Czecholovakia History Book Recommendation

[Bus Honeygun]

Any suggestions?

The lighter the better. Don't really want to get too bogged down in minutae and footnotes. Just an overview of how the country came to exist, what happened during its existence, and the whys and wherefores of how they came to be two separate countries now.

I visited Slovakia properly for only the first time this year and was intrigued
by both the differences and commonalities with the Czech Republic.

Cheers.

 

[Guineveretoo]

I assume you have tried Wikipedia? They have references which may lead you somewhere helpful.

Czechoslovakia - Wikipedia

en.wikipedia.org

 

[platinumsage]

I only found one book on Czecholovakia but it's probably not what you were after:

https://www.google.co.uk/books/edition/Cubist_Art_from_Czecholovakia/

 

[danny la rouge]

I’ve got a handful from the late 80s/early 90s. Not immediately to hand, but I’ll look them out. Won’t be up to date though.

 

[Nikkormat]

I am not sure about a general history. I have read several books of Czech history, but nothing that covers it start to finish in a light manner.

I really like The Czech Reader; it mixes narrative history with primary sources. I would not say it is light, but it is accessible and is my best recommendation.

Prague in Black and Gold by Peter Demetz is excellent, and although it's a history of a city rather than the country, it will give you a good, readable overview of some of the key periods.

Ivan Klíma's My Crazy Century is an autobiography of a dissident who spent some of his childhood years in the Terezín (Theriesenstadt) concentration camp, and was later persecuted by the communists. I enjoyed it.

Prague Winter by Madeleine Albright mixes Czechoslovak history with autobiography, and is a good, easy read.

For an overview of the 1989 revolution, Victor Sebestyen's Revolution 1989 covers the collapse of communism across Europe in a very readable way.

 

[Bus Honeygun]

That's great. Many thanks for the suggestions so far.

And, no, Guineveretoo I hadn't thought to look for Wikipedia references.

 

[Cloo]

I can ask my mum if she knows any - she was peripherally involved in the Prague Spring. And as a result exiled in the UK for 21 years.

 

[oryx]

For an overview of the 1989 revolution, Victor Sebestyen's Revolution 1989 covers the collapse of communism across Europe in a very readable way.

Thanks for that recommendation - I've been looking for something that covers precisely that for ages.

 

[Nikkormat]

Just become aware of this, on the recommendation of a friend: Czechoslovakia - The State That Failed. Reviews here and here. I've not read it yet, but it looks interesting, providing a much needed critical angle.

I recently read this, and highly recommend it: Vendulka by Ondřej Kundra.