Overview

In August 1989, a group of Hungarian activists organised a picnic on the border of Hungary and Austria. But this was not an ordinary picnic—it was located on the dangerous militarised frontier known as the Iron Curtain. Tacit permission from the highest state authorities could be revoked at any moment. On wisps of rumour, thousands of East German “vacationers” packed Hungarian campgrounds, awaiting an opportunity, fearing prison, surveilled by lurking Stasi agents. The Pan-European Picnic set the stage for the greatest border breach in Cold War history: hundreds crossed from the Communist East to the longed-for freedom of the West. The fall of the Berlin Wall, the end of the Soviet Union—the so-called end of history—all would flow from those dramatic hours. Drawing on exclusive interviews, Matthew Longo gives an invaluable account of historical change, and the disillusionment that followed, as emotionally powerful as it is revealing.

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9780393540772

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Reviews

A compelling, poignant, beautifully textured retelling of the collapse of communism in Central Europe through the personal ordeals, trepidations, longings, and disenchantments of its participants -- culminating in a heartfelt rethinking of the meaning of 1989 for the world today.--Stephen Holmes, co-author of The Light that Failed Exhilarating...With vivid detail, Longo brings to life the defiance and courage of the Picnic's activist organizers and the hundreds of East German refugees who fled Hungary that day. A gem of a book, filled with timely and compelling insights into the power of ordinary people and the limitations of authoritarianism.--Clarissa Ward, author of On All Fronts The most brilliant history allows an experience either forgotten or missed to feel close and vivid--as if we were there. Longo's writing reanimates the heady days of freedom of 1989 and reflects on what was missed in that extraordinary year, on how inarticulate solidarities have since eroded to the detriment of everyone, and on how confining walls could fall even as durable institutions of freedom were not built in their place.--Samuel Moyn, author of Humane Full of insight and empathy. intimate and compelling, The Picnic is beautifully written and ingeniously plotted. Like all the best books about the past, it brings the present compellingly to life.--Patrick McGuinness, author of The Last Hundred Days

"Longo's engaging account of the fall of the Soviet empire focuses on ordinary protesters like the organizers of a picnic attended by hundreds on the border between Austria and Hungary in 1989.-- ""New York Times Book Review"" The true charm of Mr. Longo's book, and its greatest historical value, lies in his accounts of ordinary citizens--mostly East German--who sought to throw off their Communist shackles by fleeing west at great personal peril. We also owe him a debt for resuscitating the Picnic, now 'largely omitted from history books, pushed aside by the macroscopic politics of the end of the Cold War.'--Tunku Varadarajan ""Wall Street Journal"" Blending oral history and political theory (including cameos by Plato and Isaiah Berlin), Longo recounts the drama in a vivid, fast-paced narrative.--Andrew Meier ""New York Times"" Extensively documented, well written, and thoughtful in its consideration of what freedom means, this book is an informative and engaging history of the event, its origins, and the aftermath...A much-needed reminder of the inexhaustibility of the human quest for personal and collective freedom.-- ""Kirkus (starred review)"" A compelling, poignant, beautifully textured retelling of the collapse of communism in Central Europe through the personal ordeals, trepidations, longings, and disenchantments of its participants--culminating in a heartfelt rethinking of the meaning of 1989 for the world today.--Stephen Holmes, coauthor of The Light that Failed A fascinating reconstruction of the extraordinary moment in 1989, when the spontaneous actions and inactions of a few individuals made history swing wide open on its hinges. With the gifts of a fine documentarian, Matthew Longo makes that great moment of collective hopes newly vivid, and the extent to which those hopes remain unfulfilled freshly urgent.--Philip Gourevitch, author of We Wish to Inform You that Tomorrow We Will Be Killed with Our Families Exhilarating...A gem of a book, filled with timely and compelling insights into the power of ordinary people and the limitations of authoritarianism.--Clarissa Ward, author of On All Fronts Matthew Longo's writing reanimates the heady days of freedom of 1989 and reflects on what was missed in that extraordinary year, on how inarticulate solidarities have since eroded to the detriment of everyone, and on how confining walls could fall even as durable institutions of freedom were not built in their place.--Samuel Moyn, author of Humane Full of insight and empathy, The Picnic is beautifully written and ingeniously plotted. Like all the best books about the past, it brings the present compellingly to life.--Patrick McGuinness, author of The Last Hundred Days"

"""The most brilliant history allows an experience either forgotten or missed to feel close and vivid—as if we were there. Longo’s writing reanimates the heady days of freedom of 1989 and reflects on what was missed in that extraordinary year, on how inarticulate solidarities have since eroded to the detriment of everyone, and on how confining walls could fall even as durable institutions of freedom were not built in their place."" -- Samuel Moyn, author of Humane ""Full of insight and empathy. intimate and compelling, The Picnic is beautifully written and ingeniously plotted. Like all the best books about the past, it brings the present compellingly to life."" -- Patrick McGuiness, author of The Last Hundred Days ""A compelling, poignant, beautifully textured retelling of the collapse of communism in Central Europe through the personal ordeals, trepidations, longings, and disenchantments of its participants -- culminating in a heartfelt rethinking of the meaning of 1989 for the world today."" -- Stephen Holmes, co-author of The Light that Failed ""Exhilarating...With vivid detail, Longo brings to life the defiance and courage of the Picnic’s activist organizers and the hundreds of East German refugees who fled Hungary that day. A gem of a book, filled with timely and compelling insights into the power of ordinary people and the limitations of authoritarianism."" -- Clarissa Ward, author of On All Fronts"

Author Information

Matthew Longo is assistant professor of political science at Leiden University and award-winning author of The Politics of Borders: Sovereignty, Security, and the Citizen after 9/11. A native New Yorker, he lives in the Netherlands.

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