Tommy Heisz’ new book is a dramatic account of the overlooked prelude to the First World War. In the history books, the narrative of modern European war history usually begins in 1914 with the assassination of the Austro-Hungarian heir to the throne, Franz Ferdinand, in Sarajevo. But in Europe’s most south-eastern corner, the war was underway long before that.
In the Balkans, nationalist currents and a desire to drive the Ottomans out of Europe led to fierce battles, outrageous attacks on civilians, and huge refugee flows. The battles and border drawings had an impact not only on the two world wars of the 20th century, but also on conflicts right up to the present day.
Danish, Swedish, Norwegian, and British eyewitness accounts drive the dramatic narrative of the book, and the reader travels with doctors, Red Cross nurses, correspondents, and photographers to the focal point of the war.
Tommy Heisz comments:
“When I started working on the book, my ambition was to shed light on a historical event that seemed kind of forgotten even though it has had a huge impact on modern European history. In the archives, I searched for human voices, because in my opinion, this is what makes us care about history – people, flesh and blood, humans like us. It took me years to trace down all these voices of nurses, correspondents, photographers, soldiers, etc.”
The book reception took place in Copenhagen.
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