Kosovo: A Short History

This is a very thorough history. It naturally brings in the whole Balkans, and therefore the Ottoman Empire too; these are brief, accessible, and a very nice introduction for the clueless like me. The Kosovo part is quite interesting, it's also dense, and there is an agenda (albeit, probably a justified one). The author firmly believes Kosovo should be independent and Albanian, and rejects the mythical Serbian links to the region as, well myth. Actually Serbia comes out awful... since day one of independence (1878). I found this quite readable and enjoyable in the way disturbing histories are enjoyable.

Prior to reading "Kosovo: A short history", I knew sweet fa about Kosovo, except that it featured in the media in the 1990s for all the wrong reasons. Now I know this small, landlocked nation (or at least considered by over 100 other countries as a nation) has a bloody history that seems far bigger than its area, full of Nazi collaboration and a seemingly insignificant (in global terms) battle in 1389 that still echoes through the region six centuries later.

Like his earlier tome on Bosnia, Malcolm is very thorough and you don't finish the book wishing Malcolm had covered particular topics in more detail. As Kosovo may yet prove to be an important part of twenty first century Europe, this book is worth a read.

By the early 1980s Kosovo had reached a state of permanent crisis and military occupation, and it became the main focus for the revival of Serbian nationalism. This book traces the history of Kosovo, examining the Yugoslavian conflict, and the part played by Western Europe in its destruction.

https://fromtheheartofeurope.eu/three-books-about-kosovo/

Magisterial stuff, which unfortunately takes us only to 1997 and the emergence of the KLA. Unlikely to be bettered as a summary of historical knowledge, especially in the medieval period.

Reviewed by Thomas Emmert for H-Net here:

http://www.h-net.org/reviews/showrev.cgi?path=4273926506535

My review for The Voice of the Turtle is here:

http://www.voiceoftheturtle.org/show_article.php?aid=135

En lång historia om det lilla Kosovo. Det handlar mycket om den äldre historian och nyare skeenden får tyvärr väldigt lite plats.