bookshelf

ORIGINS OF A CATASTROPHE

Name: ORIGINS OF A CATASTROPHE
Author: Warren Zimmermann
ISBN: 0-8129-6399-7

YUGOSLAVIA AND ITS DESTROYERS

by Warren Zimmermann ‧ RELEASE DATE: Sept. 1, 1996

bookshelf

Another coroner's report on the death of Yugoslavia, this time by an observer with a literary bent, the US's last ambassador to that vanished nation. Zimmermann was posted to Belgrade in 1989, and his account begins with this period of tangible decline and ends with the final breakdown of talks among the republics and the eruption of violence in Slovenia, Croatia, and Bosnia-Herzegovina. Zimmermann unambiguously places principal blame for the demise of Yugoslavia on Serbia's Slobodan Milosevi, whom he judges ``an opportunist rather than an ideologue,'' a Jekyll-and-Hyde type dominated by his darker side. He views Croatia's leader, Franjo Tudjman, as a nationalist whose ``devotion to Croatia was of the most narrow- minded sort.'' And while myriad domestic and international players had a hand in Yugoslavia's demise, it was these two individuals, he argues, who are most responsible for the country's dissolution. Zimmermann drives home several significant points that are too often overlooked: Countering those who attribute the crisis to ``ancient Balkan hostilities,'' he stresses the crucial influences of a modern agent, television, in provoking extreme nationalism. Zimmermann also emphasizes the countless decent people who consistently opposed virulent nationalism. Any hope for the future lies with this reserve of Yugoslav humanists, who may ``one day help to build societies not driven by rabid nationalism.'' Finally, the diplomat draws universal lessons from the Yugoslav experience. From questions of minority rights to the international community's ability to meet ethnic challenges, ``the issues fought out with such savagery in Yugoslavia . . . apply around the globe.'' Zimmermann represents the best of the Foreign Service—a dedicated professional who brings both learned and instinctual insight to his work. His timely insider analysis is enlivened with unforgettable portraits of a bizarre cast of characters. (Author tour)

Pub Date: Sept. 1, 1996

ISBN: 0-8129-6399-7

Page Count: 256

Publisher: Times/Henry Holt

Review Posted Online: May 19, 2010

Kirkus Reviews Issue: July 1, 1996

Categories:

GENERAL NONFICTION

bookshelf

NUTCRACKER

by E.T.A. Hoffmann ‧ RELEASE DATE: Oct. 28, 1996

bookshelf

This is not the Nutcracker sweet, as passed on by Tchaikovsky and Marius Petipa. No, this is the original Hoffmann tale of 1816, in which the froth of Christmas revelry occasionally parts to let the dark underside of childhood fantasies and fears peek through. The boundaries between dream and reality fade, just as Godfather Drosselmeier, the Nutcracker's creator, is seen as alternately sinister and jolly. And Italian artist Roberto Innocenti gives an errily realistic air to Marie's dreams, in richly detailed illustrations touched by a mysterious light. A beautiful version of this classic tale, which will captivate adults and children alike. (Nutcracker; $35.00; Oct. 28, 1996; 136 pp.; 0-15-100227-4)

Pub Date: Oct. 28, 1996

ISBN: 0-15-100227-4

Page Count: 136

Publisher: Harcourt

Review Posted Online: May 19, 2010

Kirkus Reviews Issue: Aug. 15, 1996

Categories:

GENERAL NONFICTION

- BOOK REVIEW
THE NUTCRACKER AND THE MOUSE KING
by E.T.A. Hoffmann ; adapted by Natalie Andrewson ; illustrated by Natalie Andrewson

- BOOK REVIEW
THE NUTCRACKER
by E.T.A. Hoffmann & illustrated by Julie Paschkis

bookshelf

TO THE ONE I LOVE THE BEST

EPISODES FROM THE LIFE OF LADY MENDL (ELSIE DE WOLFE)

by Ludwig Bemelmans ‧ RELEASE DATE: Feb. 23, 1955

bookshelf

An extravaganza in Bemelmans' inimitable vein, but written almost dead pan, with sly, amusing, sometimes biting undertones, breaking through. For Bemelmans was "the man who came to cocktails". And his hostess was Lady Mendl (Elsie de Wolfe), arbiter of American decorating taste over a generation. Lady Mendl was an incredible person,- self-made in proper American tradition on the one hand, for she had been haunted by the poverty of her childhood, and the years of struggle up from its ugliness,- until she became synonymous with the exotic, exquisite, worshipper at beauty's whrine. Bemelmans draws a portrait in extremes, through apt descriptions, through hilarious anecdote, through surprisingly sympathetic and understanding bits of appreciation. The scene shifts from Hollywood to the home she loved the best in Versailles. One meets in passing a vast roster of famous figures of the international and artistic set. And always one feels Bemelmans, slightly offstage, observing, recording, commenting, illustrated.