Mother Tongues: Travels Through Tribal Europe

by HelenaDrysdale (Author)

• Used

  Hardcover
  2001

  $3.27

  Escaping the dog-mess parks and childcare conversations, Helena Drysdale and her husband Richard rented out their South London house and embarked on an epic eighteen-month journey across Europe. With them were their two infant daughters. They had no plans but they did have a goal: to probe the secrets of Western Europe's indigenous tribes. Over seven seasons Helena Drysdale and her family travelled from the Mediterranean to the Arctic, from the Atlantic to the Aegean. By living in a van 'on location' rather than flying in and out like foreign correspondents, the family got to know people, visited their homes, and through them explored the very basis of the cultures inhabiting Europe's ambiguous fringe. What drives the Basques' fight for independence? Why are the Corsicans so volatile and the Frisians so lonesome? Who are the Sami? The Alanders? The Ladin? Mother Tongues reveals the struggles of these people to stave off extinction in an increasingly homogenised world. As the last speakers of their ancient languages die off, taking with them the remaining vestiges of their distinctive identity, Europe's indigenous minorities have woken up. But can we talk of a resurgence of historic identities, or are we witnessing a last gasp - a sort of ethnic death rattle? This beautiful book delves not only into the highs and lows of peripatetic family life, but digs deeper into the very nature of tribalism and nationalism, and the powerful bond between language and identity that affects us all, whether we know it or not.

• Used

  Paperback
  2002

  $3.27

  Over eighteen months Helena Drysdale and her family rattled over the roads and motorways of Europe in their mobile home. Their journey took them to the heart of tribal Europe: to the Frisian Islands, Samiland, the Basque country; to Macedonia, Corsica and Provence. Curious and sympathetic, Drysdale sought out Europe's indigenous tribes and took stock of their place in our modern world, analysing the vital link between language and identity and capturing beautifully many of the voices and cultures that are already fading away. 'This is a hugely ambitious project, a mix of anthropology, history, politics and travelogue, but Drysdale brings it off brilliantly ...If you still have doubts about the relevance of travel writing in the twenty-first century, this book will satisfy them' Sunday Times 'Every page of her new book carries the imprint of her originality of thought and expression' New Statesman 'A rather magnificent family journey' Times Literary Supplement 'Rich ...expert ...beautiful' Evening Standard 'Humane and scholarly ...wonderful' Independent 'My book of the year' The Times