Goodbye ­Eastern ­Europe by Jacob Mikanowski and A Kidnapped West by Milan Kundera: Why the West sees Eastern Europe as its poor relation

Dr Aneta Stepien on two books that look at the east’s struggle to free itself from unflattering perceptions and a continued Russian threat

A group of men hold a flag on top of a tank in front of the Parliament building in Budapest during the Hungarian Revolt of 1956. Photo by Hulton Archive/Getty Images — © Getty Images

Aneta Stepien

There is no such thing as Eastern Europe, at least not in the geopolitical sense of the word. The phrase is an “outsider’s convenience”, writes Jacob Mikanowski in his intimate history Goodbye Eastern Europe. The author suggests that over 1,000 years of Eastern European history was written mainly in the imperial capitals, by outsiders more powerful and hostile towards the region.