Orlando Figes is a British historian specializing in Russia, delving into the depths of Russian history and society. His writing is characterized by a detailed examination of the complex social, political, and cultural forces that shaped the Russian nation. Figes brings to readers not only key events but also the daily lives and thoughts of ordinary people, creating a vivid and insightful portrait of the past. His approach offers an engaging and profound understanding of one of the world's most influential nations.
Unrivalled in scope and brimming with human drama, A People's Tragedy is the most vivid, moving and comprehensive history of the Russian Revolution available today. 'A modern masterpiece' Andrew Marr 'The most moving account of the Russian Revolution since Doctor Zhivago' Independent Opening with a panorama of Russian society, from the cloistered world of the Tsar to the brutal life of the peasants, A People's Tragedy follows workers, soldiers, intellectuals and villagers as their world is consumed by revolution and then degenerates into violence and dictatorship. Drawing on vast original research, Figes conveys above all the shocking experience of the revolution for those who lived it, while providing the clearest and most cogent account of how and why it unfolded. Illustrated with over 100 photographs and now including a new introduction that reflects on the revolution's centennial legacy, A People's Tragedy is a masterful and definitive record of one of the most important events in modern history.
Russia under the old regime - The crisis of authority - Russia in revolution (February 1917-March 1918) - The civil war and the making of the Soviet system (1918-24); Lenin - Marx - Stalin - Kerensky - Trotskysk_____________
Drawing on a huge range of sources - letters, memoirs, conversations - Orlando Figes tells the story of how Russians tried to endure life under Stalin. Those who shaped the political system became, very frequently, its victims. Those who were its victims were frequently quite blameless. The Whisperers recreates the sort of maze in which Russians found themselves, where an unwitting wrong turn could either destroy a family or, perversely, later save it- a society in which everyone spoke in whispers - whether to protect themselves, their families, neighbours or friends - or to inform on them.
Vast in scope, based on exhaustive original research, and written with passion, narrative skill and human sympathy, this book offers an account of the Russian Revolution for a new generation.
'Magnificent. Beautifully written, immaculately researched and thoroughly
absorbing from start to finish. A tour de force that explains how Europe's
cultural life transformed during the course of the 19th century - and so much
more.' Peter Frankopan 'The Europeans is a massively impressive work, as
enjoyable as it is knowledgeable, full of insights into the mechanisms of
history and in the people who make it. It is a book about the making of
Europe, and this description, wonderful as it is, has now, in these days,
sadly, also almost a utopian quality to it. Orlando Figes is an outstanding
historian and writer, he brings distant history so close that you could feel
its heartbeat. He did it with the Russian Revolution in A People's Tragedy,
and he does it again in The Europeans.' Karl Ove Knausgaard 'Timely, brilliant
and hugely enjoyable ... A magnificently humane book, written with supple
grace but firmly underpinned by meticulous scholarship.' Rupert Christiansen
'I loved the book. I read it in every spare moment, fascinated and sometimes
surprised. [...] I have been speaking about the book to everyone I know: it is
clearly not just a book for musicians but for the widest audience interested
in literature, music and art.' Barbara Hannigan 'Magnificent and utterly
gripping: European identity, culture and commerce through the lives of three
remarkable individuals, the book for our times.' Philippe Sands From the
bestselling author of Natasha's Dance, The Europeans is a richly enthralling,
panoramic cultural history of nineteenth-century Europe, told through the
intertwined lives of three remarkable people: a great singer, Pauline Viardot,
a great writer, Ivan Turgenev, and a great connoisseur, Pauline's husband
Louis. Their passionate, ambitious lives were bound up with an astonishing
array of writers, composers and painters all trying to make their way through
the exciting, prosperous and genuinely pan-European culture that came about as
a result of huge economic and technological change. This culture - through
trains, telegraphs and printing - allowed artists of all kinds to exchange
ideas and make a living, shuttling back and forth across the whole continent
from the British Isles to Imperial Russia, as they exploited a new
cosmopolitan age. The Europeans is Orlando Figes' masterpiece. Surprising,
beautifully written, it describes huge changes through intimate details,
little-known stories and through the lens of Turgenev and the Viardots'
touching, strange love triangle. Events which we now see as central to
European high culture are made completely fresh, allowing the reader to revel
in the sheer precariousness with which the great salons, premieres and
bestsellers came into existence.
Natasha's Dance conjures up the whole panorama of Russia's mighty culture, in a way that is fresh, intimate and immediate. Whether talking about music or novels, buildings or paintings, Orlando Fige's narrative should sweep the reader along through a series of set-piece chapters.
The Europeans is a richly enthralling, panoramic cultural history of nineteenth-century Europe, told through the intertwined lives of three remarkable people- a great singer, Pauline Viardot, a great writer, Ivan Turgenev, and a great connoisseur, Pauline's husband Louis. Their ambitious lives and complex loves were bound up with an astonishing array of writers, composers and painters all trying to make their way through the exciting, prosperous European cultural landscape that came about as a result of huge economic and technological change. This culture - through trains, telegraphs and printing - allowed artists of all kinds to exchange ideas and make a living, as they travelled across the whole continent from the British Isles to Imperial Russia. The Europeans is Orlando Figes' masterpiece. It describes huge changes through intimate details, little-known stories and through the lens of Turgenev and the Viardots' touching, strange love triangle. Events which we now see as central to European high culture are made completely fresh, allowing the reader to revel in the sheer precariousness with which the great salons, premieres and bestsellers came into existence.
No other country has been so divided over its own past as Russia. None has changed its story so often. How the Russians came to tell their story, and to reinvent it as they went along, is a vital aspect of their history, their culture and beliefs. To understand what Russia's future holds - to grasp what Putin's regime means for Russia and the world - we need to unravel the ideas and meanings of that history.0In The Story of Russia, Orlando Figes brings into sharp relief the vibrant characters that comprise Russia's rich history, and whose stories remain so important in making sense of the world's largest nation today - from the crowning of sixteen-year-old Ivan the Terrible in a candlelit cathedral, to Catherine the Great, riding out in a green uniform to arrest her husband at his palace, to the bitter last days of the Romanovs.0Beautifully written and based on a lifetime of scholarship, The Story of Russia is a major and definitive work from the great storyteller of Russian history: sweeping, suspenseful, masterful
This definitive account explores a significant yet overlooked conflict that has profoundly influenced contemporary history. The author, celebrated as a masterful storyteller among modern Russian historians, delves into the intricacies of this war, revealing its lasting impact on current geopolitical dynamics. Through detailed narratives and insights, the book sheds light on the complexities and consequences of the conflict, making it an essential read for those interested in understanding the forces that have shaped the modern world.
