Children of the night : the strange and epic story of modern Romania

A vivid, brilliant, darkly humorous and horrifying history of some of the strangest dictators that Europe has ever seen. 'A witty and page-turning narrative full of grotesque characters' Misha Glenny 'Will leave you astonished, exhausted and curious... An unapologetic page turner' Spectator 'Essential reading for anyone interested in Romania past and present' John Simpson 'An engaging introduction to the rich history [of Romania]' New StatesmanBalanced precariously on the shifting fault line between East and West, Romania's past is one of the great untold stories of modern Europe. The country that gave us Vlad Dracula, and whose citizens consider themselves descendants of ancient Rome, has traditionally preferred the status of enigmatic outsider. But it has experienced some of the most disastrous leaderships of the last century.After a relatively benign period led by a dutiful King and his vivacious British-born Queen, the country oscillated wildly. Its interwar rulers form a gallery of bizarre characters: the corrupt and mentally unbalanced King Carol; the fascist death cult led by Corneliu Codreanu; the vain General Ion Antonescu. After 1945 power was handed to Romania's tiny communist party, under which it experienced severe repression, purges and collectivisation. Then in 1965, Nicolae Ceaușescu came to power. And thus began the strangest dictatorship of all. "An utterly compelling, wickedly sharp narrative history of one of the strangest countries in Europe, by the bestselling author of Dictatorland. In Children of the Night, broadcaster and author Paul Kenyon explores the darkest reaches of the modern history of Romania - the mythical land of vampires. The only country in Eastern Europe to speak a Latin language, Romania has always felt itself to be different, and its fate has been to experience some of the most disastrous dictatorships of the last century. Cursed with unstable rulers, in the first world war her German king remained neutral until 1916. The country suffered terribly, but doubled in size after the war, stoking a fervent, xenophobic nationalism that targeted Romania's tiny population of Jews. The interwar rulers and their rivals form a gallery of bizarre characters and movements: the corrupt voluptuary King Carol, the dementedly anti-semitic Iron Guard led by the messianic Corneliu Codreanu, whose followers regarded him as a living saint and were ready to murder and die for him without hesitation, the vain and stupid general Ion Antonescu who seized power in 1940 and led Romania to catastrophe in alliance with Nazi Germany. His regime killed more Jews than any other country apart from Germany itself; the story of the war years is horrific. After 1945 the country was handed over by Stalin to the tiny Romanian communist party, which had almost no popular base, and experienced severe repression, purges and collectivisation. Then in 1964, when the rest of Eastern Europe was emerging from the ice age of Stalinism, Nicolae Ceausescu came to power in the governing party of Romania. Thus began the strangest dictatorship in recent European history. His regime was the most oppressive of all the East European states, modelling itself on Mao's China and Kim's North Korea. The Securitate, his secret police, became a byword for repression and petty surveillance; his gigantic palaces took totalitarian architecture to a new level of kitsch. Children of the Night is also a personal discovery of this extraordinary country, bringing together Paul Kenyon's eye for the private vices and kleptocratic tendencies of despots with a heartfelt exploration of the fate of one Romanian family in particular: that of his wife, who is now a leading criminal barrister in the UK"--Publisher's description A vivid, brilliant, darkly humorous and horrifying history of some of the strangest dictators that Europe has ever seen. 'A witty and page-turning narrative full of grotesque characters' Misha Glenny 'Will leave you astonished, exhausted and curious... An unapologetic page turner' Spectator 'Essential reading for anyone interested in Romania past and present' John Simpson 'An engaging introduction to the rich history [of Romania]' New Statesman Balanced precariously on the shifting fault line between East and West, Romania's past is one of the great untold stories of modern Europe. The country that gave us Vlad Dracula, and whose citizens consider themselves descendants of ancient Rome, has traditionally preferred the status of enigmatic outsider. But it has experienced some of the most disastrous leaderships of the last century. After a relatively benign period led by a dutiful King and his vivacious British-born Queen, the country oscillated wildly. Its interwar rulers form a gallery of bizarre characters: the corrupt and mentally unbalanced King Carol; the fascist death cult led by Corneliu Codreanu; the vain General Ion Antonescu. After 1945 power was handed to Romania's tiny communist party, under which it experienced severe repression, purges and collectivisation. Then in 1965, Nicolae Ceau?escu came to power. And thus began the strangest dictatorship of all. The only country in Eastern Europe to speak a Latin language, Romania has always felt itself different, and its unique fate has been to experience some of the most disastrous leaderships of the last century. In the First World War her German king remained neutral until 1916. The interwar rulers form a gallery of bizarre characters and movements: the corrupt King Carol; the antisemitic Iron Guard led by Corneliu Codreanu; the vain general Ion Antonescu who seized power in 1940 and led the country into alliance with Nazi Germany. After 1945 power was handed over to Romania's tiny communist party, under whom it experienced severe repression, purges and collectivization. Then in 1964, Nicolae Ceauescu came to power. And thus began the strangest dictatorship in recent European history. Children of the Night is also a personal discovery of this extraordinary country, bringing together Paul Kenyon's eye for the private vices and kleptocratic tendencies of despots with a heartfelt exploration of the fate of one Romanian family in particular. Balanced precariously on the shifting fault line between East and West, Romania's schizophrenic, often violent past is one of the great untold stories of modern Europe. A horrifying history of some of the strangest dictators that Europe has ever seen A History Of Modern Romania, A Country Whose Fate It Has Been To Experience Some Of The Most Disastrous Dictatorships Of The Last Century. This Is Also A Personal Discovery Of An Extraordinary Country.