Molotov'S Magic Lantern: A Journey in Russian History - Tapa dura

'I'm not a Russianist, but one doesn't need to be a Russianist, or even to have any pre-existing strong interest in Russia, to recognise this book as a quite brilliant work - or to be compelled by it. Part of my great admiration for it comes from Rachel's style, which is continuously and unarchly elegant. I don't think I found a single sentence out of the tens of thousands I read that I wanted written any differently ... Its erudition would be alarming, were it not so gracefully and wittily worn ... A huge intellectual and stylistic achievement ... It's been a privilege to read the book.' --Robert Macfarlane

'Beautifully written, finely-balanced and rich in exactly the kinds of detail that make Russia's culture come alive. It incorporates a formidable amount of scholarship in the lightest and most appealing way. Wonderful, sparkling stuff.' --Catherine Merridale

'Everywhere on this journey, Polonsky shows great curiosity about the web of personality and history, the connections between power and literature that form Russian history and society today, her erudition is always lightly worn ... I was gripped by this book.' --Simon Sebag Montefiore

'Polonsky weaves an extraordinary web of connections between people, places and books ... what is utterly fresh about this book is the personal engagement with the material, the capturing of place, mood and tone ... Although it would be hard to formulate all the truths that lie latent in this book, the command of detail is absolutely masterly.' --Sunday Telegraph

'It's a gem as she has achieved the unimaginable: a serious non-fiction account of Russia, which is as wide-ranging as it is entertaining ... This is a wonderful account of a changing Russia ... If you have always wanted to read an accessible, profound and original history of modern Russia, this is the book for you.' --Sunday Express

When Rachel Polonsky went to live in Moscow, she found an apartment block in Romanov Street, once a residence of the Soviet elite. One of those ghostly neighbours was Stalin's henchman Vyacheslav Molotov. In Molotov's former apartment, Rachel Polonsky discovered his library and an old magic lantern. Molotov - ruthless apparatchik, participant in the collectivizations and the Great Purge - was also an ardent bibliophile. Molotov's library and his magic lantern became the prisms through which Rachel Polonsky renewed her vision of Russia. She visited cities and landscapes associated with the books in the library - Chekhov, Dostoevsky, Pushkin, Akhmatova and many less well-known figures. Some were sent to the Gulag by the man who collected their books. She writes exceptionally well about the longings and aspirations of Russian writers in the course of a journey that takes her to the Arctic and Siberia, the Crimean summer and Lake Baikal, from the forests around Moscow to the vast steppes. In each place she encountered the spirit of great artists and the terrible past of a country ravaged by war, famine, and totalitarianism.