Resultaten voor 'robert elsie'
-
Enver Hoxha
Stalinism, that particularly brutal phase of communism, came to an end in most of Eastern Europe with the death of Josef Stalin in 1953 or at least with the Khrushchev reforms that began in the Soviet Union in 1956. However, in one country - Albania - Stalinism survived virtually unscathed until 1990. The regime that the Albanian dictator Enver Hoxha led from the time of the communist takeover in 1944 until his death in 1985, and that continued unabated under his successor Ramiz Alia until 1990, was incomparably severe. Such was the reign of terror that no audible voice of opposition or dissent ever arose in the Balkan state, a European country that became as isolated from the rest of the world as North Korea is today. When the Albanian communist system finally imploded, it left behind a weary population, frightened and confused after decades of purges and political terror. It also left behind a country with a weak and fragile economy, a country where extreme poverty was the norm. In the decades since Hoxha's death, Albania has made substantial progress in political and economic terms, yet the spectre of Hoxha still lingers over the country.Despite this, many people - inside and outside Albania - know little about the man who ruled the country with an iron fist for so many decades. This book provides the first biography of Enver Hoxha available in English, from his birth in GjirokastEr in southern Albania, then still under Ottoman rule, to his death in 1985 at the age of 76. Using archival documents and first-hand interviews, Albanian journalist Blendi Fevziu pieces together the life of this tyrannical ruler, in a biography which will be essential reading for anyone interested in Balkan history and communist studies.
€ 22,50 -
A Passion for Theth
Albania’s Rugged Shangri-LaTheth is a small settlement of the Shala Valley in the northern Albanian Alps. As the crow fl ies, it is not far from the coastal town of Shkodra, but in reality it is a world away. Getting there involves crossing a high mountain pass on a twisty road. Heavy snow blocks the pass from October to May and leaves Theth in splendid isolation, sometimes for weeks on end. Though it is one of the remotest corners of Europe, Theth has never failed to attract visitors. Edith Durham was in her element when she visited the valley in 1908, as were the Austro-Hungarian scholars Karl Steinmetz and Baron Franz Nopcsa, and the American writer Rose Wilder Lane. During the long years of the Stalinist regime that isolated Albania from the rest of the world (1944-1991), few foreigners were allowed into the valley due to its proximity to the Montenegrin border. The region was severely depopulated in the 1990s and only a couple of families remained in Theth over the winter. Things have changed in the last few years. Theth has become a unique, yet still little-known holiday destination for a hardy breed on travellers – hikers, mountain-climbers and visitors with a spirit of adventure. The native inhabitants have come back, too, and many of them have refurbished their homes to serve as modest guesthouses for the ever-increasing number of visitors. A Passion for Theth: Albania’s Rugged Shangri-La presents the beauties of Theth and the northern Albanian Alps in the photos of Dutch photographer Herman Zonderland. Robert Elsie and Gerda Mulder introduce the region with the writings of the early explorers and travellers to the valley to the accompaniment of old photographs of the period. This material is supplemented by contemporary writings on the valley today, on the families living there and on the impact of tourism in the region. These contemporary texts, based upon interviews and travel accounts by Gerda Mulder from 1995-2013, add a personal touch. About the authors: Robert Elsie is a Canadian scholar and specialist in Albanian studies. He has published many books about the country and its history and culture. He is currently based in Berlin, Germany. See www.elsie.de Gerda Mulder has been travelling to Albania since the 1970s. She is the author of the fi rst Dutch-language travel guide to Albania (1983) and lives in Rotterdam, the Netherlands. Herman Zonderland is a noted professional photographer who lives in Delft, the Netherlands. See www.zonderland.nl
€ 24,50 -
The Albanian Operation of the CIA and MI6, 1949-1953
The Albanian Operation, carried out by British and American secret services from 1949 to 1953, was one of the first Western attempts to subvert a country behind the Iron Curtain. The British liaison officer for the project in Washington was Kim Philby, a Soviet double agent who sabotaged the whole venture. In all, about 300 agents and civilians are thought to have been killed in the disastrous operation. The story was first pieced together by Nicholas Bethell in his 1984 book The Great Betrayal: The Untold Story of Kim Philby's Biggest Coup, based on interviews and conversations with British and American officials and Albanian fighters who infiltrated the Stalinist Albanian regime and escaped alive. The present work presents the interviews and throws new light on what actually took place.
€ 36,30