Synopses & Reviews
When the British journalist Rachel Polonsky 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 the ruthless apparatchik Vyacheslav Molotov, a henchman for Stalin who was a participant in the collectivizations and the Great Purge—and also an ardent bibliophile. In what was formerly Molotovs apartment, Polonsky uncovers an extensive library and an old magic lantern—two things that lead her on an extraordinary journey throughout Russia and ultimately renew her vision of the country and its people.
In Molotovs Magic Lantern, Polonsky visits the haunted cities and vivid landscapes of the books from Molotovs 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 and beautiful prose, Polonsky 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. A singular homage to Russian history and culture, Molotovs Magic Lantern evokes the spirit of the great artists and the haunted past of a country ravaged by war, famine, and totalitarianism.
Review
“The result is an eccentric work, daring in conception, peculiar in construction, that incorporates all Polonsky's teeming scholarly knowledge of Russia and the Russian people ... In the course of her travels, Polonsky visits monasteries, dachas, sanatoriums and bath houses. Her chapter on Siberia in particular offers a meticulous reportage tinged with poetry, in which almost every page radiates gem-like images and an impressive literary craft ... Molotov's Magic Lantern remains a magnificent achievement, in which Russia emerges as less a nation than a marvelous region of the mind.” The Irish Times
Review
“Its a gem ... [Polonsky] 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. Its a challenging and demanding read but one that is hugely rewarding.” Sunday Express
Review
“As promising and enticing as a novel ... An unexpectedly delightful literary travelogue ... Polonsky is not so much a wanderer as a meanderer of the mind ... And Molotov's Magic Lantern is not a piece of history, nor of literary criticism, but a pocket torch shone into the nooks and crannies between the two.” The Sunday Times
Review
“Polonsky's detail-studded hybrid of travelogue, biography and political and cultural history is dense and scholarly, and dares to lack a dominant propulsive narrative... Rather, it beautifully competes with Russia's endemic cultural amnesia to refract a terrifying national legacy through a bloodied sequence of endlessly shimmering stories, over which the figure of Putin still resolutely lies.” Metro
Review
“[An] elegant book ...This is a many-layered portrait in which the strands of Russia past and present, town and countryside, real and intellectual, are interwoven with skill and ... erudition.” The Independent
Review
"Literature is everywhere, and Polonsky has a keen understanding that while Russians may not read much any longer, books remain a crucial aspect of the national character. Standing on the flattened plains of Taganrog, she says of Chekhov, who once lived there: "He learned about the horizon of time from looking into the lilac steppe distance." Polonsky may not be an academic, as Figes acidly suggested, but she certainly understands what books mean to the Russian people." Alexander Nazaryan, The New Republic (Read the entire )
Synopsis
When the British journalist Rachel Polonsky 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 the ruthless apparatchik, 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, Polonsky uncovers an extensive library and an old magic lanterntwo things that lead her on an extraordinary journey throughout Russia and ultimately renew her vision of the country and its people.
In Molotov's Magic Lantern, Polonsky 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 and beautiful prose, Polonsky 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. A singular homage to Russian history and culture, Molotov's Magic Lantern evokes the spirit of the great artists and the haunted past of a country ravaged by war, famine, and totalitarianism.
Synopsis
After moving to Moscow, British journalist Polonsky discovers the apartment of Stalin's henchman, Vyacheslav Molotov, and uncovers an extensive library and an old lantern — two things that lead her on a journey throughout Russia, which ultimately renews her vision of the country and its people.
About the Author
Rachel Polonsky has written for Prospect, The Guardian, The Times Literary Supplement, and The Spectator, among other publications. She is the author of English Literature and the Russian Aesthetic Renaissance and lives in Cambridge, England, with her family.