Kirjahaku

The first complete national and international survey in the English language of the clandestine newspapers and books published in the occupied countries of Europe during the Second World War. A man with earphones crouching in the attic listening in with a crystal set, a prisoner writing fearfully even in the condemned cell, youths taking courses in weightlifting so as to be able to carry cases of lead type with apparent ease: these are just some of the people who helped produce clandestine newspapers and books in the occupied countries of Europe during the Second World War. Writing in the Shadow describes the risks these people ran and the ingenuity and brilliant improvisation they used to hoodwink the Nazis and distribute newsletters to tens of thousands of people.

Here, for the first time, are outlined the subterfuges and wiles of the six queens who largely ruled Europe during the second half of the sixteenth century, as well as the complex relationships between them. Up against what was essentially a man's world, they proved highly adept at using women's intuition and marriage - or more particularly engagement - to gain international advantages. They also showed an ambiguity towards Protestantism which was in stark contrast to the tyranny of kings. Above all, these were the women who stormed the cartel of male rulers and were the first to win respected places on the stage of international politics. As a journalist, the author has felt at liberty to pursue and describe these fascinating and unconventional characters and incidents beyond the strict confines of the qualified historian.