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Derek Sayer is Professor of Sociology at the University of Alberta in Edmonton. He is the author of several books, including (with Philip Corrigan) The Great Arch: English State Formation as Cultural Revolution.
This history of Czech culture is unusual, refreshing and very readable. The title alludes to Shakespeare's The Winter's Tale, in which the landlocked Bohemia is given a coastline - a famous and, to the Czechs, typical example of foreign ignorance. Although the former Kingdom of Bohemia lies at the very centre of Europe, the region has long been overlooked, stereotyped, or completely misunderstood, right up to the most recent years of our history. Drawing on an enormous array of literature, musical, visual and documentary sources - from bank notes to statues, museum displays to school textbooks, murals in subway stations to changing street names - Sayer looks much further that the history of kings and wars, exploring the fundamental contribution of Czech artistic, literary and political developments to the past, present and future of European culture. Beautifully written, this is an impressive and vivacious read. (Kirkus UK)
