The Story of Russia
by Orlando Figes
The Story of Russia is a highly readable account of the whole of Russian history, from the early days of the Rus to the current war in Ukraine, in fewer than 300 pages. Historian Orlando Figes, author of our most recommended book on Russian history—A People’s Tragedy: The Russian Revolution—shows how that history is essentially a story. This is no different from any other country’s national history, constantly changing to reflect current concerns, but it is a story many Westerners are unfamiliar with and crucial to understanding Russia today.
Recommendations from our site
“The book opens in 2016 with the unveiling of a statue in front of the Kremlin to Grand Prince Vladimir, ruler of Kievan Rus, ‘the first Russian state’, between 980 and 1015. Vladimir Putin gave the opening address. ‘The Ukrainians were furious,’ Figes writes. ‘They had their own statue of grand prince, Volodymyr as they call him. It was built in 1853…high up on the right bank of the Dnieper River overlooking Kiev.’ As he notes, “What we have in the conflict over Volodymr/Vladimir is not a genuine historical dispute, but two incompatible foundation myths.” The book is a highly readable overview of more than a millennium of Russian history in fewer than 300 pages with, as the title suggests, an eye on the ‘story’ that’s being told and how it is relevant to the present. Not only does the book make you think about Russia, it also makes you think about the history of every country and the power of these ‘imagined communities.’” Read more...
Nonfiction of 2022: Fall Roundup
Sophie Roell, Journalist
Our most recommended books
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The Horde: How the Mongols Changed the World
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London's 'Golden Mile': The Great Houses of the Strand, 1550–1650
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The Habsburgs: To Rule the World
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The Ottomans: Khans, Caesars and Caliphs
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The Ruin of All Witches: Life and Death in the New World
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Devil-Land: England Under Siege, 1588-1688
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The book, according to the author