{"product_id":"epic-continent-nicholas-jubber-9781529336450","title":"Epic Continent: Adventures in the Great Stories of Europe","description":"\u003cb\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cb\u003eSelected as one of NPR's Best Books of 2019\u003c\/b\u003e \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cb\u003eSelected by \u003ci\u003eNational Geographic \u003c\/i\u003eas one of 12 \u003c\/b\u003e\u003cb\u003e\"great books for travelers this holiday season\"\u003c\/b\u003e \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e'The prose is colourful and vigorous ... Jubber's journeying has indeed been epic, in scale and in ambition. In this thoughtful travelogue he has woven together colourful ancient and modern threads into a European tapestry that combines the sombre and the sparkling' \u003ci\u003eSpectator\u003c\/i\u003e\u003cbr\u003e'A genuine epic' \u003ci\u003eWanderlust\u003c\/i\u003e \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003eAward-winning travel writer Nicholas Jubber journeys across Europe exploring Europe's epic poems, from the \u003ci\u003eOdyssey\u003c\/i\u003e to \u003ci\u003eBeowulf\u003c\/i\u003e, the \u003ci\u003eSong of Roland\u003c\/i\u003e to the\u003ci\u003eNibelungenlied, \u003c\/i\u003eand their impact on European identity in these turbulent times. \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cb\u003eThese are the stories that made Europe.\u003c\/b\u003e \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003eJourneying from Turkey to Iceland, award-winning travel writer Nicholas Jubber takes us on a fascinating adventure through our continent's most enduring epic poems to learn how they were shaped by their times, and how they have since shaped us. \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003eThe great European epics were all inspired by moments of seismic change: \u003ci\u003eThe Odyssey \u003c\/i\u003etells of the aftermath of the Trojan War, the primal conflict from which much of European civilisation was spawned. The \u003ci\u003eSong of the Nibelungen \u003c\/i\u003etracks the collapse of a Germanic kingdom on the edge of the Roman Empire. Both the French \u003ci\u003eSong of Roland\u003c\/i\u003e and the Serbian \u003ci\u003eKosovo Cycle\u003c\/i\u003eemerged from devastating conflicts between Christian and Muslim powers. \u003ci\u003eBeowulf, \u003c\/i\u003ethe only surviving Old English epic, and the great Icelandic \u003ci\u003eSaga of Burnt Njal\u003c\/i\u003e, respond to times of great religious struggle - the shift from paganism to Christianity. These stories have stirred passions ever since they were composed, motivating armies and revolutionaries, and they continue to do so today. \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003eReaching back into the ancient and medieval eras in which these defining works were produced, and investigating their continuing influence today, \u003ci\u003eEpic Continent \u003c\/i\u003eexplores how matters of honour, fundamentalism, fate, nationhood, sex, class and politics have preoccupied the people of Europe across the millennia. In these tales soaked in blood and fire, Nicholas Jubber discovers how the world of gods and emperors, dragons and water-maidens, knights and princesses made our own: their deep impact on European identity, and their resonance in our turbulent times. \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eAuthor:\u003c\/b\u003e Nicholas Jubber\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eISBN-10:\u003c\/b\u003e 1529336457\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eISBN-13:\u003c\/b\u003e 9781529336450\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003ePublisher:\u003c\/b\u003e Nicholas Brealey Publishing\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eLanguage:\u003c\/b\u003e English\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003ePublished:\u003c\/b\u003e 11\/10\/2020\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003ePages:\u003c\/b\u003e 336\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eFormat:\u003c\/b\u003e Paperback\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eWeight:\u003c\/b\u003e 0.66lbs\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eSize:\u003c\/b\u003e 7.70h x 5.00w x 0.90d","brand":"Nicholas Jubber","offers":[{"title":"Paperback","offer_id":43978484973823,"sku":"9781529336450","price":14.99,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0662\/2982\/9887\/files\/img_6c2551e3-0ed9-43be-aed0-a0def40f9f67.jpg?v=1683241796","url":"https:\/\/www.whiterainbookhouse.com\/products\/epic-continent-nicholas-jubber-9781529336450","provider":"WR Book House","version":"1.0","type":"link"}