Seven memoirs help explain Europe past and present
Their authors are very different, but the continent’s tumultuous history has shaped them all
![](https://www.economist.com/cdn-cgi/image/width=1424,quality=80,format=auto/content-assets/images/20240608_BLP515.jpg)
A GOOD MEMOIR tells you a lot about a person, and even more about the times they lived in. A century of tyranny and war and finally, in some places, of democracy and peace has shaped the lives of all Europeans. Memoirists are among the best chroniclers of that history. Europe’s Sturm und Drang is like a recurring character in the autobiographies of people who themselves will never meet, except on the shelves of libraries and bookshops. As more than 350m people trudge to the polls on June 6th-9th to vote in European elections, what might they read to get a sense of their home, past and present?
More from The Economist reads
![](https://www.economist.com/cdn-cgi/image/width=1424,quality=80,format=auto/media-assets/image/20240817_BLP512.jpg)
Six novels about India, perhaps the world’s most interesting place
Works of fiction about a country whose global clout, already large, is growing
![](https://www.economist.com/cdn-cgi/image/width=1424,quality=80,format=auto/media-assets/image/20240810_BLP522.jpg)
Six novels you can read in a day
Reluctant to start on a big masterpiece? Try these small gems instead
![](https://www.economist.com/cdn-cgi/image/width=1424,quality=80,format=auto/media-assets/image/20240727_BLP505.jpg)
The romance and reality of Paris, the Olympics’ host
Five non-fiction books about a city that is both gilded and gritty
Novels set on holiday
Some of these fictional holidays aren’t fun, but they might enhance yours
Five books on the glories and flaws of the Olympics
The games fall short of their ideals, but they’re still worth watching
The best and worst memoirs by British prime ministers
There are plenty of duds, but a few gems