Budapest
Between East and West
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Budapest
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Narrated by:
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Elinor Coleman
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By:
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Victor Sebestyen
About this listen
Budapest has always been an important place. Almost at the centre of Europe, it is at the crossroads of geographical regions and of civilizations, at the intersection of ancient trade routes. Mountains that gradually slope into gentle hills converge on a great river, the Danube, and the regions of Buda and Pest sprang up on either side.
Throughout history, the centre of gravity in Budapest and among Hungarians has shifted between this division of East and West—culturally, politically, emotionally. Invaders have come and gone, empires have conquered, occupied for centuries or decades, and left a few footprints behind: the remains of a Roman bath house complete with wonderfully preserved mosaics stand next to a Soviet-style 'five-year-plan' apartment block. The city bears the scars of the rise and fall of multiple empires, two world wars, fascism, Nazi German occupation, Soviet Communism. It has been home to some of the world's greatest writers, artists and musicians. Hungary is a place of extremes, a small country that has often in history punched well above its weight. At many moments, events that began in Budapest have proved to be of world significance. This is the story of that tumultuous, often divided, but always fascinating city.
PLEASE NOTE: When you purchase this title, the accompanying PDF will be available in your Audible Library along with the audio.
©2022 Victor Sebestyen (P)2022 Orion Publishing Group LimitedListeners also enjoyed...
What listeners say about Budapest
Average customer ratingsReviews - Please select the tabs below to change the source of reviews.
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- Arthur Pendragon
- 15-06-22
A tale of two cities merged into one
Well researched but with and easy story telling style the book takes us through 2000 years of history of a nation and it’s capital. It is a turbulent, tragic and triumphant tale full of villains and heroes it explains to us how the city, the country and this part of Europe came to be.
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- MK
- 23-07-22
Brilliant book, excellent performance
The book gives a very thorough, overall history of the forming of Hungary as well as tells in a captivating way about the remarkable characters, stories, battles and wars that shaped the country in its thousand-year history. It also offers an insightful perspective on Hungary’s geographical as well as historical significance within Europe in certain crucial periods of history.
Being Hungarian myself, I especially appreciated the storyteller’s attempt at the Hungarian pronunciation of names, she did a good job! ✔️
I highly recommend this book to Hungarians as well as non-Hungarians alike.
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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- Moz
- 17-11-23
Wow.. Stunning accessible history.
Like many i brought this book hoping it will enlighten and inform my trip to Budapest it done that way beyond my expectations and so much more. The writing style of the Author is incredibly engaging and the narration is literally perfect. So grateful for this stunning history of an incredible city and country.
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- Gabor Norbert Torok
- 10-12-23
Very well put together.
Very accurate audiobook about Budapest’s history. I will listen to this audiobook again that’s for sure.
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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- jeremy cox
- 10-08-23
An excellent summary/history of Budapest
I really enjoyed listening to this book while holidaying in Budapest. it helped to broaden my limited understanding of the history, culture and customs of a rich heritage. well worth the purchase.
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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- Amazon Customer
- 25-03-23
Absolutely outstanding, both author and narrator
Where to even begin? I never thought I'd listen to such a comprehensive and beautifully written history title. The book starts in Roman times and explains the origin of the Hungarian/Magyar people, openly admitting gaps in knowledge where we simply do not know, while eloquently explaining what we do. I particularly liked how the book wasn't just limited to the city, despite the title, as it put everything into much wider context. The 19th century depictions of Budapest are particularly stunning and really bring the city and its culture to life.
When it came to the darker parts of history, such as the Nazi occupation, Soviet "liberation" and life in the early decades of communism, I find myself truly empathizing with the victims and absolutely shocked to my core at the vivid but necessary descriptions of some of the atrocities committed.
The book was made even more engaging by the brilliant Elinor Coleman as narrator, who spoke as if she was truly invested in what was being told. She varies her tone and mood in accordance with what is written, resulting in a narration that is duly sensitive and respectful when describing tragedies, and upbeat when describing times of prosperity, without coming across as leaning towards any particular ideology, which the author's writing also does its best to establish. She reflects the nuances of what is being written perfectly and I hope she does more narrations in the future.
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