Tuesday 27 October at 7.30 pm at The Wanstead Tap
Alex Marshall
Republic or Death!
Travels in Search of National Anthems
There are a couple of hundred songs that are sung by millions across the world each day, that school children know by heart and sports
fans belt out perfectly even after eight beers. And they aren’t pop songs — they are national anthems. These are songs which
inspire the fiercest of feelings: for some they are a declaration of nationalistic pride; for others a rallying cry for revolution;
and for others still they serve as a shameful reminder of past wrongs. And yet, despite the fact that for many of us they form a
fundamental part of our national consciousness, the fascinating stories underlying the creation and adoption of each national anthem
have rarely, if ever, been told.
In Republic or Death, Alex Marshall brings the incredible stories of the world’s national anthems to
life. Taking in Europe, the Middle East, Asia, Africa and the Americas North and South, he embarks on an adventure that includes
cycling the route along which French revolutionaries marched as they first sang La Marseillaise; entering a competition for the best
singer of the Star-Spangled Banner; and attempting to bribe his way to an audience with the King of Nepal in order to uncover
the story behind the only national anthem written on a Casio keyboard.
In the course of his enthralling and often hilarious travels, Alex encounters everyone from senior politicians and anthem composers
to the sports fans and activists from whom these songs evoke such a wide range of emotions. Along the way, he uncovers the fascinating
cultural and musical history of the world’s anthems, and also asks us to consider what they mean for us today.
Alex Marshall grew up in the area where London sinks into Essex. He is an award-winning journalist who has been writing about music
and politics for over a decade, and who has been published in the Guardian and by the BBC, amongst others. He started
investigating national anthems back in 2008. This is his first book.
