{"product_id":"last-days-in-old-europe-trieste-79-vienna-85-prague-89-9780241014868","title":"Last Days in Old Europe: Trieste 79  Vienna 85  Prague 89","description":"\u003cp\u003ePart memoir  part reflection  this book brings to life central Europe during the last ten years of the Cold War. It begins in Trieste in 1979 where the resonances of the Habsburg Empire are still strong. The second part moves to the darker  claustrophobic world of Vienna in 1985  where the atmosphere of the Cold War seemed to infiltrate every brick of a city hovering between two worlds  and even the most seemingly harmless of culinary establishments masked the game of espionage between East and West. In the third part  the story shifts to Prague in 1989 during the dramatic  intoxicating days of the velvet revolution and the long-awaited opening up of the east. Revolution  when it came was from above rather than below: Moscow was far more engaged with events during those turbulent November weeks than is generally appreciated. Throughout the book we encounter a diverse array of glittering characters: penniless aristocrats  charming gangsters  even Amazonian blondes in the service of Eastern European spy agencies; fractious diplomatists and disinherited royalty supply a colourful supporting cast. With charm  wit and insight  Richard Bassett recreates through his personal encounters the elegy  farce and tragedy of Central Europe in the last days of communism.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"My Store","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":45276624519221,"sku":"ByrdShop_0241014867","price":97.3,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0627\/8139\/0901\/files\/9780241014868.jpg?v=1780558383","url":"https:\/\/atxbooks.com\/products\/last-days-in-old-europe-trieste-79-vienna-85-prague-89-9780241014868","provider":"ATX Books","version":"1.0","type":"link"}