St. Petersburg (Paperback) (ISBN-13: 9781643131566)

Established in 1703 by the sheer will of its charismatic founder, the homicidal megalomaniac Peter the Great, St. Petersburg's dazzling yet unhinged reputation was quickly cemented by the sadistic dominion of its early rulers. This city, in its successive incarnations--St. Petersburg, Petrograd, Leningrad and, once again, St. Petersburg--has always been a place of perpetual contradiction.It was a window to Europe and the Enlightenment, but so much of Russia's unique glory was also created here: its literature, music, dance, and, for a time, its political vision. It gave birth to the artistic genius of Pushkin and Dostoyevsky, Tchaikovsky and Shostakovich, Pavlova and Nureyev. Yet, for all its glittering palaces, fairytale balls and enchanting gardens, the blood of thousands has been spilt on its snow-filled streets.It has been a hotbed of war and revolution, a place of siege and starvation, and the crucible for Lenin and Stalin's power-hungry brutality. In St. Petersburg, Jonathan Miles recreates the drama of three hundred years in this paradoxical and brilliant city, bringing us up to the present day, when its fate hangs in the balance once more.

Author: Jonathan Miles
ISBN-10: 1643131567
ISBN-13: 9781643131566
Publisher: Pegasus Books
Language: English
Published: 05/14/2019
Pages: 560
Format: Paperback
Weight: 1.45lbs
Size: 8.90h x 5.90w x 1.80d