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leonvandereep.bsky.social · @leonvandereep.bsky.social@bridge.neodb.net

Rated The Basque History of the World 8/10

Perfect read for a Basque country holiday. In the first chapters, Kurlansky skillfully channels the history of the start of the modern world through the story of the Basques, a people whose origin and language remain ever mysterious. The author is an obvious sympathizer of the Basques and the way they maintained their foothold over what is now south western France and a part of the North of Spain. As a result, he writes about these outward-looking-explorers-cum-ancient-culture preservers with great gusto. <br/><br/>Kurlansky displays what seems like a deep knowledge of his subject and world history at large (though his absurd claim that Spains population was the only one not consulted about European Economic Community membership does dent his authority as a former Europe correspondent). <br/><br/>It all gets somewhat less spirited towards the end but it remains a fascinating read. Also: gotta love the way he blends Basque recipes (writing about Spanish regional identies = writing about food?) into this romantic history of a tough and tiny nation.

#book

Published 2026-08-24 09:19 UTC · bridged from Atmosphere