The Picnic

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What to expect

Brought to you by Penguin.

*WINNER OF THE ORWELL PRIZE FOR POLITICAL WRITING 2024*

A gripping reconstruction of the daring escape to freedom of hundreds of East Germans in the summer of 1989 and how it led to the fall of the Berlin Wall.

'A pivotal – and exhilarating – moment in 20th century history. . . gripping' Observer
'Intensely moving' Sunday Times
'Engrossing and dramatic' William Boyd, New Statesman

In August 1989, a group of Hungarian activists did the unthinkable: they entered the forbidden militarised zone of the Iron Curtain - and held a picnic. On wisps of rumour, thousands of East German 'holiday-makers' had made their way to the border, surveilled by lurking Stasi agents. The stage was set for the greatest border breach in Cold War history. The fall of the Berlin Wall, the end of the Soviet Union - the so-called end of history - all would flow from what happened next. Drawing on dozens of original interviews with those involved, Matthew Longo reconstructs this world-shaping event and its tumultuous aftermath.

'Evoke[s] the dramatic events in vivid colour . . . fascinating' Katja Hoyer, Telegraph *****

‘Captivating . . . a vivid, fast-paced narrative’ New York Times

* A GUARDIAN BIGGEST FICTION AND NON-FICTION FOR 2024 * A WATERSTONES ‘BOOK YOU NEED TO READ IN 2024’ * A FOYLES TOP TEN READ FOR JANUARY 2024 *

©2024 Matthew Longo (P)2024 Penguin Audio

Critics Review

Exhilarating . . . skilfully dramatises the extraordinary chain of events at a summer party in Hungary that led to the end of Soviet power [and] became a catalyst for the dramatic peaceful revolutions that reunited the continent . . . gripping

Observer

Evoking the dramatic events in vivid colour . . . providing an insight into how deeply this history still matters today . . . fascinating

Telegraph *****

Revelatory . . . Longo’s engrossing and dramatic book adds a new, captivating chapter to the history of the Cold War

New Statesman

This little gem of a book tells the story of . . . a key Cold War moment . . . Longo’s vivid narrative captures the tension of the moment . . . an intensely moving story that explores the nature of freedom

Sunday Times

Gripping . . . refreshingly fast-paced, effortlessly moving the reader from one place and moment to another . . . should be required reading

History Today

Beautifully written . . . The Picnic reads like a thriller

Peter Frankopan, Chair of the Judges of the Orwell Prize for Political Writing

Brisk and engaging . . . It’s an uplifting tale, but Longo takes care not to oversentimentalise it

Guardian

Captivating . . . Longo recounts the drama in a vivid, fast-paced narrative [which] never lacks verve

The New York Times

Elegantly crafted . . . He tells a gripping tale . . . relating to both timeless questions of struggle and agency, and topics in the headlines today

Boston Globe

A great story . . . this is history told from the point of view of those who make it

Times Literary Supplement

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