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RUSSIAN Reads Step into

RUSSIAN Reads Step into classic Russian literature, as recommended by bibliophiles at London’s historic Heywood Hill bookstore 84 VIKING.COM EXPLORE MORE

CULTURE & SCIENCE CATHERINE THE GREAT AND POTEMKIN BY SIMON SEBAG MONTEFIORE Penguin Random House A vivid account of the political partnership and tumultuous relationship between Catherine the Great and her coruler Prince Grigory Potemkin, the love of her life. Together, the fiery duo seized Ukraine and Crimea, dividing and sharing their spheres of power, which spanned Eastern Europe, to allow both to take younger lovers. Simon Sebag Montefiore’s biography uses fascinating letters and vast research into the depths of the pair’s intimacy to get to the bottom of this political love affair, transporting readers to 18th-century Russia. FATHERS AND SONS BY IVAN TURGENEV Penguin Classics Considered one of the greatest novels of the 19th century, Fathers and Sons offers readers a depiction of familial conflict, portraying the clash between the older Russian aristocracy and radical youths with revolution in mind. We see the political climate of the time through Yevgeny Bazarov, who journeys to the home of his friend Arkady Kirsanov and soon causes a series of problematic relationships due to his outspoken nature. As relevant and fresh today as when it was first published, the novel will plunge you into the cultural schism and the nihilist movement that picked up pace in mid-19th-century Russia. TEN DAYS THAT SHOOK THE WORLD BY JOHN REED Penguin Classics A stunning firsthand account of the Russian October Revolution in 1917, when a Bolshevik-led coup d’état toppled the interim government, leaving a gaping hole for the Soviets to swoop in and take power. The account comes from socialist writer, American journalist and political commentator John Reed, who was in Russia to witness this monumental moment as it happened. While the book is biased in its revolutionary enthusiasm, it has gone on to become a must-read for those intending to delve into the history of the USSR during their travels in Russia. ANNA KARENINA BY LEO TOLSTOY Penguin Classics Any visit to Russia must involve packing a Tolstoy novel in your suitcase. This acclaimed work offers readers a panorama of modern life in Russia through the lens of the protagonist, Anna. A sophisticated woman, Anna leaves her husband, Alexei Alexandrovich Karenin, for Count Alexei Vronsky. Look out for Tolstoy himself, depicted in the character of Konstantin Levin. Initially published in installments, the novel came out in book form in 1878. NICHOLAS AND ALEXANDRA BY ROBERT K. MASSIE The Modern Library The story of the last tsar and his family, as told by the Pulitzer Prize–winning writer Robert K. Massie, explores the young heir’s hemophilia, Rasputin and the ultimate collapse of imperial Russia. Born in Kentucky, Massie is an American author who became attracted to the Romanov story after his own son was diagnosed with hemophilia, giving him an interesting insight and connection to the Russian royals. THE BROTHERS KARAMAZOV BY FYODOR DOSTOYEVSKY Penguin Classics The Brothers Karamazov is an explosive story centered on a series of romantic affairs and entanglements involving Fyodor Pavlovich Karamazov and his four sons—Mitya, Ivan, Alyosha and the shadowy figure of their half brother, Smerdyakov. Through this gripping story, the reader learns about Russian life and faces moral questions about innocence and corruption. FROM RUSSIA WITH LOVE Other books worth delving into during a voyage through Russia include Boris Pasternak’s famed novel Doctor Zhivago, which depicts a love story in the midst of the Russian Revolution. The Gulag Archipelago: 1918–1956 by Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn should be on your list if you are keen on unearthing what life was like in the Gulag (the term used for the Soviet Union’s forced labor camps), which the text does through fascinating reports, statements and interviews. Robert Service’s A History of Twentieth-Century Russia is another epic read that covers in depth the history and seismic cultural changes that swept Russia from 1917 to 1991, while The Hermitage: The Biography of a Great Museum by Geraldine Norman takes readers to St. Petersburg and inside the Hermitage Museum founded by Empress Catherine the Great. EXPLORE MORE VIKING.COM 85