A vivid, brilliant, darkly humorous and horrifying history of some of
the strangest dictators that Europe has ever seen.
The only country in Eastern Europe to speak a Latin language, Romania
has always felt itself different, and its unique fate has been to
experience some of the most disastrous leaderships of the last century.
In the First World War her German king remained neutral until 1916. The
interwar rulers form a gallery of bizarre characters and movements: the
corrupt King Carol; the antisemitic Iron Guard led by Corneliu Codreanu;
the vain general Ion Antonescu who seized power in 1940 and led the
country into alliance with Nazi Germany. After 1945 power was handed
over to Romania's tiny communist party, under whom it experienced severe
repression, purges, and collectivization.
Then in 1964, Nicolae Ceaușescu came to power. And thus began the
strangest dictatorship in recent European history.
Children of the Night is also a personal discovery of this
extraordinary country, bringing together Paul Kenyon's eye for the
private vices and kleptocratic tendencies of despots with a heartfelt
exploration of the fate of one Romanian family in particular.