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kamila79's review against another edition
4.0
I first read about the English translation of this book and quickly got the Polish original. In “Tańczące niedźwiedzie” (“Dancing Bears”) Witold Szabłowski gives a glimpse into how various places (not necessarily whole countries) deal with the post-communism transition on a social, economic and political level; in case of Havana it’s more about gauging how ordinary people feel about the future and it is enlightening to read such a wide spectrum of opinions from Cubans.
The first half of the book is devoted to giving (relative) freedom to dancing bears in various parts of Bulgaria. Szabłowski travels to meet former bear keepers and hears their stories: of love and loss, affection and discipline, greed and manipulation. It’s not only an issue of animal abuse but also caring about the welfare of people who often had been bear keepers and entertainers for generations and after bears were taken away from them, are left with nothing. These are the stories provoking a variety of emotions.
The author’s sense of humour is palpable in every story, regardless if it’s about a homeless elderly Polish lady in London, a travel guide organising tours around the places important in the lifestyle of Karadžić in Belgrade, repurposing concrete bunkers built in the times of Hoxha in Tirana or the business acumen of locals working in a Hobbit village in Polish Sierakowo Sławieńskie. People from his stories are creative, entrepreneurial, inventive, with a can-do attitude. The style of writing is extremely entertaining and yet the reality is often grim, and Szabłowski, between the lines, asks vital questions. Can freedom be forced upon people? Can some live better under a more totalitarian regime? Is that Western-style freedom genuine freedom or just an illusion of it? There is a lot to take out from this marvellous reportage. My only wish is that it was longer, a bit more in depth, more informative. I feel that those like me, who have lived through communism and witnessed the times of transformation in Eastern Europe, will be most moved by it. Still, it’s an excellent book for everyone.
The first half of the book is devoted to giving (relative) freedom to dancing bears in various parts of Bulgaria. Szabłowski travels to meet former bear keepers and hears their stories: of love and loss, affection and discipline, greed and manipulation. It’s not only an issue of animal abuse but also caring about the welfare of people who often had been bear keepers and entertainers for generations and after bears were taken away from them, are left with nothing. These are the stories provoking a variety of emotions.
The author’s sense of humour is palpable in every story, regardless if it’s about a homeless elderly Polish lady in London, a travel guide organising tours around the places important in the lifestyle of Karadžić in Belgrade, repurposing concrete bunkers built in the times of Hoxha in Tirana or the business acumen of locals working in a Hobbit village in Polish Sierakowo Sławieńskie. People from his stories are creative, entrepreneurial, inventive, with a can-do attitude. The style of writing is extremely entertaining and yet the reality is often grim, and Szabłowski, between the lines, asks vital questions. Can freedom be forced upon people? Can some live better under a more totalitarian regime? Is that Western-style freedom genuine freedom or just an illusion of it? There is a lot to take out from this marvellous reportage. My only wish is that it was longer, a bit more in depth, more informative. I feel that those like me, who have lived through communism and witnessed the times of transformation in Eastern Europe, will be most moved by it. Still, it’s an excellent book for everyone.
bernrr's review against another edition
3.0
The first surprise of the book is that it is literally about dancing bears. At least, the first half. And it’s a brilliant set up for thinking about life in a fascist state. The first half of the book is four stars or better.
Unfortunately the structure he uses for the first half is awkwardly imposed on the second, to build some coherence into a variety of anecdotes related to theme of people missing life under fascism. They are often fascinating, but the narrative gets lost.
