Poland: A History by Adam Zamoyski

Author : Adam Zamoyski
Title : Poland: A History
Published : 2009
Publisher : William Collins
Pages : 448
Genre : Non Fiction / History

     In 1797, Russia, Prussia, and Austria divided Poland among themselves, rewriting Polish history to show that they had brought much-needed civilization to a primitive backwater. But the country they wiped off the map had been one of Europe's largest and most richly varied, born of diverse cultural traditions and one of the boldest constitutional experiments ever attempted. Its destruction ultimately led to two world wars and the Cold War. Zamoyski's fully revised history of Poland looks back over a thousand years of turmoil and triumph, chronicling how Poland has been restored at last to its rightful place in Europe.

     I was at work the other day having a discussion with a friend about who's country had the worst history. Mine for all the bad things it has done around the world not only in the past but present and hers for everything it had been through. It was only when she mentioned that Poland had in fact not existed for a good hundred years the I realized I knew nothing about the actual history of Poland other than the events that had taken place during world war two. So being the good bookworm I am I went in search of a book that could help me better understand a country that unbeknownst to me had been linked with mine for so much longer than I could have thought. 

     It took some time to finally settle on this book, Histories of countries is not something I would usually go for.  So it took some time going through reviews and blogs before I could settle on spending my hard-earned cash. I was so glad that this was the book I came to settle on, it starts out with a few funny remarks about where Poland saw its self in the middle ages and then goes back to where it all began. Whilst the book can never cover every aspect of Polish history the author does his best to give us some insight into all of the key moments that have come to shape her into the country she is today. There was so much here for me to take in, Realising what little understanding I had for the country. In the reading of this book, I have come to realize it has spent a lot of its time in history as the underdog. Being stuck between war factions and the buffer between east and west. The events of the second world war are not the only time another country has tried to wipe it off the map. It shows that for the most part this has never been instigated by the Polish people themselves. It also reviled to me, the strong link that was formed between them and Italy several hundred years ago.  

     For anyone wanting to look into this countries history, this is the perfect book to go for. The author did not disappoint and gives you not only a starting point if you are wanting to know more but also a look into the psyche of a country. He has made me love this place more than I already did having visited in two thousand and eighteen. I have come to the realization that without knowing a place's history you can never really understand its present. And whilst for a lot of us, we tend to sugar coat of countries past the polish seem to understand theirs better than most. But maybe this is due to the fact that over the centuries it has grown and shrunk to nothing, that their ancestors fought hard to make sure that it was passed onto the next generation. But in the telling of this book, the author mange's not only to give the facts of the events but also slips in and out of the reasons for each in more human terms. He has given me a much greater understanding of a place. How there is a strong determination to make sure that Poland exists for the rest of the time and how they will make sure that no one overruns there boards again without one hell of a fight. 

     This book I realize is a very niche topic, many would not even think to pick it up and flick through it's paged but for me, I have learned so much from having spent time with it. It has given me a much better understanding of some of the people I work with and where they come from. And for that, I will forever be grateful to the author.