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Stephen DauStephen Dau's The Book of Jonas is a marvelous, lyrical debut that examines the effects of war on everyone involved. Dau weaves together the stories... Continue »
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4 Local Warehouse Russia- General Russian History

This title in other editions

The Whisperers: Private Life in Stalin's Russia

by Orlando Figes

The Whisperers: Private Life in Stalin's Russia Cover

ISBN13: 9780312428037
ISBN10: 0312428030
All Product Details

 

Synopses & Reviews

Publisher Comments:

A New York Times Notable Book of 2007

"A tremendous achievement."--The Sunday Times (London)

The Whisperers is a triumphant act of recovery. In this powerful work of history, Orlando Figes chronicles the private history of family life during the violent and repressive reign of Josef Stalin. Drawing on a vast collection of interviews and archives, The Whisperers re-creates the anguish of family members turned against one another--of the paranoia, alienation, and treachery that poisoned private life in Russia for generations. A panoramic portrait of a society in which everyone spoke in whispers, The Whisperers is "rigorously compassionate. . . . A humbling monument to the evil and endurance of Russia's Soviet past and, implicitly, a guide to its present" (The Economist).

Synopsis:

The award-winning author of "A Peoples Tragedy" and "Natashas Dance" has written this landmark account of what private life was like for Russians in the worst years of Soviet repression.

Synopsis:

A New York Times Notable Book of 2007

A tremendous achievement.--The Sunday Times (London)

The arrests, trials, enslavement, and gulags of Stalin's dictatorship are well-known. But no previous book has looked at the regime's effect on private lives--the devastation of families and the spread of suspicion throughout every village, neighborhood, and home in Russia. Drawing on a huge collection of family archives and thousands of interviews, The Whisperers is an authoritative, intimate history of a society in which everyone spoke in whispers--either to protect those close to them, or to inform on them.

Synopsis:

A New York Times Notable Book of 2007

"A tremendous achievement."--The Sunday Times (London)

The arrests, trials, enslavement, and gulags of Stalin's dictatorship are well-known. But no previous book has looked at the regime's effect on private lives--the devastation of families and the spread of suspicion throughout every village, neighborhood, and home in Russia. Drawing on a huge collection of family archives and thousands of interviews, The Whisperers is an authoritative, intimate history of a society in which everyone spoke in whispers--either to protect those close to them, or to inform on them.

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About the Author

Orlando Figes is the author of Natasha's Dance: A Cultural History of Russia and A People's Tragedy: The Russian Revolution, 1891-1924, which received the Wolfson Prize, the NCR Book Award, the W. H. Smith Literary Award, the Longman/History Today Book Prize, and the Los Angeles Times Book Prize. He is a professor of history at Birkbeck College, University of London.

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What Our Readers Are Saying

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Average customer rating based on 1 comment:
Russian lit-mystery fan, July 22, 2011 (view all comments by Russian lit-mystery fan)
A well-researched and organized history of life in a terrorist state. Fear, violence, betrayal, deception, privation, compromise and paranoia were the daily fare for millions of people over a period of decades. There are numerous tragic accounts people who learned a half century after the fact of the death of loved ones, and also many tales of incredible reunions after years of searching. Although a challenge to read, I came away amazed at the resiliency of humans to find ways to truly live in the midst of the most trying circumstances. Particularly interesting are the many former labor camp slaves, who chose to remain in Siberia when they were released - and who felt great pride in their accomplishments in building cities, factories, mines, etc., and many powerful stories of true forgiveness. A harrowing, yet often unexpectedly inspiring book - it is essential reading for students of 20th century Soviet/Russian history, and anyone who wants to understand how the previous century shaped Russia today.
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Product Details

ISBN:
9780312428037
Author:
Figes, Orlando
Publisher:
Picador USA
Subject:
Modern - 20th Century
Subject:
Europe - Russia & the Former Soviet Union
Subject:
Social history
Subject:
Russia (pre & post Soviet Union)
Subject:
General
Subject:
Russia-General Russian History
Edition Description:
Trade Paper
Publication Date:
20081131
Binding:
TRADE PAPER
Grade Level:
General/trade
Language:
English
Illustrations:
Includes 10 bandw illustrations througho
Pages:
784
Dimensions:
9.25 x 6.13 in
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Related Aisles

The Whisperers: Private Life in Stalin's Russia New Trade Paper
0 stars - 0 reviews
$22.00 In Stock
Product details 784 pages Picador USA - English 9780312428037 Reviews:
"Synopsis" by , The award-winning author of "A Peoples Tragedy" and "Natashas Dance" has written this landmark account of what private life was like for Russians in the worst years of Soviet repression.
"Synopsis" by , A New York Times Notable Book of 2007

A tremendous achievement.--The Sunday Times (London)

The arrests, trials, enslavement, and gulags of Stalin's dictatorship are well-known. But no previous book has looked at the regime's effect on private lives--the devastation of families and the spread of suspicion throughout every village, neighborhood, and home in Russia. Drawing on a huge collection of family archives and thousands of interviews, The Whisperers is an authoritative, intimate history of a society in which everyone spoke in whispers--either to protect those close to them, or to inform on them.
"Synopsis" by ,

A New York Times Notable Book of 2007

"A tremendous achievement."--The Sunday Times (London)

The arrests, trials, enslavement, and gulags of Stalin's dictatorship are well-known. But no previous book has looked at the regime's effect on private lives--the devastation of families and the spread of suspicion throughout every village, neighborhood, and home in Russia. Drawing on a huge collection of family archives and thousands of interviews, The Whisperers is an authoritative, intimate history of a society in which everyone spoke in whispers--either to protect those close to them, or to inform on them.
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