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Molotov's Magic Lantern: Travels in Russian History, by Rachel Polonsky
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Review
“A modern classic.†―The Economist“Cogently descriptive, empathic, plucky, and acerbic, Polonsky begins with a tour of Moscow's grim landmarks of the Stalin era, then ventures out into the countryside, excavating the tragic and heroic stories of writers and scientists who suffered banishment and worse, many the victims of Molotov's industrious murderousness . . . Polonsky is so steeped in Russian history and literature that everywhere she goes, her inner magic lantern projects the past onto the present, the imagined onto the real, and what we see is an illuminated land of immense brutality and beauty, suffering and spirit.†―Donna Seaman, Booklist“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 . . . A magnificent achievement, in which Russia emerges as less a nation than a marvellous region of the mind.†―Ian Thomson, The Irish Times“It's 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. It's a challenging and demanding read but one that is hugely rewarding.†―Viv Groskop, Sunday Express“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.†―Wendell Steavenson, The Sunday Times“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“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“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“[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.†―Mary Dejevsky, The Independent“Fascinating skatulochka--jewellery box--of Russian history . . . Polonsky's description of the far north of Russia made me long to visit, with its ‘other-wordly' landscape. [Polonsky] achieves a more profound understanding of Putin's Russia than many other foreign observers.†―Charlotte Hobson, The Daily Telegraph“Polonsky weaves an extraordinary web of connections between people, places and books. Her own work seems to belong to no known genre. It is neither political history, nor literary criticism, nor travelogue reportage; yet it combines some of the best features of all three, illuminating aspects of Russian cultural life . . . What is utterly fresh about this book is the personal engagement with the material, the capturing of place, mood and tone . . . The command of detail is absolutely masterly.†―The Sunday Telegraph“Perceptive and erudite . . . [Polonsky] has produced a spectacular and enjoyable display of intellectual fireworks for the general reader . . . Ms Polonsky wears her considerable learning lightly . . . She has a knack for putting herself into other people's shoes with empathy and skill . . . The contempt she feels for the greed, filth and viciousness that she encounters is all the more compelling for being understated. Her sympathy and affection for the finest bits of Russia's past and present shine through . . . The reader catches only fleeting glimpses of Ms Polonsky herself. That contrasts pleasingly with the self-centredness that is present in so much other Western writing about Russia. As her book shows, the author has grit, charm and style--and a gift for traveller's tales.†―The Economist“Everywhere on this journey, Polonsky shows great curiosity about the web of personality and history, and the connections between power and literature that form Russian history and society today, her erudition is always lightly-worn . . . I was gripped by this book--a delicious celebration of Russia, old and modern, from Pushkin to Putin, not only a guide to obscure places but also a meanderingly whimsical map of the soul and daily life of Russia, a luminous, charming and fascinating masterclass on literature, power, tragedy and death.†―Simon Sebag Montefiore, Evening Standard“[Polonsky's] book is as sensitive to literature and history as it is to the merely exotic, and she combines impressive scholarship, the work of years, with an admirably languid delicacy of touch . . . Polonsky's imagination is mercurial, and it is for that, not Stalin's grisly comrade, that the book delights . . . Anyone who loves Russia will be entertained, and some who do not may be tempted to start an adventure of their own . . . It is as delicate and enriching as a Russian poem, and it will certainly make a new generation of visitors to Russia think more colourfully about Europe's closest, endlessly surprising, other.†―Catherine Merridale, Literary Review
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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.
