The Moldovans: Romania, Russia, and the Politics of Culture (Studies of Nationalities) (Volume 471) Paperback – December 1, 1999

Charles King, the author of the book, is an assistant professor in the School of Foreign Service and the Department of Government at Georgetown University. Funding for the research on which this book is based, was provided at various stages by the British Marshall Commemoration Commission, in the form of a British Marshal Scholarsip; St. Antony's College and New College, Oxford; the Social Science Research Council, via a Graduate Training Fellowship; and Georgetown University, through the Ion Ratiu Chair of Romanian Studies, to which the author was elected in 1996. Although the author tries to be unbiased and wants to keep neutral point of view, the book somewhat reflects the point of view supported by the organizations above mentioned, and also by the official political point of view of Western countries towards the Republic of Moldova (RM) at a time of writing of this book, although the archival and library resources used by the author were located mainly in Romania and RM. The major sources of information were The Central Historical Archive Division of the National Archives of Romania in Bucharest; the former archive of the Communist Party of Moldova (now renamed to the Archive of Social-Political Organizations of the Republic of Moldova); as well as other sources.I have used this book as a source of Historical Data to contribute to Wikipedia articles related to Moldova.

I highly recommend Charles King's "The Moldovans" for a quick overview of the language politics and territorial disputes that define Moldova's history. King outlines the various ethnic groups that make up this post-Soviet state and explores the concept of nation-building and how Soviet and Romanian foreign policy affected Moldova's unique identity.

There are only a few serious books about Moldova, the other one I can recommend is Prince Dimitri Cantemir's Descriptio Moldaviae - a portrait of his land and people. Being a native of Moldova, I can tell I found in King's book a lot of curious information and I did find it hard to agree on certain details, but in general, I believe that no one currently living in Moldova could do a better and unbiased job at describing the historic roots of the long-suffering people that live on this little piece of land.

An interesting and comprehensive history of Moldova and its people, focusing on the formation of their identity as a separate nation. I read it before visiting the country and felt it helped me greatly in understanding the place. However, it is woefully uninformative about the battle with the breakaway republic of Transnistria, and the prose is a bit dry.

Excellent book about the complicated history of Moldova. I, as a Moldovan learned a lot of new facts about my home country that helped me to continue the never-ending search for my personal identity.

Extremely informative. very detailed. Not difficult to read.

Best book I have read on Moldova yet. There are few books dedicated to this topic. Although it was written a few years ago, much of the data is still relevant. A great primer for someone new to the topic.

Charles King's "The Moldovans" is an excellently written history of a little known East European borderland and its intriguing people. While its physical appearance and membership in the Hoover Institute's old "Nationalities of the USSR" series may indicate dry and rigid academic work, it is certainly not. King here has written an interesting history of the Bessarabian/Moldovan people, the first in English, through the context of nation and national identity building. History buffs and area enthusiasts will find themselves enjoying the blend of history, politics and more recent events within newly independent Moldova. For an introduction and some answers to the convoluted and confusing intra-state conflict with the DMR (Transnistria), look here. The subject could be considered college reading but the writing is clean, clear and professional at a point where you know a highly laudable individual is behind this work, but not some Cornell West writing for the benefit of his fellow academics. King's history is incredibly lucid and readable. This is good history as it should be.

Read this book while traveling in Moldova. Gave a excellent background to the history and current affairs of a diverse country. Highly recommended. An update would be great.

J'ai acheté ce livre suite à la recommandation de mes anciens profs d'histoire. Je le recommande vivement pour tous, que vous voyages ou pas en Moldavie.