \u003ci\u003eForeword Reviews\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003e‘Intriguing... Covering literature, the graphic arts, music, philosophy, architecture, and photography, Sayer profiles a staggering cast of artists and intellectuals.’\u003c\/b\u003e \u003ci\u003ePublishers Weekly\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003e‘Informative and illuminating.’\u003c\/b\u003e Alena Dvořáková, \u003ci\u003eDublin Review of Books\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003e‘[A] kaleidoscopic romp across five decades of intellectual, artistic, cultural, and political foment and creativity in Prague, from the Nazi Anschluss to the collapse of communism... The book offers a magnificent and expansive collection of close readings, insightful narratives, obscure gems, and sometimes-funny, sometimes-wrenching reflections on Prague's cultural elites... \u003ci\u003ePostcards from Absurdistan\u003c\/i\u003e represents the crowning achievement of Professor Sayer's prodigious scholarship on Czech modernity.’\u003c\/b\u003e 2023 Canadian Jewish Literary Awards jury citation\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003c\/div\u003e","brand":"NewSouth Books","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":46849911161068,"sku":"9780691185453","price":79.99,"currency_code":"NZD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0705\/7784\/8556\/files\/1841673482434.jpg?v=1759061242"},{"product_id":"prague-by-derek-sayer-9781789140095","title":"Prague","description":"\u003cdiv class=\"book-description\"\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThirty years ago, \u003cem\u003ePrague\u003c\/em\u003e was a closed book to most Westerners. Today it is the continent's fifth most-visited city, surpassed only by London, Paris, Istanbul, and Rome.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eWith a stunning natural location on the Vltava River and a spectacular potpourri of Romanesque rotundas, Gothic towers, Renaissance palaces, Baroque churches, Art Nouveau cafes, Cubist apartment buildings, Modernist villas, and postmodern architectural showpieces, Prague may well be Europe's most beautiful capital city. Behind the beauty lies a turbulent and often violent history.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eLocated at the uneasy centre of the continent, Prague has been a crossroads of cultures for more than a millennium. From the religious wars of the Middle Ages and the nationalist struggles of the nineteenth century to the modern conflicts of fascism, communism, and democracy, Prague's past is the saga of the forces that have shaped Europe.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eDerek Sayer provides an expert and very readable guide to the complexities of this colourful past while reflecting upon sides of the present-day city tourists seldom see—from a model interwar Modernist villa colony to Europe's biggest Vietnamese market—and presenting listings of what to see, hear, and do, and where to eat, drink, and shop.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003c\/div\u003e","brand":"NewSouth Books","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":47072355287276,"sku":"9781789140095","price":47.99,"currency_code":"NZD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0705\/7784\/8556\/files\/27929993482824.jpg?v=1765096571"}],"url":"https:\/\/bookhero.co.nz\/collections\/derek-sayer.oembed","provider":"Book Hero","version":"1.0","type":"link"}