Molotov's magic lantern

Description:

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 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. 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, 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. This work evokes the spirit of the great artists and the haunted past of a country ravaged by war, famine, and totalitarianism.

subjects: Russian Authors,  Description and travel,  Intellectual life,  Travel,  Library,  Political and social views,  Homes and haunts,  Communism and literature,  History,  Libraries,  Bibliotek,  Reseskildringar,  Resor,  Kommunism och litteratur,  Authors, russian,  Literary landmarks,  Russia (federation), description and travel,  Russia (federation), history,  Soviet union, history,  Moscow (russia), description and travel,  Moscow (russia), history,  Soviet union, intellectual life

People: Vyacheslav Mikhaylovich Molotov (1890-1986),  Rachel Polonsky

Places: Russia (Federation),  Moscow (Russia),  Moscow,  Soviet Union,  Russia

Times: 20th century