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Molotov's magic lantern : travels in Russian history / Rachel Polonsky.

By: Material type: TextTextPublication details: New York : Farrar, Straus and Giroux, 2011.Edition: 1st American edDescription: ix, 390 p. : maps ; 24 cmISBN:
  • 0374211973 (alk. paper)
  • 9780374211974 (alk. paper)
Other title:
  • Travels in Russian history
Subject(s):
Contents:
Prologue -- Romanov -- Apartment 61 -- The banya -- Lutsino -- Mozzhinka -- Novgorod -- Staraya Russa -- Rostov-on-Don -- Taganrog -- Vologda -- Archangel -- Murmansk and Barentsburg -- Arshan and Irkutsk -- Ulan Ude and Kyakhta -- Epilogue.
Summary: When the author, a British journalist moves to Moscow, she discovers an apartment on Romanov Street that was once home to the Soviet elite. One of the most infamous neighbors was the ruthless apparatchik, Stalin's henchman, Vyacheslav Molotov, who was a participant in the collectivizations and the Great Purge, and also an ardent bibliophile. In what was formerly his apartment, she uncovers an extensive library and an old magic lantern, two things that lead her on an extraordinary journey throughout Russia and ultimately renew her vision of the country and its people. In this book, she visits the haunted cities and vivid landscapes of the books from Molotov's library: works by Chekhov, Dostoevsky, Pushkin, Akhmatova, and others, some of whom were sent to the Gulag by the very man who collected their books. With exceptional insight and beautiful prose, she writes about the longings and aspirations of these Russian writers and others in the course of her travels from the Arctic to Siberia and from the forests around Moscow to the vast steppes. A singular homage to Russian history and culture, this work evokes the spirit of the great artists and the haunted past of a country ravaged by war, famine, and totalitarianism.
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Holdings
Item type Home library Collection Call number Materials specified Status Date due Barcode Item holds
Adult Book Adult Book Main Library NonFiction 947 P778 Available 33111006314310
Total holds: 0

Enhanced descriptions from Syndetics:

When the British journalist Rachel Polonsky moves to Moscow, she discovers an apartment on Romanov Street that was once home to the Soviet elite. One of the most infamous neighbors was the ruthless apparatchik Vyacheslav Molotov, a henchman for Stalin who was a participant in the collectivizations and the Great Purge - and also an ardent bibliophile. In what was formerly Molotov's apartment, Polonsky uncovers an extensive library and an old magic lantern - two things that lead her on an extraordinary journey throughout Russia and ultimately renew her vision of the country and its people.

In Molotov's Magic Lantern , Polonsky visits the haunted cities and vivid landscapes of the books from Molotov's library: works by Chekhov, Dostoevsky, Pushkin, Akhmatova, and others, some of whom were sent to the Gulag by the very man who collected their books. With exceptional insight and beautiful prose, Polonsky writes about the longings and aspirations of these Russian writers and others in the course of her travels from the Arctic to Siberia and from the forests around Moscow to the vast steppes. A singular homage to Russian history and culture, Molotov's Magic Lantern evokes the spirit of the great artists and the haunted past of a country ravaged by war, famine, and totalitarianism.

"Originally published in 2010 by Faber and Faber Ltd., Great Britain as Molotov's magic lantern : a journey in Russian history"--T.p. verso.

Includes bibliographical references and index.

Prologue -- Romanov -- Apartment 61 -- The banya -- Lutsino -- Mozzhinka -- Novgorod -- Staraya Russa -- Rostov-on-Don -- Taganrog -- Vologda -- Archangel -- Murmansk and Barentsburg -- Arshan and Irkutsk -- Ulan Ude and Kyakhta -- Epilogue.

When the author, a British journalist moves to Moscow, she discovers an apartment on Romanov Street that was once home to the Soviet elite. One of the most infamous neighbors was the ruthless apparatchik, Stalin's henchman, Vyacheslav Molotov, who was a participant in the collectivizations and the Great Purge, and also an ardent bibliophile. In what was formerly his apartment, she uncovers an extensive library and an old magic lantern, two things that lead her on an extraordinary journey throughout Russia and ultimately renew her vision of the country and its people. In this book, she visits the haunted cities and vivid landscapes of the books from Molotov's library: works by Chekhov, Dostoevsky, Pushkin, Akhmatova, and others, some of whom were sent to the Gulag by the very man who collected their books. With exceptional insight and beautiful prose, she writes about the longings and aspirations of these Russian writers and others in the course of her travels from the Arctic to Siberia and from the forests around Moscow to the vast steppes. A singular homage to Russian history and culture, this work evokes the spirit of the great artists and the haunted past of a country ravaged by war, famine, and totalitarianism.

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