A "fascinating" account of how Gorky, Pasternak, and other great writers were coerced to create propaganda for Stalin (
Cleveland Plain Dealer).
Sunday Times Best Travel Book of the Year
In the Soviet Union, writers of renown, described by Stalin as "engineers of the soul," were encouraged to sing the praises of canal and dam construction under titles such as
Energy: The Hydraulic Power Station and
Onward, Time! But their enthusiasmâspontaneous and idealistic at firstâsoon became obligatory, and as these colossal waterworks led to slavery and destruction, Soviet writers such as Maxim Gorky, Isaak Babel, Konstantin Paustovsky, and Boris Pasternak were forced to labor on in the service of a deluded totalitarian society.
Combining investigative journalism with literary history,
Engineers of the Soul is a journey through contemporary Russia and Soviet-era literature. Frank Westerman, a correspondent living in post-Communist Moscow, examines both the culture landscape under Stalin's rule and the booksâand livesâof writers caught in the wheels of the Soviet system as art and reality were bent to radically new purposes.
"Engagingly written and extensively researched, the book covers compelling historical and literary ground." â
Financial Times
"A detailed and enthralling account of his journey through Soviet literature including discovering the revolution's best kept secrets while trying to appreciate the talented writers who created a web of deceit in the name of success." â
Publishers WeeklyÂ
"A literary travelogue revealing a remarkable geography and a strange, fraught alliance when the pen was not as mighty as the hammer and sickle of the Soviet Union . . . insightful." â
Kirkus Reviews
- 317 pages
- English
- ePUB (mobile friendly)
- Available on iOS & Android
eBook - ePub
About this book
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Information
Table of contents
- Cover
- Also by Frank Westerman
- Copyright
- CONTENTS
- Prologue
- Number 1 Writer
- Maelstrom
- Belomor
- Botanist in the Desert
- Oriental Despotism
- The Illusion
- Stalinâs Cherry Orchard
- RabâRabochy
- Hurrah Patriotism
- The Bay at Kara Bogaz
- Liriki vs Fiziki
- Acknowledgements
- Engineers of the Soul
- Praise for Engineers of the Soul
- About Frank Westerman
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Yes, you can access Engineers of the Soul by Frank Westerman in PDF and/or ePUB format, as well as other popular books in History & Russian History. We have over 1.5 million books available in our catalogue for you to explore.