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The 2013 Winners are In!



Daunt Books Children's Short Story Competition 2013

Western Europe

• France
• Benelux
• Germany
• Austria
• Switzerland

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  A Year in Provence by Peter Mayle

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  The absolute classic of relocation writing and one that inspired a hundered imitations, Mayle's beguiling and much-loved book paints an idyllic portrait of ex-pat life in the Luberon, though one that is not without its hilarious scrapes.

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  Hitler's Empire by Mark Mazower

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  An examination of the dearth of political and economic planning as the Reich spread eastward. Chaotic industrial and social networks over the territory and peoples conquered by the Nazi military advance, led to the regime's collapse from within.

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  1989: The Year that Changed the World by Michael Meyer

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  A thrilling reconstruction of the atmosphere in Eastern Europe immediately before the fall of the Berlin Wall. Meyer's clear, journalistic prose delivers a compelling account of the revolutions in Hungary, Prague and Poland in 1989 and counters the widespread belief that pressure from the West was the primary catalyst for change.

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  The Essays by Michel Montaigne

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  A selection of the 16th century philosopher Montaigne's knowledgeable, tolerant and humanist essays, as autobiographical as they are philosophical.

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  The Allure of Chanel by Paul Morand

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  A fantastic biography of France's most famous designer which focuses on the woman herself rather than the clothes she made. In 1945 Morand was asked by Coco Chanel to visit her in St Moritz in order to write her memoirs. This is the transcript of their uniquely revealing conversations.

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  Avignon of the Popes by Edward Mullins

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  A light and enjoyable history of the years when the papal seat was moved to Avignon, tumultuous years which saw the end of the Templars and the Crusades, the destruction of the Cathars, the first cases of black death and the beginning of the Hundred Years War.

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  The Perfect Heresy by Stephen O'Shea

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  Stephen O'Shea recounts the astonishing history of a tolerant group of heretical Christians living in southern France. Their subversive beliefs and life in defiance of the Pope, brought a crusade upon their heads and their final elimination by the Inquisition. A fresh, gripping and occasionally amusing history.

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  The Massacre at Montsegur by Zoe Oldenbourg

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  In 1208 the Pope began his Albigensian Crusade against the Count of Toulouse and the Cathars - a sect of Christians who had split away from the Catholic Church. One of the only books available on the subject, it is an erudite yet readable history.

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  Down and Out in Paris and London by George Orwell

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  Orwell's classic account of life amongst the dispossessed. A gritty and comedic portrayal of urban poverty in the 1920's.

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  An Uncommon Woman by Hannah Pakula

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  A fantastic biography of the eldest daughter of Queen Victoria, Empress Frederick of Germany and the mother of Kaiser Willhelm II. Combines a personal portrait with a sweeping history of Prussia and the development of the modern German state.

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  A Tall Man in a Low Land: Some Time Among The Belgians by Harry Pearson

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  A delightfully witty and affectionate journey around Belgium. Pearson finds extraordinary humour in the most mundane of situations and makes for a likeable guide.

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  Touche by Agnes Catherine Poirier

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  Poirier toys gleefully with stereotype and cliche as she attempts the impossible: explaining the French to the British and vice versa. Beneath the effervescent humour lie some interesting observations.

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  Ian Fleming's Commandos by Nicholas Rankin

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  The riveting story of 30 Assault Unit and how their exploits formed the basis of the most popular spy fiction of the 20th century. In 1942, Lieutenant-Commander Ian Fleming had the brilliant idea of setting up a unit of troops to steal enemy intelligence. The information that they gathered and stole was sent back to the British code breakers at Bletchley Park, and was crucial to winning the war.

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  Parisians by Graham Robb

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  A fascinating portrait of the citizens of Paris since 1750. The author brings to life those involved in the abolition of the monarchy and the formation of the First Republic to the present day.

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  The Discovery of France by Graham Robb

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  Acclaimed scholar of French literature Robb meandered across the country by bicycle, compiling evidence to support his assertion that the very idea of a unified French nation is peculiarly modern and indeed flawed. What he prefers to imagine, and what he presents here with thrilling and remarkable skill, is a France comprising multiple regional identities, each as unique and valuable as the other. Most highly recommended.

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  The Private Lives of the Impressionists by Sue Roe

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  A succinct, engaging and relatively well illustrated history of the impressionist movement and it's biggest players. Will serve as an excellent introduction to the subject.

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  What I Saw: Reports from Berlin 1920-33 by Joseph Roth

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  A fantastic collection of journalism that paints a vivid portrait of interwar Berlin. Roth felt no great affection for the city and it was precisely this critical distance that enabled him to explore its darker elements so adeptly.

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  Reveries of the Solitary Walker by Jean-Jacques Rousseau

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  In 1770, in the last days of his life, Rousseau returned to Paris after a period of exile and took to roaming the streets and parks pondering his life and work. The Reveries constitute a lyrical masterpiece of philosophy and reflection - meditative, sad and uplifting at once.

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  Tete-a-Tete: The Lives & Loves of Simone de Beauvoir & Jean-Paul Sartre by Hazel Rowley

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  This deservedly praised title is a passionate account of the entwined philosophies of the two writers.

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  Flight to Arras by Antoine de Saint-Expury

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  Best known for his children's classic 'The Little Prince', Antoine de Saint-Exupery also wrote a handful of slender and wonderful books of autobiography. Here he reflects on a reconnaisance flight he undertook across occupied France in May 1940, from which few expected him to return. His implacable style belies a philosophical undertone that leaves the reader spellbound and deeply moved.

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  Patriots & Liberators: Revolution in the Netherlands 1780-1813 by Simon Schama

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  A gripping chronicle of revolution in a nation reeling from the loss of its geopolitical glory. A significant work of sweeping brilliance.

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  Citizens: A Chronicle of The French Revolution by Simon Schama

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  Monumental in scope, Schama's authoritative and provocative history cannot be faulted, though casual readers may prefer Christopher Hibbert's more manageable equivalent.

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  The Embarrassment of Riches: Dutch Culture in the Golden Age by Simon Schama

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  A superlative work of social and cultural history. With characteristic charm Schama investigates the formation of the Dutch Republic through the remarkable communities who undertook it against all odds. Perhaps too weighty to carry en route, this is nonetheless a crucial piece of European history.

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  The Bonfire of Berlin: a Lost Childhood in Wartime Germany by Helga Schneider

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  A searing, shocking account of the author's troubled youth in a city ravaged by war. Abandoned by her mother, who left to pursue a career as a concentration camp guard, Schneider was effectively alone amidst the chaos, and her book makes for remarkable reading.

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  Fatal Purity, Robespierre & the French Revolution by Ruth Scurr

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  The complex ideology of the revolutionary hero and villain is examined with care and humour in this engaging biography.