A beautiful way to learn about modern history is by talking to those who lived through events and shaped an era. When you meet such people, you hurry to steer the conversation towards the past, hoping to catch a glimpse of its brilliance.
Perhaps during the endeavor, you find yourself eager to provoke others into a confessional mood, to hear them tell you about what happened once upon a time, somewhere around here. You might consider that human lives are "landscapes," and you are simply visiting the "sights."
And surely, you will be tempted to discover how much resistance your interlocutors can muster to avoid exposing themselves even a little and to continue their safe course within the oft-repeated, when the rippling of an indiscreet question causes memories to come crashing upon them uncontrollably.
(...) [Excerpt from the text of the preface]
