Europe Central
A generation before, the Iron Chancellor had observed: I’ve always found the word Europe on the lips of those statesmen who want something from a foreign power which they would never venture to ask for in their own name.
That is from William Vollman’s Europe Central, which just won the National Book Award for Non-Fiction [correction: Fiction]. The Amazon reviews make it sound daunting, but so far (p.32) it is great fun. If you’re reading it, add your opinion in the comments.