TY - BOOK AU - Smith,Douglas TI - Rasputin: faith, power, and the twilight of the Romanovs SN - 9780374240844 PY - 2016/// CY - New York PB - Farrar, Straus and Giroux KW - Rasputin, Grigoriĭ Efimovich, KW - Romanov, House of. KW - Russia KW - Court and courtiers KW - Biography KW - History KW - Nicholas II, 1894-1917 KW - Politics and government KW - 1894-1917 KW - Biographies KW - lcgft N1 - Includes bibliographical references (pages 683-715) and index; Introduction: The Holy Devil? -- Holy pilgrim: 1869-1904 -- Our friend: 1905-1909 -- Scandals: 1910-1911 -- A time of miracles: 1912-July 1914 -- War: July 1914-1915 -- The final year: 1916 -- The aftermath: 1917-1918 -- Epilogue N2 - "On the centenary of the death of Rasputin comes a definitive biography that will dramatically change our understanding of this fascinating figure. A hundred years after his murder, Rasputin continues to excite the popular imagination as the personification of evil. Numerous biographies, novels, and films recount his mysterious rise to power as Nicholas and Alexandra's confidant and the guardian of the sickly heir to the Russian throne. His debauchery and sinister political influence are the stuff of legend, and the downfall of the Romanov dynasty was laid at his feet. But as the prizewinning historian Douglas Smith shows, the true story of Rasputin's life and death has remained shrouded in myth. A major new work that combines probing scholarship and powerful storytelling, Rasputin separates fact from fiction to reveal the real life of one of history's most alluring figures. Drawing on a wealth of forgotten documents from archives in seven countries, Smith presents Rasputin in all his complexity--man of God, voice of peace, loyal subject, adulterer, drunkard. Rasputin is not just a definitive biography of an extraordinary and legendary man but a fascinating portrait of the twilight of imperial Russia as it lurched toward catastrophe."--; "The definitive biography of Rasputin, spiritual guide to the Romanovs and source of great political intrigue, based on many new documents"-- ER -