{"title":"Sean Mathews","description":"\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eSean Mathews\u003c\/strong\u003e offers a compelling exploration of historical and military themes, delving into the complexities of past empires and their enduring legacies. His work is marked by detailed research and a narrative style that brings forgotten eras vividly to life.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eReaders can expect insightful analyses that blend political, cultural, and military history, making his books essential for those fascinated by the intricate dynamics of historical power and conflict, as exemplified in \u003cem\u003eThe New Byzantines\u003c\/em\u003e.\u003c\/p\u003e","products":[{"product_id":"the-new-byzantines-by-sean-mathews-9781805264187","title":"The New Byzantines","description":"\u003cdiv class=\"book-description\"\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eA fresh portrait of Greece's forgotten Near Eastern identity, with old cultural, political and economic ties reforming in today's turbulent world.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eCaught between wars raging in both Eastern Europe and the Middle East, Greece is an island of relative stability. Popularly considered the cradle of Western civilisation, this is a Christian Orthodox state on the edge of the Islamic world. After a half-century of integration into NATO and the EU, Greece is now reabsorbing into the Near East, as the West fractures and new Middle Eastern powers rise. The country’s importance as a cultural and geopolitical hybrid is growing.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eTravelling through the region, Sean Mathews explores at ground level the tectonic shifts reshaping Europe and the Middle East. He meets the last Greek merchants in Cairo and hears from Istanbul’s remaining Greeks about Turkey’s break with the West. In Jerusalem, he discovers a budding alliance between Greece and Israel; and in a faded Ottoman port, he encounters football hooligans loyal to a Russian oligarch.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eThis bold reappraisal of Greece as a Near Eastern nation uncovers its Byzantine and Ottoman past as a key to survival in today’s chaotic, shrinking world.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003e‘A major contribution to a slim field of books about modern Greece. Colourfully written and deeply researched, Mathews’ travels through the country reveal a compelling cast of characters and a story about how a small country on the fringe of Europe is transforming itself into a cultural and diplomatic powerhouse.’\u003c\/strong\u003e – Hannah Lucinda Smith, Istanbul correspondent and author of \u003cem\u003eErdoğan Rising\u003c\/em\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003e‘The eastern Mediterranean or greater Levant has been a pivotal region in imperial history and now again in postmodern geopolitics. Mathews expertly guides the reader through not only the sights and smells of the region, but its political and cultural layers. This is what travel writing is supposed to do: blend description with analysis.’\u003c\/strong\u003e – Robert D. Kaplan, author of \u003cem\u003eWaste Land: A World in Permanent Crisis\u003c\/em\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003e‘A sweeping, historically rich and provocative book that will challenge conventional thinking about both geography and politics.’\u003c\/strong\u003e – David D. Kirkpatrick, \u003cem\u003eNew Yorker\u003c\/em\u003e staff writer and author of \u003cem\u003eInto the Hands of Soldiers: Freedom and Chaos in Egypt and the Middle East\u003c\/em\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003e‘Highly enjoyable. With sharp reporting and narrative flair, Mathews uncovers Greece’s enduring entanglement with the Middle East. His fresh, insightful revelations made me want to book a flight immediately: Greece will never seem quite the same again.’\u003c\/strong\u003e – Erika Fatland, author of \u003cem\u003eThe Border\u003c\/em\u003e, \u003cem\u003eSovietistan\u003c\/em\u003e and \u003cem\u003eHigh\u003c\/em\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003e‘A timely and colourful journey through Greece’s oriental past and increasingly Middle Eastern future. The author identifies the new frontier between Europe and the Middle East and it runs through Greece.’\u003c\/strong\u003e – Michael Vatikiotis, author of \u003cem\u003eLives Between the Lines: A Journey in Search of the Lost Levant\u003c\/em\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003c\/div\u003e","brand":"Unknown","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":67712317554924,"sku":"9781805264187","price":47.99,"currency_code":"NZD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0705\/7784\/8556\/files\/9781805264187-the-new-byzantines-1.jpg?v=1791854019"}],"url":"https:\/\/bookhero.pro\/collections\/sean-mathews.oembed","provider":"Book Hero","version":"1.0","type":"link"}