Listen to a sample
The Story of Scandinavia
- Author
- Stein Ringen
- Narrator
- Chris Courtenay
- Publisher
- Orion
- Publish Date
- 14 September 2023
- Run Time
- 22 hours 33 minutes
- Format
- Audiobook
What to expect
Scandinavian history has been one of dramatic discontinuities of collapse and restarts, from the Viking Age to the Age of Perpetual War to the modern age today. For a thousand years, the Scandinavian countries were kingdoms of repression where monarchs played at the game of being European powers, at the expense of their own populations.
The brand we now know as "Scandinavia" is a recent invention. During most of its history, Denmark and Sweden, and to some degree Norway, were bloody enemies. These sentiments of enmity have not been fully settled. Under the surface of collaboration remain undercurrents of hatred, envy, contempt and pity.
What does it mean today to be Scandinavian? For the author, whose identity is Scandinavian but his life European, this masterly history is a personal exploration as well as a narrative of compelling scope.
Critics Review
-
Carrying us from the Vikings to today, Stein Ringen's sweeping narrative will engage and instruct everyone from specialists to first-timers. Scandinavia is another outstanding book from a writer remarkable for the breadth of his reach and the incisiveness of his analysis
Toward Democracy: The Struggle for Self-Rule in European and American Thought
-
While not losing sight of the differences between the ways the Swedish, Danish and Norwegian social democrats navigated the local waters, Ringen skilfully teases out the common denominators . . . He also writes in a pleasant, breezy, non-nonsense style
TLS
-
Excellent . . . A treasure
Kristeligt Dagblad
-
Remarkable . . . [Ringen's] prose moves briskly through centuries without becoming overwhelming, and he balances broad historical movements with telling details that bring the past alive
Lenin Lives Next Door
User Reviews
No reviews yet.
Details
- Author
- Stein Ringen
- Narrator
- Chris Courtenay
- Duration
- 22 hours 33 minutes
- Release Date
- 14 September 2023
- ISBN
- 9781474625234
- Format
- Audiobook
- Publisher
- Orion
- Genre
- European history: the Vikings, European history, Travel writing
Synopsis
In The Story of Scandinavia, political scholar Stein Ringen chronicles more than 1,200 years of drama, economic rise and fall, crises, kings and queens, war, peace, language and culture. Scandinavian history has been one of dramatic discontinuities of collapse and restarts, from the Viking Age to the Age of Perpetual War to the modern age today. For a thousand years, the Scandinavian countries were kingdoms of repression where monarchs played at the game of being European powers, at the expense of their own populations.The brand we now know as "Scandinavia" is a recent invention. During most of its history, Denmark and Sweden, and to some degree Norway, were bloody enemies. These sentiments of enmity have not been fully settled. Under the surface of collaboration remain undercurrents of hatred, envy, contempt and pity. What does it mean today to be Scandinavian? For the author, whose identity is Scandinavian but his life European, this masterly history is a personal exploration as well as a narrative of compelling scope.
About xigxag
xigxag is an independent, UK-based audiobook platform and the UK's only B Corp certified audiobook company. We offer nearly 150,000 audiobooks, all with professional human narration. No AI-generated voices. xigxag is rated an Ethical Consumer Best Buy for audiobooks and a top-rated ethical bookshop.
There is no subscription. You buy the audiobooks you want, you own them permanently, and prices start at $13.95. The more you listen over the year, the less you pay per book, and there is always a selection in Listen for Less from $7.95. You can also send audiobooks as gifts using our audiobook gift cards or in-app gifting.
Every audiobook on xigxag has honest reviews covering both the book and the narration, and our community features make it easy to share what you are listening to, discover what others recommend, and find your next listen.
Download or stream on iOS, Android, or in your browser. Browse the full catalogue at xigxag.co.uk.