Lotharingia (Farrar, Straus and Giroux), by Simon Winder
Lotharingia isn’t a name found on maps—unless it’s a historical map showing Europe circa 843 when Charlemagne’s empire was divided between his three sons. One received the country that became France, the second the country that became Germany, and the third got Lotharingia, a land that became no country but includes Belgium, the Netherlands, Luxembourg, Rhineland and Alsace-Lorraine. Simon Winder follows his previous cultural history studies, Germania and Danubia, with Lotharingia, and one can’t help but think he’s stretching his material for the sake of a trilogy (just like the Wachowskis with The Matrix). The components of Lotharingia passed through many rulers and were underfoot of great armies (but so were many other lands). Some components were torn in their identity (German or French?), some were simply unhappy cohabitants of the same acres (Belgium), while at least one adhered into a nation (The Netherlands). Winder’s concept is problematic, but his writing—funny and informative—never ceases to please. His dry British humor suggest that he’s not taking the subject all that seriously even as valid points fly off the pages.
