Reading about Eastern European History Doesn't Have to Be Boring!

Posted by Kerry Kubilius Jul 26, 2006

Eastern European history - or any history for that matter - can be boring, just like anything can when it's written in a pedantic, academic tone. To researchers, history buffs, and students, the details given in books and papers make their work interesting and worthwhile. But what about the average person who just wants to brush up on his or her Eastern European history without wading through every reference, date, and particular just to make sense of the whole?

The best thing to do is to get your Eastern European history elsewhere. Check out historic fiction (Edward Rutherford's Russka comes to mind, which was painstakingly researched and puts Eastern European history in the context of realistic characters), or read the literature from Eastern Europe itself. Any one of Pushkin's short stories can give you a glimpse into Russia's past. Gogol can give you insight into Ukraine's folkloric traditions. Milan Kundera and Valclav Havel will have you understanding the Czech Republic's history a little better. And there are many more authors just being discovered by the west who have made names for themselves in their own countries and are now published in English. Also look for annotated versions of novels, short stories, and poetry collections, which will explain those bits that are unclear using a modern understanding of the world.

Movies that deal with Eastern European history are, to some, more ideal. American Rhapsody, starring Scarlett Johansson, is a true story about a Hungarian family who has to leave their daughter behind when they flee for the states. The 1996 Academy Award winner for best foreign film, Kolya takes place in the former Czechoslovakia. And Sibirskiy Tsiryulnik (The Barber of Siberia), illustrates turn-of-the-century Russia beautifully.

Eastern European history can appeal to anyone. Finding the information source of your choice is the trick.