The Netherlands: A Whim of History

10 hrs. 4 min.

Popular Science

Language Russian

Author Geert Mak

Narrator Mikhail Roslyakov

Description

The books of the Dutch writer and journalist Geert Mak (born 1946) about the history of the Netherlands, Amsterdam, and Europe enjoy huge popularity in his home country and beyond. He is a laureate of numerous literary awards and twice was named “Historian of the Year” in the Netherlands. The main advantage of his small book “The Netherlands: A Caprice of History” lies in its extremely accurate and deep transmission of Dutch historical self-awareness. The author did not set out to provide a chronologically and event-wise exhaustive account of the country’s history; instead, he tried to vividly and engagingly tell about the past of the “lowlands.” Mak is often called the “teacher of history” that everyone dreams of. His book is an excellent read for anyone who wants not only to form an idea of the main stages of this region’s centuries-long history (starting with the presence of the Romans here), but also to feel the unique character and culture of a country largely shaped by human hands—one reclaimed by people from the sea, which gave the world great navigators, artists, philosophers, and a country that spoke its loud word in the history of European civilization. This is Geert Mak’s first book translated into Russian.