Description

A gripping reconstruction of the daring escape to freedom of hundreds of East Germans in the summer of 1989 – and how it led to the fall of the Berlin Wall.

‘Beautifully written . . . The Picnic reads like a thriller’ Peter Frankopan
‘Exhilarating’ Observer
‘Intensely moving’ Sunday Times
‘Engrossing and dramatic’ William Boyd

In August 1989, a group of activists did the unthinkable: they entered the forbidden militarised zone of the Iron Curtain – and held a picnic. On wisps of rumour, thousands of East German ‘holiday-makers’ had made their way to the border, surveilled by lurking Stasi agents. The stage was set for the greatest border breach in Cold War history. The fall of the Berlin Wall, the end of the Soviet Union – the so-called end of history – all would flow from what happened next. Drawing on dozens of original interviews with those involved, Matthew Longo reconstructs this world-shaping event and its tumultuous aftermath.

‘Revelatory . . . adds a new, captivating chapter to the history of the Cold War’ New Statesman

‘Gripping . . . refreshingly fast-paced, effortlessly moving the reader from one place and moment to another’ History Today

‘Evoke[s] the dramatic events in vivid colour . . . fascinating’ Katja Hoyer, Telegraph *****

‘A great story . . . this is history told from the point of view of those who make it’ Ben Rogers, Times Literary Supplement

*WINNER OF THE ORWELL PRIZE FOR POLITICAL WRITING 2024*

*SHORTLISTED FOR THE HISTORICAL WRITERS ASSOCIATION NON-FICTION CROWN*

Publisher Review

Exhilarating . . . skilfully dramatises the extraordinary chain of events at a summer party in Hungary that led to the end of Soviet power [and] became a catalyst for the dramatic peaceful revolutions that reunited the continent . . . gripping — Tim Adams * Observer * Evoking the dramatic events in vivid colour . . . providing an insight into how deeply this history still matters today . . . fascinating — Katja Hoyer * Telegraph ***** * Revelatory . . . Longo’s engrossing and dramatic book adds a new, captivating chapter to the history of the Cold War — William Boyd * New Statesman * This little gem of a book tells the story of . . . a key Cold War moment . . . Longo’s vivid narrative captures the tension of the moment . . . an intensely moving story that explores the nature of freedom — Victor Sebestyen * Sunday Times * Gripping . . . refreshingly fast-paced, effortlessly moving the reader from one place and moment to another . . . should be required reading * History Today * Beautifully written . . . The Picnic reads like a thriller — Peter Frankopan, Chair of the Judges of the Orwell Prize for Political Writing Brisk and engaging . . . It’s an uplifting tale, but Longo takes care not to oversentimentalise it — Houman Barekat * Guardian * Captivating . . . Longo recounts the drama in a vivid, fast-paced narrative [which] never lacks verve * The New York Times * Elegantly crafted . . . He tells a gripping tale . . . relating to both timeless questions of struggle and agency, and topics in the headlines today * Boston Globe * A great story . . . this is history told from the point of view of those who make it — Ben Rogers * Times Literary Supplement *