shannon_jayne1's review against another edition
challenging
informative
reflective
relaxing
sad
4.25
I thoroughly enjoyed this book and found it helpful as someone who is very interested in Russian culture, particularly literature. It should be noted that this book is a little dense so be warned it won’t be a quick read.
jossie_marie's review against another edition
challenging
emotional
informative
reflective
sad
medium-paced
4.25
Took a long time to read with many characters covered but most of them recognisable. If you have an interest in Russian art, music or literature you will love this.
princemyshkin97's review against another edition
4.0
Only took me 5ish years but I finally finished it! Incredibly dense but never dull, a very thorough overview on Russian culture from its inception to the Soviet era.
hakkun1's review against another edition
challenging
emotional
informative
reflective
medium-paced
4.5
haroshinka's review against another edition
5.0
Figes is the best Russian historian I've read. Not only is he an excellent historian, but he just *gets* Russia, in such a way that it surprises me he is not Russian himself. I don't think its a coincidence that so many of the best Russian historians are Jewish.
sarapalooza's review against another edition
4.0
Natashas’s Dance: A Cultural History of Russia
Orlando Figes
Okay, okay, if you’ve been on my page for a minute it’s no news: I’m a major fan of Russian literature.
Always on the lookout for books related to this topic, I was pleased when I came across this cultural history, which seemed to have very positive reviews.
Ah, I’m very glad our paths crossed. It is an enchanting overview of Russian literature/music/film and creates a sort of tapestry interweaving history and art. It was originally written in English, with an aim of bringing attention to the creators and works of the last four hundred years. Not overly “academic”, the book is written more like a story / collection of tales, which entertains and edifies. Definitely would recommend for anyone looking to learn more about this treasure trove of art. If you’re Russian, you probably know most of this, but if you’re not, there’s a lot to learn and enjoy.
Orlando Figes
Okay, okay, if you’ve been on my page for a minute it’s no news: I’m a major fan of Russian literature.
Always on the lookout for books related to this topic, I was pleased when I came across this cultural history, which seemed to have very positive reviews.
Ah, I’m very glad our paths crossed. It is an enchanting overview of Russian literature/music/film and creates a sort of tapestry interweaving history and art. It was originally written in English, with an aim of bringing attention to the creators and works of the last four hundred years. Not overly “academic”, the book is written more like a story / collection of tales, which entertains and edifies. Definitely would recommend for anyone looking to learn more about this treasure trove of art. If you’re Russian, you probably know most of this, but if you’re not, there’s a lot to learn and enjoy.
kiriamarin's review against another edition
Um bom livro não excelente, como um compêndio sobre A História da Rússia e seus aspectos culturais e formação de identidade como nação mas que não se aprofunda muito nos temas. Nesse ponto a primeira metade é boa a segunda me pareceu mais o autor dando opinião pessoal sobre fatos ocorridos após a revolução de 1917.
Enfim uma boa obra,com linguagem facil e nada cansativo,pra que gosta de História e Literatura e quer se familiarizar ou começar a ler sobre história e escritores russos.
Enfim uma boa obra,com linguagem facil e nada cansativo,pra que gosta de História e Literatura e quer se familiarizar ou começar a ler sobre história e escritores russos.
mollye1836's review against another edition
5.0
Russia, my joy.
I am going to try to keep this as un-sentimental as possible—something the author manages to do most of the time, which is very admirable and restrained, especially with such rich material. He only sometimes falls into clichés, and then those are usually borrowed from Russians themselves.
It should be noted that this is a cultural history of MODERN Russia, not an entire history (just as well I suppose, it wouldn’t fit into one book). But really, you could write an entire book on the 18th, 19th, or 20th Century alone, and he combines all three pretty well.
He has an excellent knowledge of all the classic Russian writers of the nineteenth century as well as a thorough understanding of music and art. It is enough to make a person fall in love with Russia all over again. Even if he hadn’t touched on those other Russian giants—Borodin, Rimsky-Korsakov, Andrei Rublev, Ilya Repin—the writers really carry this book. Appropriate for a nation where people were frequently killed for their books. He frequently falls back on previous commentary on these writers, to show their influence in later years on other artists. It helps tie the book together neatly and it drives home how fundamental literature is to Russian identity and culture.
Each chapter has a theme, which I enjoyed, instead of being purely chronological, and my only real critique is that only one chapter was devoted to Soviet Russia. I would have liked to read more about Bulgakov and the writers that came after Khrushchev’s thaw, but he ends the story in the postwar years. I’d like to note that this isn’t a failing on the author’s part, he chose a tremendously expansive topic and he inevitably had to focus on some things more than others. My favorite chapter was probably the one about the Russian soul, or the one about Russia’s relationship to Asia (and to Europe). The one on the soul is a must for anyone who loves Russia and the second is especially interesting for those with an interest in history, namely colonialism and orientalism.
I’m so excited about this book that I can’t form cohesive trains of thoughts. Art! Literature! Music! Opening this book makes me feel the way I do when Mussorgsky’s ‘Great Gate at Kiev’ plays. My heart soars and I am transfixed by the need to learn more about this complex, contradictory, beautiful nation. Thank you for this gift, thank you for an English language book that explores the marvels of this culture.
I am going to try to keep this as un-sentimental as possible—something the author manages to do most of the time, which is very admirable and restrained, especially with such rich material. He only sometimes falls into clichés, and then those are usually borrowed from Russians themselves.
It should be noted that this is a cultural history of MODERN Russia, not an entire history (just as well I suppose, it wouldn’t fit into one book). But really, you could write an entire book on the 18th, 19th, or 20th Century alone, and he combines all three pretty well.
He has an excellent knowledge of all the classic Russian writers of the nineteenth century as well as a thorough understanding of music and art. It is enough to make a person fall in love with Russia all over again. Even if he hadn’t touched on those other Russian giants—Borodin, Rimsky-Korsakov, Andrei Rublev, Ilya Repin—the writers really carry this book. Appropriate for a nation where people were frequently killed for their books. He frequently falls back on previous commentary on these writers, to show their influence in later years on other artists. It helps tie the book together neatly and it drives home how fundamental literature is to Russian identity and culture.
Each chapter has a theme, which I enjoyed, instead of being purely chronological, and my only real critique is that only one chapter was devoted to Soviet Russia. I would have liked to read more about Bulgakov and the writers that came after Khrushchev’s thaw, but he ends the story in the postwar years. I’d like to note that this isn’t a failing on the author’s part, he chose a tremendously expansive topic and he inevitably had to focus on some things more than others. My favorite chapter was probably the one about the Russian soul, or the one about Russia’s relationship to Asia (and to Europe). The one on the soul is a must for anyone who loves Russia and the second is especially interesting for those with an interest in history, namely colonialism and orientalism.
I’m so excited about this book that I can’t form cohesive trains of thoughts. Art! Literature! Music! Opening this book makes me feel the way I do when Mussorgsky’s ‘Great Gate at Kiev’ plays. My heart soars and I am transfixed by the need to learn more about this complex, contradictory, beautiful nation. Thank you for this gift, thank you for an English language book that explores the marvels of this culture.