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The Picnic

The true story of the greatest border breach in Cold War history

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About this listen

Brought to you by Penguin.

*WINNER OF THE ORWELL PRIZE FOR POLITICAL WRITING 2024*

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.

'A pivotal – and exhilarating – moment in 20th century history. . . gripping' Observer
'Intensely moving' Sunday Times
'Engrossing and dramatic' William Boyd, New Statesman

In August 1989, a group of Hungarian 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.

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

‘Captivating . . . a vivid, fast-paced narrative’ New York Times

* A GUARDIAN BIGGEST FICTION AND NON-FICTION FOR 2024 * A WATERSTONES ‘BOOK YOU NEED TO READ IN 2024’ * A FOYLES TOP TEN READ FOR JANUARY 2024 *

©2024 Matthew Longo (P)2024 Penguin Audio

 Eastern Europe Political Science Politics & Government World Soviet Union Freedom Socialism Cold War

Critic reviews

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)
Evoking the dramatic events in vivid colour . . . providing an insight into how deeply this history still matters today . . . fascinating (Katja Hoyer)
Revelatory . . . Longo's engrossing and dramatic book adds a new, captivating chapter to the history of the Cold War (William Boyd)
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)
Gripping . . . refreshingly fast-paced, effortlessly moving the reader from one place and moment to another . . . should be required reading
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)
Captivating . . . Longo recounts the drama in a vivid, fast-paced narrative [which] never lacks verve
Elegantly crafted . . . He tells a gripping tale . . . relating to both timeless questions of struggle and agency, and topics in the headlines today
A great story . . . this is history told from the point of view of those who make it (Ben Rogers)
All stars
Most relevant
it was very interesting to hear again, how the East Germans lived. What an awful regime that was!

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