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Product details
Paperback: 416 pages
Publisher: Farrar, Straus and Giroux; Reprint edition (January 3, 2012)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 0374533202
ISBN-13: 978-0374533205
Product Dimensions:
5.5 x 1.1 x 8.3 inches
Shipping Weight: 11.2 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
Average Customer Review:
3.4 out of 5 stars
23 customer reviews
Amazon Best Sellers Rank:
#1,993,435 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
Molotov's Magic Lantern took me on a marvelous ride through Russian History without the burdens of past Cold War propaganda to wade through. And for this alone, I am grateful. More wonderful than even that, the weaving of cultural and historical information creates an unforgettable picture of the world of Stalinist Russia. By including historical anecdotes relating to the experiences of people under Tsarist secret police repression, Polonsky brings a refreshing perspective onto the excesses of Stalin and his chief henchman, Molotov. Those of us who have lived long enough to experience the mysterious web of history working its way through our lives, sometimes unconsciously, but always with amazing, almost predetermined outcomes, the stories of personal and political life that Polonsky writes about have the ring of truth and provide profound insights. The history of Tsarist Russia up to 1917 was a history of autocratic absolutism wrapped up in the Orthodox fatalism of the Christian faith. The oppression of centuries of serfdom and autocratic secret police exploded in the nobility's faces in 1917. Their former subjects rose up and wiped the nobility off the face of the earth. The regime these revolutionaries created then fell into the deep ruts of Russian History and reproduced the absolutist autocracy that had come before it. The immense brutality and cultural loss of the Stalinist Purges should not prevent us from seeing its continuity with Russia's past. Rachel Polonsky has helped us do that. An excellent and unique book worth reading and rereading. And having read it digitally, I followed her journey on Google Earth, and searched for names and places throughout my reading. An amazing trip through history.
Every nation is a product of and captive to it's history. In Molotov's Magic Lantern, Rachel Polonsky uses her encounter with the library of notorious Stalin henchman Vyacheslav Molotov as the cornerstone of this spellbinding book. In it she takes us to far-flung reaches of the almost unfathomably large Russian landmass and interweaves that past with the present in such a way as for the reader to marvel not only at the wealth of the Russian cultural patrimony but also at the resilience of her people who have suffered so much throughout history, the Stalinist terror being the peak of their suffering.It took me a while to read the book, this is not something you can usefully skim through and expect to retain anything of value. But every moment spent was worth it as I gained new insights into those with whom I am familiar, and the scores of Russian historical figures with whom I am not.For those whose eyes are open, there are many lessons to be learned that are applicable in our own countries. Polonsky has written a masterpiece that should be read and treasured by anyone fascinated with Russia.
The author did not follow chronological steps in her voyage inside Russia. The reader should have been minimal acknowledged about Russia history, to read this book. But it’s worth every single line to read it.
Fascinating tales about a city I thought I knew
Perhaps my expectations were too high. Perhaps I need a deeper knowledge of Russian geography and literature. Regardless, I struggled with "Molotov's Magic Lantern".The author, Rachel Polonsky, spent time in Moscow with her husband, a banker. They found an apartment within a building that had previously housed so many of the Soviet Union's elite; in particular, Vyacheslav Molotov, Stalin's ever loyal subordinate. However, the building had also previously housed Trotsky and, later, Kosygin and Khrushchev amongst others.Polonksy spends time pouring over Molotov's extensive library. The man was certainly well read. She then proceeds to use the library as a lens for her subsequent travels through Russia. And these travels inevitably touch upon the tragedy that was the Soviet Union. Few nations have been scarred by the traumas that faced Russia and the Soviet Union in the twentieth century.Yet, for all the prospects that this book offered, I found it hard going. The theme was often lost and, as the reader, I was easily distracted. This is a pity. The book could have delivered so much more.
I visited, guest lectured in secondary schools, traveled in the USSR/Russia during much of the 1990's. I am familiar with many of the names hurled from the pages of this book, but the pace and inventory of facts is mind numbing. I can't imagine anyone not well versed in Russian history and culture wading through this work. If you are looking for a book with focus, this is a book with ADD. Just keep it in mind. I am sure the author is highly educated and extremely knowledgable, but she simply can't explain it at a pace, with a focus that would make it clear for most readers. sorry, I wanted to like it and looked forward to reading it, then reality set in.
Molotov occupies an important part of Soviet history, yet little has been written about him. This book is not a biography, but the story of a writer who occupied an apartment in the building where Molotov lived and had access to his apartment. Molotov was a bibliophile and lead an interesting life. The author travels to many of the places Molotov did and writes an interesting history of the areas and Molotov's life in these largely obscure places. Who knew that Molotov was once a street musician? Very interesting book.
Unless one is a Russian scholar or russiaphile one will not appreciate the impact of this book. It's on my shelf waiting for a trip to Russia. I loved the book and the combination of historical figures and geography ofr the vast nation.
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