Unfortunately the structure he uses for the first half is awkwardly imposed on the second, to build some coherence into a variety of anecdotes related to theme of people missing life under fascism. They are often fascinating, but the narrative gets lost.
tesslaah's review against another edition
3.0
The stories compiled in this book are fascinating & valuable in themselves, however there’s a lack of explanation that ties them all together. Maybe it’s just because I’m not a fan of the journalistic style that is presented in the book, but it didn’t seem to prove what it set out to in its thesis in a clear way manner. It had a lot of potential to prove its thesis, but did not deliver. However, I still suggest this book to people interested in learning more about real peoples perspective of life under tyranny.
repixpix's review against another edition
1.0
No es periodismo, no es información, es opinión y es veneno.
stabigail_'s review against another edition
3.0
Perhaps it’s my own failing—I am not familiar enough with Eastern European history which make up the investigation of the second half of the book. I like the concept of mirroring the Dancing Bears with the experiences of those in post-Soviet States but the execution felt a little clunky to me. Still, I learned quite a bit about that region and their history.
michaelnlibrarian's review against another edition
3.0
The first half of this book looks at gypsies and their dancing bears after the end of the communist regime in Bulgaria - an outside organization worked diligently to compensate the owners of these bears while carefully negotiating their removal from those owners and transfer to a special preserve for their care. There are different aspects of this that serve as an allegory for people who were nostalgic for their lives under socialist government and the challenges of such transitions. This hundred pages was quite engaging, and well presented, although it was somewhat repetitive.
The second half is made up of nine different articles or essays prepared at different times, it appears, and about Cuba, Poland (two essays), Albania, Serbia, Georgia, Estonia, Ukraine, and Greece. These didn't really flow from one to the next, in my view. They are not necessarily on teh them of people nostalgic for life under their previous socialist governments; rather they are different aspects of this transition. (In the case of Cuba, the transition had yet to occur.)
The blurb-summary on the back says, "In the tradition of Ryszard Kapuscinski, award winning Polish journalist Witold Szablowski uncovers remarkable stories of people throughout Easter Europe and Cuba . . ." I have read Kapuscinski; I'm not sure what "tradition" is being referred to other than that Szablowski is Polish and writing his observations of other places and that was true of Kapuscinski, but I would say Kapuscinski was a more artful writer.
For some reason I was annoyed by a small mistake in the translation, or perhaps in the original Polish - Estonian is noted as a complex language, one that has fourteen tenses. Estonian has fourteen cases, not fourteen tenses.
The second half is made up of nine different articles or essays prepared at different times, it appears, and about Cuba, Poland (two essays), Albania, Serbia, Georgia, Estonia, Ukraine, and Greece. These didn't really flow from one to the next, in my view. They are not necessarily on teh them of people nostalgic for life under their previous socialist governments; rather they are different aspects of this transition. (In the case of Cuba, the transition had yet to occur.)
The blurb-summary on the back says, "In the tradition of Ryszard Kapuscinski, award winning Polish journalist Witold Szablowski uncovers remarkable stories of people throughout Easter Europe and Cuba . . ." I have read Kapuscinski; I'm not sure what "tradition" is being referred to other than that Szablowski is Polish and writing his observations of other places and that was true of Kapuscinski, but I would say Kapuscinski was a more artful writer.
For some reason I was annoyed by a small mistake in the translation, or perhaps in the original Polish - Estonian is noted as a complex language, one that has fourteen tenses. Estonian has fourteen cases, not fourteen tenses.
beatrixminkov's review against another edition
3.0
Het boek bestaat uit twee delen. In het eerste deel doet Szablowski onderzoek naar de geschiedenis van de dansende beren die werkten onder het harde regime van Bulgaarse zigeuners. Met de val van het communisme en het toetreden van Bulgarije tot de Europese Unie kregen deze beren hun vrijheid terug. In Belitsa is een groot park ingericht voor deze voormalige dansberen. Bij stress of onverwachte situaties schieten ze echter in hun oude reflex en gaan ze op hun achterpoten staan, klaar om te dansen en hun kunstjes te doen.
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Het tweede deel bestaat uit zijn journalistieke reis door verschillende voormalig communistische landen. Hij doet onder meer Cuba, Oekraïne, Polen, Albanië en Georgië aan en verzameld de verhalen van gewone burgers die tegenwoordig vrij zijn, maar nog vaak terugverlangen naar het communistische regime. Szablowski tracht hierbij om zijn eerdere bevindingen van de dansende beren te gebruiken als ondersteunende metafoor.
