{"title":"Books by Paul Kenyon","description":null,"products":[{"product_id":"9781789543186","title":"Children of the Night","description":"\u003cp\u003eA vivid, brilliant, darkly humorous and horrifying history of some of the strangest dictators that Europe has ever seen. \u003cbr\u003e'A witty and page-turning narrative full of grotesque characters' \u003cb\u003eMisha Glenny\u003c\/b\u003e \u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e'Will leave you astonished, exhausted and curious... An unapologetic page turner' \u003cb\u003e\u003ci\u003eSpectator\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e \u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e'Essential reading for anyone interested in Romania past and present' \u003cb\u003eJohn Simpson\u003c\/b\u003e \u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e'An engaging introduction to the rich history [of Romania]' \u003cb\u003e\u003ci\u003eNew Statesman\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eBalanced precariously on the shifting fault line between East and West, Romania's past is one of the great untold stories of modern Europe. The country that gave us Vlad Dracula, and whose citizens consider themselves descendants of ancient Rome, has traditionally preferred the status of enigmatic outsider. But it has experienced some of the most disastrous leaderships of the last century.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eAfter a relatively benign period led by a dutiful King and his vivacious British-born Queen, the country oscillated wildly. Its interwar rulers form a gallery of bizarre characters: the corrupt and mentally unbalanced King Carol; the fascist death cult led by Corneliu Codreanu; the vain General Ion Antonescu. After 1945 power was handed to Romania's tiny communist party, under which it experienced severe repression, purges and collectivisation. Then in 1965, Nicolae Ceau?escu came to power. And thus began the strangest dictatorship of all.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Gardners","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":43205579833522,"sku":"9781789543186","price":12.99,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0612\/7193\/3106\/files\/9781789543186.jpg?v=1786027127"},{"product_id":"9781784972141","title":"Dictatorland","description":"\u003cp\u003eA \u003ci\u003eFinancial Times\u003c\/i\u003e Book of the Year\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003e'Jaw-dropping' \u003ci\u003eDaily Express\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003e'Grimly fascinating' \u003ci\u003eFinancial Times\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003e'Humane, timely, accessible and well-researched' \u003ci\u003eIrish Times\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eThe dictator who grew so rich on his country's cocoa crop that he built a 35-storey-high basilica in the jungles of the Ivory Coast. The austere, incorruptible leader who has shut Eritrea off from the world in a permanent state of war and conscripted every adult into the armed forces. In Equatorial Guinea, the paranoid despot who thought Hitler was the saviour of Africa and waged a relentless campaign of terror against his own people. The Libyan army officer who authored a new work of political philosophy, \u003ci\u003eThe Green Book\u003c\/i\u003e, and lived in a tent with a harem of female soldiers, running his country like a mafia family business.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eAnd behind these almost incredible stories of fantastic violence and excess lie the dark secrets of Western greed and complicity, the insatiable taste for chocolate, oil, diamonds and gold that has encouraged dictators to rule with an iron hand, siphoning off their share of the action into mansions in Paris and banks in Zurich and keeping their people in dire poverty.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Gardners","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":56305409982837,"sku":"9781784972141","price":12.99,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0612\/7193\/3106\/files\/9781784972141_9a99159c-3349-429f-8fa5-1bf2c4d62cfa.jpg?v=1786025616"},{"product_id":"chinas-african-empire","title":"China's African Empire","description":"\u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003e'A must read' Peter Frankopan\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003e\u003cbr\u003eFrom the bestselling author of \u003c\/b\u003e\u003cb\u003e\u003ci\u003eDictatorland\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cb\u003e, this is the long and turbulent history of China’s growing influence over African states.\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003ePeople are increasingly fascinated by – and terrified of – the role of China in the modern world. In Africa, this role has become something akin to a new colonial power. With unique insight into how China operates overseas, Paul Kenyon charts the country’s extraordinary success in exploiting Africa's natural resources, consumers, workforce and political institutions.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eIn the 1950s African states gained independence from one set of colonisers and quickly struck up deals with a new, more insidious kind. Kenyon tells of how Mao and his comrades cultivated new African leaders – Kwame Nkrumah in Ghana, Julius Nyerere in Tanzania and a young Robert Mugabe in Zimbabwe – in exchange for lucrative deals and political influence that has never left. Now, Chinese power is built into the very structures of the continent, from roads to jobs to internet access.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eToday China's presence is ubiquitous in Africa, both visibly and invisibly. Whilst Xi Jinping offers huge building projects, joint exploitation of mineral wealth and easy credit to African states still struggling to develop, Chinese tech companies have gained control over the continent’s data, technological infrastructure and social media. This is a terrifying and ever more important story about the new economic and political hierarchies that shape our modern world.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Gardners","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":57507784524149,"sku":"9781803285382","price":30.0,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0612\/7193\/3106\/files\/9781803285382.jpg?v=1787042925"}],"url":"https:\/\/backstory.london\/collections\/author-paul-kenyon.oembed","provider":"Backstory","version":"1.0","type":"link"}