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Fantastic Kingdom
- Author
- Helene von Bismarck
- Narrator
- Julie Teal
- Publisher
- John Murray Press
- Publish Date
- 18 June 2026
- Run Time
- 6 hours 1 minute
- Format
- Audiobook
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What to expect
'The perfect observer of a UK in crisis' JAMES HAWES
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
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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
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The perfect observer of a UK in crisis
James Hawes, author of The Shortest History of England
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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
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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
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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
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Details
- Author
- Helene von Bismarck
- Narrator
- Julie Teal
- Duration
- 6 hours 1 minute
- Release Date
- 18 June 2026
- ISBN
- 9781399824408
- Format
- Audiobook
- Publisher
- John Murray Press
- Genre
- European history, Politics and government
Synopsis
'Stimulating and insightful' JONATHAN FREEDLAND'The perfect observer of a UK in crisis' JAMES HAWESWelcome 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.
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