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Article: Rewriting-Slovak-History
Students of history know that objective facts can be subject to multiple interpretations, and that we, with roots in Central Europe, must look for the truth somewhere between all the opposing viewpoints. Because politics play a role in every interpretation, it can take decades for the diverging stories to come together to paint a more accurate and nuanced picture of the past and how it shaped the world of our forebears throughout Central Europe and ultimately our own lives in this pluralistic society.
Such is the case with the sometimes turbulent history of the Slovak Republic. For a thousand years, its people were part of the Austro-Hungarian Empire, and for three-quarters of a century the Slovaks lived in the Czecho-Slovak Republic, emerging as a free, democratic and independent state in 1993.
While this small country, the Slovak Republic, located at the geographical and cultural crossroads of Central Europe, does not grab headlines, it has a long, eventful history and a rich culture. Now, after centuries of foreign rule, it has become an increasingly important player on the world stage. However, the written history of the Slovak people often slants to the views of their neighbors who were in power at the time.
“The history of Slovakia has been written with quite a bit of bias,” says Dr. Lou Bolchazy, co-founder of Bolchazy-Carducci Publishers. In an attempt to give readers an accurate accounting, the publishing house has just released “Illustrated Slovak History.” Subtitled “A Struggle for Sovereignty in Central Europe,” the book encompasses the area’s history from the Stone Age to the present, and focuses not only on the historical and current importance of Slovaks in global politics, but also on their contribution to the arts and sciences.
Even more impressive than the breadth of the material covered is the way in which it is addressed. The bulk of the book is an English translation of the original work by Anton Spiesz, a good and honest Slovak historian. His book was originally published by the Slovak Academy of the Sciences and then by Perfekt in Bratislava. In order to balance Spiesz’s viewpoint, the book also includes an afterword by Dusan Caplovic, a leading expert in Central European archeology.
“Caplovic brings new methodology to the historiography of Spiesz by using archeological evidence to quantify, substantiate or reject previous statements made by historians like Spiesz and others,” Bolchazy explains. Their complementary as well as their contradictory points of view arm the reader with the facts needed to create an informed opinion. The book also features a foreword by Ivan Gasparovic, President of the Slovak Republic (2004 - present), as well as extensive notes written to present scholarly debate on controversial issues.
For Bolchazy, who was born in Slovakia, this book, seven years in the making, is a personal as well as academic undertaking. “Slovak history has suffered from the biases of many ‘isms,’ ” says Bolchazy. “The bias of the Christian Chroniclers, of Magyarism, Teutonism, Austro-Hungarianism, Czechoslovakism, Nazism, Communism and Slovak jingoism.” His goal was to give readers a wealth of contemporary and scholarly information and interpretations in order to address the historiographical controversies that have been part of the history of the Slovak people, struggling for sovereignty among the giants of Central Europe.
Bolchazy also wanted the book to be an interesting read for American audiences, and the translation goes beyond the literal, to read “between the lines.” It is a literary, as well as a historical, volume. The book is lavishly illustrated with over 300 color photographs, maps, documents and an index, adding another layer of interest.
“This is not a survey just of Slovak history,” says Bolchazy. “It is an interrelated tale of the various countries and people that comprise Central Europe.” The Slovak people, like their neighbors – Poles, Ukrainians, Magyars, Austrians and Czechs – united like brothers in their fight against the Huns, the Turks, the Nazis and the Communists; fought one another, like enemies, for territorial and ideological victories; and worked together, like in a laboratory, to create their economic and social institutions. But they are also different. “Because this book focuses on Slovakia in the context of Central Europe, it is also the history of all of us who have roots in Central Europe – the latest visit to the lives, struggles and victories of our Central European forebears,” he adds.
The book is available from Amazon.com, Barnes & Noble, and Borders as well as through the publisher, www.bolchazy.com.
EDITOR’S NOTE: For a review copy, write to mbolchazy@bolchazy.com. |
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