A European Odyssey
There is a personal memory of standing in the middle of Charles Bridge the only time I visited Prague and having this overwhelming sensation of being in the very heart of Europe. It was somewhat disconcerting experience as it called into question my conception of Ireland’s status within the European Union and indeed within European History.
While we were struggling to discover our sense of civilization, emperors were building castles here. Ireland was nought but a small inconsequential island of the western tip of the continent while here was the seat of an empire whose vast wars made out feeble efforts to achieve independence seem like mere sordid squabbles, one of which ended in a widow’s cabbage patch.
In the introduction to his book Don’t Mention The Wars A Journey Through European Stereotypes recently published by New Island Press, Tony Connelly asserts “we as Irish people are confused about how much we should think about our European. Joining the EEC in 1973 allowed us to arch elegantly over Britain towards the continent enjoying new money and an elevated sense of importance. But our view of Europeans over the ages was probably shaped by the British influence”. Hence our tendency to see our new neighbours as stereotypes such as the stolid German, the full-blooded Spaniard, the amorous Frenchman, or the taciturn Finn. With regards to Eastern Europe, our stereotypes, through ignorance of the different nationalities that inhabit or have inhabited the territory becomes even more vague. We tend to place the Poles under the same umbrella as the Czech, the Latvian or the Hungarian in sweeping generalities.
Connelly sets out on a journey of ten countries through the highs and lows of European manners and mannerisms, to explore how these stereotypes evolved historically, how valid they still are and “what light they shed – in the brave new frontierless Europe of the 21st century – on what it means to be a modern European.” It is a fascinating, not to say ambitious, journey and one worth taking.
Beginning in Germany and working his way through France, Spain, Italy, Denmark, Sweden, Finland, Hungary, the Czech Republic and Poland Connelly brings us on something of a whistle stop tour of European cultures enlightening, informing, entertaining us with a lively, though sometimes poorly edited, narration and introducing us to a wonderful myriad of characters. It is necessarily subjective but –and here is the real value of the book - nonetheless inclusive in a curious but effective way.
Initially he explores the history of the country in question and then introduces to some of the individuals who he feels typify the purported stereotypical image we have of the people. As we work our way through the book, we come to realise that the more these wonderful people are meant to be typical of their country the more they come across as ordinary human beings with the same down to earth aspirations and fears that we ourselves have and their main aim in life is to live full decent and fulfilling lives.
Tony Connelly’s Don’t Mention the Wars is an intriguing book and one that should be read by anybody who wants to understand the Europe we live in. They will certainly be all the richer for it.