Author Description

The Land Between is the first concise history of Slovenia and Slovenes written in English by leading scholars from the country. The authors base their arguments on Slovenian, former Yugoslav, and Western sources to provide a comprehensive account of Slovenes’ political, social, economic and cultural history, from early Slav settlements to the present day. The authors focus on Slovenian history but, to their credit, manage to place it in a wider context of empires and states to which Slovenian lands had belonged throughout history. The book will be of use to students of Slovenia and East-Central Europe, to diplomats, journalists, tourists, and anyone interested in this part of the world. It represents a welcome addition to the historiography of Slovenia and former Yugoslavia as well as a unique insight into the state of scholarship in post-1991 Slovenia. Dejan Djokić, historian, National University of Ireland, Maynooth A study which makes the reader feel and understand that since the end of the Cold War there is a new lease of life for Central Europe. The former borderlands between East and West construct their new identities. Slovenia is one of the most successful new democratic societies in the middle of Europe. This book is an excellent history of Slovenia which maps the narrative of a small European people without falling into the traps of national mythmaking. Writing about a small European country with two million inhabitants which crave for Central European, Mediterranean and Balkan traditions at the same time is no simple task. The book makes fine reading for everybody interested in understanding the fascinating and creative complexities in the heart of Europe. Highly recommendable for history lovers and historians alike! Emil Brix, historian and ambassador, Director of the Diplomatische Akademie Wien – Vienna School of International Studies The book presents a concise and intelligible history of the Slovenes. The authors take into due consideration the histor