Description
Book SynopsisThe defining moment of the Cold War: 'The beginning of the end of the Soviet empire.' (Richard Nixon)
Trade ReviewThis is a vivid, heartbreaking account of the brutal crushing of the first armed insurrection against Soviet occupation.
Twelve Days is essential reading for understanding the great risks people will take for freedom -- Kati Marton, author of
The Great Escape: Nine Hungarians
Sebestyen's ...will be the classic account of the Uprising * Economist History Book of the Year 2006
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Wielding a vast array of newly released archives and completely new eyewitness testimony, Victor Sebestyen has written a magisterial but also totally gripping and fresh account of the noble, violent and doomed Hungarian revolution: a tale of murder and battles on the streets of Budapest and in the dungeons of the KGB, and of high-level intrigue from the White House to the Kremlin. Above all, it is a story of courage and decency among ordinary Hungarians. The result is a tour de force -- Simon Sebag Montefiore
Sebestyen's account of the doomed uprising is utterly enthralling and almost unbearable to read -- Simon Shaw * Daily Mail *
A small masterpiece that should be read and treasured by all who value mankind's eternal quest for freedom -- Professor Ron Radosh * New York Post *
Sebestyen's gripping description of the uprising is impressively researched and even-handed * Observer *
Sebestyen's account is elegant and emotive * Daily Telegraph *
A gripping and enlightening read ... recommended for anyone wanting to learn more about a tragic and regrettable event in European history * Tribune *
Victor Sebestyen is a marvellous guide to the Hungarian revolution: its causes, its unfolding and its aftermath. His nuanced, intelligent account reads in part like a thriller and he captures well the drama of those fateful days...This is a first-class book that should become the standard work on a revolution whose after-effects are still shaping the Europe in which we live today -- Literary Review
