Product Description

Shortly before 5pm on Saturday 1 September 1928 Europe gained a new kingdom and its only Muslim king: 32-year-old Zog I of Albania. Zog I was a crucial figure in modern Albanian history, creating - or attempting to create - national and cultural identity for a country that had known little stability or sense of identity since the middle ages. He was also the most unusual monarch of the 20th century, described by contemporaries as: "a despotic brigand"; "the modern Napoleon"; "Mussolini's lackey"; "the finest patriot"; "frankly a cad". This biography shows Zog as the product of a unique time and place. People who live in secure, stable countries are invited to set aside their assumptions about European monarchy and meet a king who fired back at assassins and paid his bills with gold bars.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #917742 in Books
• Published on: 2003-09-26
• Original language: English
• Binding: Hardcover
• 288 pages

About the Author
Jason Hunter Tomes is a lecturer in British History at Boston University. His background is in modern history and his previous publications include Balfour and Foreign Policy.

Customer Reviews

Only an Operetta King
Zogulli - Zogu - Zog - the names symbolising the way of the first and last king of the Albanians to the throne. Zogulli the hereditary governor to Mati, Zogu the Minister and President and at last Zog the King. Jason Tomes biography on the this King introduces the reader to a world of power struggles and intrigues, of fights, political murder and struggle for power. All this is in itself interesting, but as well sometimes rather tedious reading. While reading page by page I had this strange feeling that the author desperately wanted to make more out of his subject than this Zog really was. As with most personalities there is of course not just one side to him, but the overall assessment is cannot be a positive one. Maybe he was more advanced as his fellow country men at that moment in time but that does not make him a personality to be admired. of course any Albanian government faced huge problems. He was not the modernising benevolent king leading his backwards nation into modern times ruling above the parties and only in the best interest of the whole of Albania. He was a man fighting for his party, eliminating other party leaders and just be more successful. Making himself king in 1928 and the way how he conducted his kingship - sorry I cannot help - is a notion of ridicule and operetta. Small wonder that this "operetta kingdom" did not survive for very long! It reminded me a bit of the "Bokassa episode" in the Central African Republic when in 1976 the President for life, J.B. Bokassa, proclaimed himself Emperor. But this is judging what I have read. The way the booking is writing, I do not find this book witty as a previous reviewer did. Of course, if one starts to deal with Albanian history it is a good start. At times it is a struggle as I am missing a real flow. All in all, still worthwhile reading. But defenitively not a great book.

Making sense of the Balkans
The temptation to see Zog as a character from 19th Century Ruritanian operetta should be resisted. He was a tribal chief who made a central place for himself in pre-war Balkan politics, creating positions and titles until he was able to pronounce himself King. His methods and motives were equally ambiguous. If he sought wealth and personal aggrandisement, as he undoubtedly did, he also sought, but only precariously achieved, a place for Albania in a volatile corner of the world. Ultimately, his influence on the wider stage was only marginal but even in exile in the 1950s he was taken seriously enough to be courted by MI6 and the CIA.

Jason Tomes' portrait of this complex man is a model of its kind: it is lucid in its overview, telling in its eye for detail, eminently readable and frequently enlivened by a quizzical sense of humour. The research is impressive but it never overwhelms the story.

And in the end,does the reader feel that Zog was a Good King or a Bad King? Not the least achievement of this impressive book is that it can suggest that he was both. Read it for yourself and see.

A great achievement
One does not need to have any particular interest in the history of the Balcans, let alone in King Zog, to enjoy this book. Its scholarly research, insightful wit and beautiful literary style combine to make it a thoroughly enjoyable and absorbing read!