For my background reading on Central and East European EU Candidate Countries, I have been reading several books on the history of the Balkans. For the period 500-1453 I took the book from Prof. Obolensky (for 1453-early 20th century I recommend L. Stavrianos, Misha Glenny, and G. Hodos). I found the book clearly written and well set out. The central message of this study runs like a red thread thorugh the book. The influence of the Byzantine East Roman Empire on the law, culture, religion and art of the countries in that region is shown to be of major importance and is clearly one of the major shaping actors in the early history of the Balkans. Yet at the same time during this period there was no slavish following of whatever came from Byzantium. The complicated story of attraction and repulsion, the ongoing flow and struggles with the 'Byzantine Commonwealth' (i find prof. Obolenksy's expression in this contect quite useful) of the different peoples in the Balkans makes good reading and, for me, gives met the sense of a good first grasp of the outset of history on this fascinating region. This book is not always easy to read and not only for beginners, but the more rewarding for it.

After the fall of Rome, Byzantium was the greatest, richest, most prestigious city in the known world. It was the center of the Orthodox religion and a great center of culture. It was also the target for every barbarian tribe who wanted a piece of the wealth land and culture.

Dimitri Obolensky's readable book achieves two purposes. First he describes the relations between the Byzantine empire and her neighbors. Obolensky explains how the Byzantines used one barbarian tribe against another, like the Avars, Slavs, Bulgars, Pechenegs, Russians and Khazars. He also shows how the Byzantines used religion to influence the tribes and gain control over them. Eventually the barbarian tribes worshipped Byzantium, but did not trust it.

Secondly Obolensky describes how the barbarian cultures like the Bulgars and the Russians adopted the culture and civilization of Byzantium. The new comers learned art, literature, law and religion from Byzantium.

This book covers the period from 500 AD to the fall of Byzantium in 1453,
starting with a description of the geography, roads and trade routes the Byzantines used, and their strategic importance. Then Obolensky recounts relations in order of region, from the Balkans, then east-central Europe and finally the coast of the black sea.
Obolensky shows how the Byzantines became the source of legitimacy among the states that made up the commonwealth like the Bulgars and the Russians. Finally he recounts how the barbarians learned art, religion, law and literature, and civilization in general from the Byzantines.

The book includes many well placed maps and photos that make this complicated subject clearer. Obolensky's book is a must read book for anyone interested in the history of Byzantium or medieval eastern Europe.

I can't praise highly enough this well researched, masterful look at the mechanisms of cultural diffusion in the Balkans and Russia in the Byzantine period. Obolensky, an unquestioned leader in the field of Byzantine studies, has put together a cogent, precise and elegantly written book that, while not really for the layman, is clear enough for most persons with some familiarity with the topic. He demonstrates the role of what he calls "intermediaries", e.g. merchants, missionaries and mercenaries, in spreading Byzantium's unique Graeco-Romano-Christian culture throughout the Slavic world. A little attention is paid to Byzantium's influence on the West and on the structures of the Ottoman state, but the real focus realy is on the Balkan states. And, well, where have you seen that lately?

Most of this book is about bygone days of imperial Russia. However, instead of being a typical "Nicholas and Alexandra" book or "How the Royal Family Lived", the passages here are first person accounts, recorded as memories, or as the actual journal entries.

Through this, the reader gets a picture of what it was like living in the upper echelon of society in the latter half of the 19th century, and the early 20th. It is striking and gorgeous.

This is the land and the society that these people later had to flee, and the author, Obolensky, grew up in the Russian emigre community in France.

There was a couple problems that found with this book. While the descriptions of these people's lives were fascinating, it wasn't a page turner, and for that reason, it took me a long time to actually sit down and FINISH this book.

A major problem with it, too, was it's heavy reliance on French. I know that some things are not translateable, and I know the author knows French very well (besides English), and I know that French was the language of many courts and of international diplomacy in that day, but it seemed like there were so many times when the author's point would be punctuated by a phrase in French, which did absolutely no good for me, since I don't speak or read this language.

The third thing that kind of irked me was that Obolensky spends probably 4/5 of the book in aristocratic Russia from 1875-1920, having many perspectives represented, but when it actually comes to the "exile" part, the only representation is his own experiences, and they seem, somehow, not to be nearly as in-depth. (Then again, he was jumping over HUGE periods of time.)

Despite its flaws, this book does serve to recall a time which is fast fading in memory. Most of the "authors" of this book died more than 40 years ago, and this perspective is unique to try to comprehend.

This is essentially a dual language Russian/English survey of the last eight hundred years of Russian poetry, from the Lay of Igor' to early post-war period. There is no explanation of the context or stature of the various poets, and the poems selected are not among the best from particular authors in my opinon (Blok, Akhmatova, Tikhin, etc.) but there's not a lot out there competing, either. Russian poetry is very moving, classically structured and lyrical. This survey doesn't really do it justice.