12/19/2022
In this soulful report on the legacy of the Cold War, BBC News contributor Phillips (The Secret Twenties) recounts his 2019 trip along the length of the former Iron Curtain, from the “scrubland and dunes” of Norway to the “landlocked enclave” of Nakhchivan, Azerbaijan. Along the way, Phillips reflects on numerous ideological and militaristic clashes that occurred in these borderlands, such as the June 1968 arrival of nearly 300 Soviet tanks at the border with Norway, a move meant to protest the country’s “active participation in NATO.” (Norway’s leaders were caught by surprise, Phillips writes, and “did nothing to publicize what was happening.”) He also interviews pensioners longing for Soviet times (“We were more humane. We drank together. Chatted. Danced. Sang songs. We lived better,” remembers one Latvian woman about her childhood in a Siberian city) and young people trying to forge a future. A keen observer, Phillips finds that “the legacy of communism lingers” in places like Vyborg, Russia, where a statue of Lenin still stands in the main square “silently hectoring passersby”; amid scenes of “conspicuous consumption” in Bratislava, Slovakia, he notices graffiti honoring a journalist whose 2018 killing helped spark a reform movement. Knowledgeable and engrossing, this is an illuminating portrait of post-communist life. Photos. (Mar.)
"As borders reappear all over Europe, and as war once again begins to smudge the continent’s atlas, Timothy Phillips’s book arrives just when it is needed. This is an account not only of how the Cold War frontiers were drawn, guarded, or penetrated by brave escapers, but—more importantly—of how often they were rendered discreetly porous by all kinds of compromise. He travels equipped with a mass of fascinating prior research, but also with a gift for instant befriending, which brings stories and secrets from everyone he encounters."
"Acclaim for The Secret Twenties: British Intelligence, the Russians, and the Jazz Age
"A welcome and fascinating study of a pivotal yet under-explored aspect of history. Using previously unseen files, Phillips illuminates the growing role of espionage as suspicions grew about the threat from the new Soviet state—all set against the glamour of 1920s London. It is an intoxicating combination."
"A brilliant book, not only based on an inspired idea, but also written with a keen eye for human hopes, fears, and tragedies."
"Acclaim for Beslan: The Tragedy of School No. 1
"Fine and subtle . . . The book, based on extensive interviews, rouses pity and horror."
"Timothy Phillips . . . has done a heroic and . . . impossible job: He has reconstructed from the testimony of many hundreds of witnesses the hellish events of that September. . . . His work is a fit memorial to the dead."
"Remarkable. . . . By turns painful and poignant, Retracing the Iron Curtain is much more than a simple travelogue or history: it is a love letter to human kindness and a plea for decency in the face of indecent, inhumane government oppression. A fascinating, nuanced travel narrative about the history and legacy of Europe’s most infamous border."
"A Guardian best history and politics book of 2022
"Engrossing. . . . As Mr. Phillips travels alongside a largely vanished barrier, he sees some tangible remnants—a watchtower here, a missile silo there. And he succeeds in conveying the everyday barbarism that did so much to sustain the Iron Curtain. . . . Such stories and the recollections of those he meets produce an excellent depiction, not only of the Iron Curtain but also of key elements in Europe’s Cold War and, for that matter, some of what came next."
"A poignant journey through the towns, streets and even cemeteries once divided by the Cold War."
A Guardian best history and politics book of 2022 “Engrossing. . . . As Mr. Phillips travels alongside a largely vanished barrier, he sees some tangible remnants—a watchtower here, a missile silo there. And he succeeds in conveying the everyday barbarism that did so much to sustain the Iron Curtain. . . . Such stories and the recollections of those he meets produce an excellent depiction, not only of the Iron Curtain but also of key elements in Europe’s Cold War and, for that matter, some of what came next.”—The Wall Street Journal “Remarkable. . . . By turns painful and poignant, Retracing the Iron Curtain is much more than a simple travelogue or history: it is a love letter to human kindness and a plea for decency in the face of indecent, inhumane government oppression. A fascinating, nuanced travel narrative about the history and legacy of Europe’s most infamous border.”—Foreword “A poignant journey through the towns, streets and even cemeteries once divided by the Cold War.”—The Times “As borders reappear all over Europe, and as war once again begins to smudge the continent’s atlas, Timothy Phillips’s book arrives just when it is needed. This is an account not only of how the Cold War frontiers were drawn, guarded, or penetrated by brave escapers, but—more importantly—of how often they were rendered discreetly porous by all kinds of compromise. He travels equipped with a mass of fascinating prior research, but also with a gift for instant befriending, which brings stories and secrets from everyone he encounters.”—Neal Ascherson, journalist and author of Black Sea “A brilliant book, not only based on an inspired idea, but also written with a keen eye for human hopes, fears, and tragedies.”—William Hague, MP, Leader of British Conservative PartyAcclaim for Beslan: The Tragedy of School No. 1 “Fine and subtle . . . The book, based on extensive interviews, rouses pity and horror.”—Financial Times “Timothy Phillips . . . has done a heroic and . . . impossible job: He has reconstructed from the testimony of many hundreds of witnesses the hellish events of that September. . . . His work is a fit memorial to the dead.”—Literary Review Acclaim for The Secret Twenties: British Intelligence, the Russians, and the Jazz Age “A welcome and fascinating study of a pivotal yet under-explored aspect of history. Using previously unseen files, Phillips illuminates the growing role of espionage as suspicions grew about the threat from the new Soviet state—all set against the glamour of 1920s London. It is an intoxicating combination.”—Martin Pearce, author of Spymaster