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De eerste helft van het boek vond ik erg interessant. Mijn beide ouders zijn Bulgaars, dus ik herkende veel. Plaatsnamen, het Bulgaarse temperament, en allerlei andere typisch Bulgaarse trekjes gaf mij een gevoel van nostalgie. Ik weet ook nog goed dat ik als kind de dansende beren heb gezien en dat ik dit toen al erg heftig vond om te zien. De research die Szablowski hier heeft gedaan is zorgvuldig al is er soms iets te veel herhaling.
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Het tweede deel vond ik echter wat minder geslaagd. Daar waar hij met de dansberen voor één specifiek onderwerp heeft gekozen, gaan de verhalen over het verlangen naar het communisme alle kanten op. En ik vind het prima om te kiezen voor een brede invalshoek om zoveel mogelijk thema's te kunnen belichten, maar het was voor mij echt too much. Zo'n verhaal bestond uit 10-15 pagina's en daarna stopte het vrij abrupt en ging hij verder met een volgend verhaal in een ander land. Als hij voor twee of drie landen had gekozen, of in al deze landen op één specifiek thema had gefocust had het boek naar mijn idee beter in elkaar gezeten.
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Het tweede deel bestaat uit zijn journalistieke reis door verschillende voormalig communistische landen. Hij doet onder meer Cuba, Oekraïne, Polen, Albanië en Georgië aan en verzameld de verhalen van gewone burgers die tegenwoordig vrij zijn, maar nog vaak terugverlangen naar het communistische regime. Szablowski tracht hierbij om zijn eerdere bevindingen van de dansende beren te gebruiken als ondersteunende metafoor.
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De eerste helft van het boek vond ik erg interessant. Mijn beide ouders zijn Bulgaars, dus ik herkende veel. Plaatsnamen, het Bulgaarse temperament, en allerlei andere typisch Bulgaarse trekjes gaf mij een gevoel van nostalgie. Ik weet ook nog goed dat ik als kind de dansende beren heb gezien en dat ik dit toen al erg heftig vond om te zien. De research die Szablowski hier heeft gedaan is zorgvuldig al is er soms iets te veel herhaling.
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Het tweede deel vond ik echter wat minder geslaagd. Daar waar hij met de dansberen voor één specifiek onderwerp heeft gekozen, gaan de verhalen over het verlangen naar het communisme alle kanten op. En ik vind het prima om te kiezen voor een brede invalshoek om zoveel mogelijk thema's te kunnen belichten, maar het was voor mij echt too much. Zo'n verhaal bestond uit 10-15 pagina's en daarna stopte het vrij abrupt en ging hij verder met een volgend verhaal in een ander land. Als hij voor twee of drie landen had gekozen, of in al deze landen op één specifiek thema had gefocust had het boek naar mijn idee beter in elkaar gezeten.
ninjamuse's review against another edition
3.0
In brief: An exploration and critique of Eastern European (and other post-communist) lives, told largely through scenes and conversations.
Thoughts: What struck me most about reading this was the structure, and the way Szabłowski comes at his themes sideways. I don’t think I’ve ever read a book like that, though it’s very reminiscent of long-form articles—lay out the facts, quote people, and let the readers draw their own conclusions. It’s a lovely mix of tragedy and hope and condemnation, with a very powerful analogy pinning it all together: the dancing bears.
The first half of this book focuses on the problem of the Balkans’ dancing bears. Szabłowski interviews some of the Roma who kept the bears, as well as the people devoted to taking the bears to a nature park, and in doing so exposes a lot of systemic flaws and racism and apathy, and poses some hard questions. What do you do when a traditional way of life is animal abuse? How do you help people transition from one way of life to another? Is the park the truly better option, and for whom?
