Author:Ahron Bregman
Cursed Victory tells the story of Israel's troubled presence in the West Bank, Gaza Strip, the Golan Heights and the Sinai Peninsula since its sweeping victory in the 1967 Six Day War. Drawing on countless high-level interviews, never-before-seen letters and top secret memos, distinguished Israeli historian Ahron Bregman traces the evolution of the military occupation over four decades.
Cursed Victory provides vivid portraits of the key players in this unfolding drama, including Moshe Dayan, Bill Clinton and Yasser Arafat, yet always reminds the reader how diplomatic negotiations in Madrid, New York and Oslo impacted the daily lives of millions of Arabs.
Tremendous. A moving and haunting tribute to the human spirit
—— WILLIAM BOYDDavid Belton has written something very special, a work of non-fiction that has a novel’s power to move, enchant and challenge. This elegantly-written book is much more than a history, a work of lyrical beauty that will stand as a memorial not just for those who died in the genocide but to those of us who struggle to make a difference.
—— Tim Butcher, author of BLOOD RIVERComplex, compassionate and scathing… Much of the writing … has a literary power that lifts it above normal journalistic or non-fiction practice: Jean-Pierre’s confinement in his mud-walled hole has shades of Beckett, and both Odette and Curic seem like Brechtian heroes.
—— Giles FodenBelton excavates the truth and layers the political, social and military dimensions of the conflict onto three peoples’ stories, to produce a book that is both illuminating and profoundly moving.
—— Aminatta Forna , IndependentBrings the story right up to date, confronting the dilemmas and tensions that lie not far below the surface ...
—— ObserverExtraordinary. Lays bare the unspeakable with calm and human clarity. Remarkable.
—— Emma ThompsonThrough the lives of several individuals, David Belton movingly evokes the terror and tragedy of the Rwandan genocide. As one of the all-too-rare journalists who don’t merely cover such a story and move on, he also shows how its after effects have reverberated over the years since then. This is a fine and deeply affecting book.
—— Adam HochschildGenocide on the scale of Rwanda is such an enormous crime it can seem too daunting to comprehend. David Belton is a masterful guide through that darkness, revealing how a society turns on itself in a deeply moving account of terror, endurance, complicity and what it means to survive.
—— Chris McGrealWeaving his story skilfully around the narratives of three main characters - a priest, a mother, a husband - David Belton tells the intimate story of the Rwandan genocide. The human experience that lies behind the statistics is both searing and heart-lifting, Belton draws it out with both empathy and grace.
—— Michela Wrong, author of IN THE FOOTSTEPS OF MR KURTZ. LIVING ON THE BRINK OF DISASTER IN MOBUTU'S CONGO.Searing, compelling and refreshingly devoid of the hyperbole of war-reporting . . . This is an important reminder of the culpability of so many – including the West for averting its gaze. It also serves as a potent warning of the fragility of humanity.
—— Alex Russell , Financial TimesLucid, passionate, urgent
—— Rory MacLeanThis is first class history and in a year swamped with First World War centenary books, it’s the one you should read first
—— Andrew RobertsA compelling and fascinating read...a shadowy assassin brought to life by an writer who gets to grips with a century of Balkan intrigue
—— Kate AdieA marvellously absorbing book... A triumph of research, it will appeal to the layman and historian alike
—— Ian Thomson , Financial TimesExtremely well written, taut and evocative... Despite its complex subject, Butcher makes this an easy and engaging read with his breezy style and fascinating encounters
—— Misha Glenny , Daily TelegraphIlluminating... Butcher achieves something remarkable with Princip. He promotes him quite plausibly from mad man to everyman; a warning to the future whom the future foolishly forgot
—— Giles Whittell , The TimesArguably the most important story of the war
—— Michael Hodges , Mail on SundayAs a travel writer, Butcher takes some beating. He packs balls as well as ballpoints
—— John Lewis-Stempel , Sunday ExpressA triumph of storytelling... [A] highly original gem of a book
—— Victor Sebestyen , SpectatorInformative and powerful
—— John Horne , Irish TimesA page-turning exploration of how the forgotten past continues to inform the present... Important, and relevant
—— Oliver Poole , Independent on Sunday[Princip’s] story as Butcher now tells it has a resonance far beyond the Balkans
—— Iain Morris , ObserverElegant, horrifying and enlightening… A book which is not only a good piece of detective work, it is the finest contribution so far this year to the rapidly expanding literature on the Great War
—— Mark Smith , HeraldTim Butcher has produced the most imaginative and singular book on the centenary of the outbreak of the First World War to date. It is a lot more than a study of Princip… It is a piece of expeditionary journalism, an investigation in time, place and spirit, of the highest order
—— Robert Fox , ScotsmanA revealing insight into the mind and journey of the boy who escaped the narrow confines of his village, and whose political aspirations for his native country had such far-reaching effects on the world
—— Philippa Logan , Oxford TimesUtterly absorbing… If journalism is the first draft of history, Butcher marries both disciplines with boldness and originality – as well as sympathy for his shadowy subject
—— BBC History MagazineInsightful and entertaining, this blows the cobwebs off the history of that day
—— Evening Echo (Cork)Positive proof that fact can be as gripping as fiction…rich and timely… Amongst so many books published around the anniversary of the First World War, this one stands out
—— CGA MagazineA fascinating investigation… An absorbing read
—— Irish IndependentDespite its serious subject matter, the book is a rollicking read, full of amusing details and sarcastic humour
—— The EconomistA brilliant and haunting journey through the Balkans
—— Sinclair McKay , Daily TelegraphIn the centenary year of the death of Archduke Franz Ferdinand, what better read than Tim Butcher’s The Trigger
—— Paul Routledge , Tablet[A] fascinating and lively history
—— 4 stars , Daily TelegraphVery complex – but you will grasp it
—— William Leith , Evening StandardA fascination exploration
—— Mail on SundayHighly readable but profoundly researched, The Trigger represents a bold exception to the deluge of First World War books devoted to mud, blood and poetry
—— Ben Macintyre , The Timesa fascinating original portrait of a man and his country
—— Country and Town House