by Melvyn Bragg
First published 2020
As Britain exits the European Union, dozens of prominent British writers, artists, and thinkers contribute essays expressing their feelings about Europe and Brexit. The collection features voices from across the creative spectrum: novelists like Margaret Drabble and Sebastian Faulks, historians Mary Beard and William Dalrymple, musicians Pete Townshend and Holly Johnson, and comedians Sandi Toksvig and Tony Robinson. Some contributors pour out love for specific European places they cherish. Others share personal stories of how Europe shaped their work and worldview. The pieces range from hilarious observations to quiet devastation, from nostalgic memories to hopeful visions for the future. Together, these essays reveal how European culture expanded British creative and intellectual horizons, offering perspectives absent from typical news coverage of Brexit.
Genres: essays, politics, non-fiction, european-literature, 21st-century, academic
Vibes: emotional, intimate, thought-provoking
Tropes: diverse-perspectives, nostalgia, personal-reflections
Setting: Britain, Europe, European Union
Period: Brexit
352 pages · Hardcover · Coronet