In the second half, he takes the questions he’s asked (by which I mean invited the reader to ask through judicious reporting), and applies it to snapshots of people struggling to survive after the collapse of communism. How do you solve mass unemployment? Poverty and infrastructure problems? If people have lived their lives without needing to make major decisions, or learning about the glory of their government, how do they cope when that’s taken away? And again, there are flaws and racism and apathy, laid uncomfortably bare.
Szabłowski has a very fine and precise way of seeing and reporting things, whether he’s talking to a woman who chose homelessness in London over poverty in Poland, the hitchhikers he picks up in Cuba, the drivers who pick him up in Kosovo, or the Greeks protesting austerity. He has an equally light touch in his writing. This could’ve been a much darker or denser book, but he keeps the descriptions brief and sticks to dialogue more often than not.
So: this is an easy but very thought-provoking read. I think it might hit more for someone with Eastern European heritage than it did for me, but it still opened my eyes to truths and the questions it raised are going to stick with me. That said, I’m dithering on a rating for it. Content-wise, it’s clearly an 8, but my gut/quality gauge says it’s closer to a 7. Either way, it’s worth the read.
7.5/10
Contains: anti-Roma slurs from an author who really does know better*, reported racism towards Roma peoples, animal abuse, people with unsavory attitudes towards poverty and homelessness, the glory of Joseph Stalin
* or shoddy translation, but even so
Thoughts: What struck me most about reading this was the structure, and the way Szabłowski comes at his themes sideways. I don’t think I’ve ever read a book like that, though it’s very reminiscent of long-form articles—lay out the facts, quote people, and let the readers draw their own conclusions. It’s a lovely mix of tragedy and hope and condemnation, with a very powerful analogy pinning it all together: the dancing bears.
The first half of this book focuses on the problem of the Balkans’ dancing bears. Szabłowski interviews some of the Roma who kept the bears, as well as the people devoted to taking the bears to a nature park, and in doing so exposes a lot of systemic flaws and racism and apathy, and poses some hard questions. What do you do when a traditional way of life is animal abuse? How do you help people transition from one way of life to another? Is the park the truly better option, and for whom?
In the second half, he takes the questions he’s asked (by which I mean invited the reader to ask through judicious reporting), and applies it to snapshots of people struggling to survive after the collapse of communism. How do you solve mass unemployment? Poverty and infrastructure problems? If people have lived their lives without needing to make major decisions, or learning about the glory of their government, how do they cope when that’s taken away? And again, there are flaws and racism and apathy, laid uncomfortably bare.
Szabłowski has a very fine and precise way of seeing and reporting things, whether he’s talking to a woman who chose homelessness in London over poverty in Poland, the hitchhikers he picks up in Cuba, the drivers who pick him up in Kosovo, or the Greeks protesting austerity. He has an equally light touch in his writing. This could’ve been a much darker or denser book, but he keeps the descriptions brief and sticks to dialogue more often than not.
So: this is an easy but very thought-provoking read. I think it might hit more for someone with Eastern European heritage than it did for me, but it still opened my eyes to truths and the questions it raised are going to stick with me. That said, I’m dithering on a rating for it. Content-wise, it’s clearly an 8, but my gut/quality gauge says it’s closer to a 7. Either way, it’s worth the read.
7.5/10
Contains: anti-Roma slurs from an author who really does know better*, reported racism towards Roma peoples, animal abuse, people with unsavory attitudes towards poverty and homelessness, the glory of Joseph Stalin
* or shoddy translation, but even so
ifer0105's review against another edition
2.0
The premise of the book was fascinating for me. I learned a lot, but it fell short for me in a lot of ways. It's a serious of interviews and rather than use them to explicitly tell a story, the reader is left to make a lot of conclusions on their own. I didn't feel like the story device comparing the dancing bears to post communism life were always very obvious. On the whole, I learned a lot of facts, both about dancing bears, and eastern European countries, but as a book and story telling device it fell flat for me.
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