Three Rivers The Extraordinary Waterways That Made Europe

About this book

A fascinating exploration of the rich and varied cultural worlds shaped by the Rhine, the Rhone and the Po.

Three of Europe's greatest rivers begin in the same patch of high Alpine ice in the jagged heights of Switzerland. The Rhine, the Rhone and the Po have not only shaped the landscape, carving out the valleys in which humans settled, but also the structure of Europe's societies; laid the foundation for its economies; and enriched its cultural diversity, shaping the language, religion, philosophy, art science and politics of Germany, France and Italy.

But while their importance is by no means diminished today, their source is. The glaciers that have filled Europe's Alpine water tank for so long are vanishing ~ fast. This is a catastrophic change, and the implication is clear: we can no longer take Europe's great triumvirate of rivers for granted.

Three Rivers follows these extraordinary rivers as they journey through the dramatic landscapes of Europe, while meditating on the enormous cultural consequences that have, quite literally, flowed from their presence.

Customer Reviews

Biography

Robert Winder was Literary Editor of the Independent (where he ran the Foreign Fiction Award for translated novels) and Deputy Editor of Granta. He is the author of many titles (both fiction and non-fiction) including Bloody Foreigners: The Story of Immigration to Britain and The Last Wolf: The Hidden Springs of Englishness. The former helped inspire the Migration Museum Project, which aims to create a major museum on the theme of migration in Britain and for which he was a founder trustee.