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Fantastic Kingdom

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What to expect

'The perfect observer of a UK in crisis' JAMES HAWES, author of The Shortest History of England

Welcome to the Kingdom of Contradictions

Global yet insular, tolerant yet suspicious, proudly pragmatic yet profoundly sentimental. The United Kingdom inspires fierce loyalty and endless argument. Ten years after Brexit, it is as divided as ever.

After twenty years of studying Britain, German historian Helene von Bismarck offers an affectionate and insightful portrait of the United Kingdom as seen by an outsider. From the enduring fantasy of Britain as a self-sufficient island to the profound devotion to a global monarchy; from imperial amnesia to modern multiculturalism, she explores the paradoxes and myths that shape British identity.

Clear-eyed and witty, Fantastic Kingdom is a letter from a friend, revealing why the question of what unites the country has never mattered more than now, at a time of dramatic geopolitical change when liberal democracy is under attack. Looking backwards into history, and outwards into the global context, she closes the gap between how Britain understands itself and how it is seen abroad.

Critics Review

Stimulating and insightful, with a sharp observation on every page, Fantastic Kingdom is the work of a true and candid friend . . . It explains Britain to the world - and, perhaps unexpectedly, to the British themselves
Jonathan Freedland, bestselling author of The Traitors Circle
The perfect observer of a UK in crisis
James Hawes, author of The Shortest History of England
A bracing primer on British public life . . . It is a rare pleasure to have your country anatomised with so much clarity and nuance from the outside
Oliver Moody, author of BALTIC
Fantastic Kingdom is a fantastic achievement. A masterful, whirlwind tour of modern Britain from a sympathetic but fiercely knowledgeable critical friend. It holds up a mirror from many different angles to a country undergoing a convulsion. Hugely readable and essential reading
Ciaran Martin, Professor of Practice in the Management of Public Organisations, University of Oxford
To see ourselves as others see us: Fantastic Kingdom has opened my eyes to the astonishing peculiarities of this wonderful - and very odd - country we British call home. A work of great insight and genius
Gavin Esler, author of HOW BRITAIN ENDS
Author Helene von Bismarck
Duration 10 hours
Release Date
ISBN 9781399824408
Format Audiobook
Publisher John Murray Press
Genre European history, Politics and government
Availability AU, GB, IE

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