Author:Christopher P. Atwood
A new translation of a great historical epic, recounting the turbulent life and times of Chinggis Khan
'Bear the sword and
Hew asunder high and haughty necks
Slash apart all strong and self-willed shoulders'
Born poor into a world of dangers and hardships, Chinggis (or Genghis) Khan would grow up to unify Mongolia and conquer a vast empire stretching from modern-day Beijing to Baghdad. The Secret History of the Mongols, written after Chinggis's death in the thirteenth century, is a great historical saga recounting not only his turbulent life and times, but that of his loved ones, ancestors and heirs. This remarkable new translation of the earliest surviving work written in Mongolian gives insight into a world of warlords, kinship, horses, yurts, shamans and vast landscapes, where bloody battles and violent family conflicts are impelled by Heaven's destiny.
Translated with an introduction by Christopher P. Atwood
The Secret History of the Mongols describes in vivid detail the life and times of Chinggis Khan, not as an enemy, but as the Mongols saw themselves … This translation is a monumental event, a publishing landmark … Christopher Atwood has given the reader a translation for contemporary times. It is like a caravanserai, providing the materials needed for both scholar and general reader, organized for one's private trek through the empire.
—— Diane Wolff, author of The Silk Road SeriesThis is an important book… a contemporaneous record of one of the most astonishing and significant events in history… Atwood’s text is a masterpiece of erudition and skill… a vital resource for anyone interested in the biggest bang of the last millennium.
—— John Man , Literary ReviewI was thrilled that Penguin Classics published a new translation of The Secret History of the Mongols by Christopher P Atwood. It’s a spectacular text and a wonderful edition that I will be wrapping several copies of.
—— Peter Frankopan , The Guardian Books of the YearA from-start-to-finish account of the East Germany where Hoyer was born, which means not just the Stasi but also day jobs, picnics and rock albums. The result is a complete reconstruction of a country that stopped existing 23 years ago’
—— Prospect Magazine, Books of the Year 2023Absolutely fascinating
—— Andrew Marr , LBCA rich, counterintuitive history of a country all too often dismissed as a freak or accident of the cold war
—— ObserverMyth-busting, artfully constructed history. . . Katja Hoyer displays a special understanding and wants to present a corrective to previous reductive assessments of the GDR that depict it as a field-grey Stasiland. . . Her command of detail, broad historical brush strokes and evident sympathy for her interview partners make for a fascinating read
—— Roger Boyes , The TimesEnthralling, fascinating and very readable. An extraordinary book. Five stars
—— Peter Hitchens , Mail on SundayA fast-paced, vivid and engaging book. Beyond the Wall does much to combat amnesia and Cold War prejudice, and to normalize the GDR and the people who lived there
—— TLSHaving begun her life behind the wall, Hoyer tells the story of the GDR with emotional intensity; but also with the detachment and balance of a professional historian who is determined to portray both the good and bad. And a very interesting stroy it is, too
—— Oliver Letwin , The TabletTremendous. Until the publication of Beyond the Wall, there hadn't been an English language history of the GDR with which to colour in that vanished country's past
—— Peter Hoskins , ProspectA bold, deft history of the forty-one years of the German Democratic Republic. Hoyer is a historian with skin in the game
—— John Kampfner , Literary ReviewBeyond the Wall breaks away from Cold War stereotypes to depict 'normal life' in the German Democratic Republic ... a bestseller against the odds ... unexpectedly resonant
—— Thomas Wieder , Le MondeHumane, deeply historically informed and compelling
—— Country LifeNow a historian and commentator, Hoyer tells the country's human story with a compelling eye for detail in a book that deftly unpicks the complexities and contradictions of the so-called People's State
—— Jeremy Cliffe , New StatesmanOffers a set of fresh and often brave perspectives on East Germany during the Cold War and after
—— Peter Frankopan , Spectator, Books of the YearThere's been a swell of books about the former German Democratic Republic this year, but this chunky tome might be the best. Historian Hoyer blends large-scale political insights with engaging personal stories
—— Independent, Summer BooksKatja Hoyer's monumentally successful history of the GDR is a call to restore the history of East Germany to the mainstream of German modern history ... a feast of vignettes and anecdotes, it is a genuine pleasure to read
—— Roger Moorhouse , Aspects of HistoryBeyond the Wall recreates vividly what it was like to live under communist rule behind the Iron Curtain. Fascinating and wholly original
—— Richard Hopton , Country and Town HouseThrough interviews and personal experience, Katja Hoyer brings a new understanding to a country that has now vanished ... A fresh look at what life was like for average people in East Germany ... intriguing and surprising
—— ABC, Radio NationalWith Beyond the Wall, Katja Hoyer confirms her place as one of the best young historians writing in English today. On the heels of her superb Blood and Iron, about the rise and fall of the Second Reich, comes another masterpiece, this one about the aftermath of the Third Reich in the East. Well-researched, well-written and profoundly insightful, it explodes many of the lazy Western cliches about East Germany
—— Andrew RobertsUtterly brilliant. This gripping account of East Germany sheds new light on what for many of us remains an opaque chapter of history. Authoritative, lively and profoundly human, it is essential reading for anyone seeking to understand post-WW2 Europe
—— Julia BoydA gripping and nuanced history of the GDR from its beginnings as a separate German socialist state against the wishes of Stalin to its final rapprochement with its Western other against those of Gorbachev. Beyond the Wall is a unique fresco of everyday reality in East Germany. Elegantly moving between diplomatic history, political economy and cultural analysis, this is an essential read to understand not only the life and death of the GDR but also the parts of it that still survive in the emotions of its former citizens.
—— Lea YpiSuperb, totally fascinating and compelling, Katja Hoyer's first full history of East Germany's rise and fall is a work of revelatory original research - and a gripping read with a brilliant cast of characters. Essential reading
—— Simon Sebag MontefioreA beyond-brilliant new picture of the rise and fall of the East German state. Katja Hoyer gives us not only pin-sharp historical analysis, but an up-close and personal view of both key characters and ordinary citizens whose lives charted some of the darkest hours of the Cold War. If you thought you knew the history of East Germany, think again. An utterly riveting read
—— Julie EtchinghamA fantastic, sparkling book, filled with insights not only about East Germany but about the Cold War, Europe and the forging of the 20th and 21st centuries
—— Peter FrankopanThe joke has it that the duty of the last East German to escape from the country was to turn off the lights. In Beyond the Wall Katja Hoyer turns the light back on and gives us the best kind of history: frank, vivid, nuanced and filled with interesting people
—— Ivan KrastevA refreshing and eye-opening book on a country that is routinely reduced to cartoonish cliché. Beyond the Wall is a tribute to the ordinary East Germans who built themselves a society that - for a time - worked for them, a society carved out of a state founded in the horrors of Nazism and Stalinism
—— Owen HatherleyA colourful and often revelatory re-appraisal of one of modern history's most fascinating political curiosities. Katja Hoyer skilfully weaves diverse political and private lives together, from the communist elite to ordinary East Germans
—— Frederick TaylorKatja Hoyer is becoming the authoritative voice in the English speaking world for all things German. Thanks to her, German history has the prominence in the Anglosphere it certainly deserves.
—— Dan SnowKatja Hoyer brilliantly shows that the history of East Germany was a significant chapter of German history, not just a footnote to it or a copy of the Soviet Union. To understand Germany today we have to grapple with the history and legacy of its all but dismissed East
—— Serhii PlokhyKatja Hoyer's return to discover what happened to her homeland - the old East Germany - is an excellent counterpoint to Stasiland by Anna Funder
—— Iain Macgregor