tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1911087927983597831.post8750375649163227377..comments2024-01-02T15:37:04.858-05:00Comments on Caravana de recuerdos: A People's Tragedy: The Russian Revolution, 1891-1924Richardhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01746599416342846897noreply@blogger.comBlogger12125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1911087927983597831.post-67904201033382647122014-06-02T01:30:31.955-04:002014-06-02T01:30:31.955-04:00Figes' Amazon escapades, from what little I...Figes' Amazon escapades, from what little I've read about them, don't put him in a good light at all and are totally inexplicable to me given how great I think his <em>A People's Tragedy</em> is. Is/was he really that insecure? Despite his poor judgement in terms of writing those reviews, though, I can't take it out on his book. It's not like he was accused of plagiarizing it.<br /><br />Thanks, by the way, for sharing your opinions of <em>Natasha's Dance</em> and <em>The Whisperers</em>. The material in the former will be <em>a lot</em> less familiar to me than it was to you, but I appreciate hearing your concerns about its flaws nonetheless. As for <em>The Whisperers</em>, it's news to me that much of the source material was provided by other researchers; however, that's a good thing to know ahead of time as well. P.S. I hope to visit your blog soon--have been a bit busy lately, but I'm glad to make the acquaintance of a Russian reader since my knowledge of Russian history and literature is a bet sketchy and could use the help. Cheers!Richardhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01746599416342846897noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1911087927983597831.post-79423324111772751102014-05-31T12:44:48.704-04:002014-05-31T12:44:48.704-04:00I was referring to Figes' past habit of writin...I was referring to Figes' past habit of writing pseudonymous Amazon reviews praising himself and berating his fellow Russianists. He has repented since but an aftertaste lingers on.<br /><br />As a haphazardly educated Russian, I'm familiar with many - but by far all - of the bits and pieces <i>Natasha's Dance</i> is made of. I was awed at the scope of the work but when I came across one or two claims that were obviously wrong, I started wondering if Figes' knowledge of Russia was solid and if his logic was not akin to Khlestakov's "incredible lightness in thoughts".<br /><br /><i>The Whisperers</i> is worth reading for the source material, provided mostly by researchers from Russia's Memorial Society.Alex Khttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05922917428608106970noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1911087927983597831.post-7293140620891880352014-05-30T12:48:41.029-04:002014-05-30T12:48:41.029-04:00Figes actually does mention how/why Alexis became ...Figes actually does mention how/why Alexis became a haemophilia victim, but I didn't think it was necessary to mention that to convey my appreciation for the line about how the malady had become an "occupational hazard" in Europe.Richardhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01746599416342846897noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1911087927983597831.post-46488680493433256042014-05-30T12:43:40.294-04:002014-05-30T12:43:40.294-04:00Alex K, thanks for your two comments on this post....Alex K, thanks for your two comments on this post. I can understand how the "sloppy" thing might rub you the wrong way. Nobody wants to nor should have to put up with that in a peer reviewed publication. However, do you think <em>Natasha's Dance</em> is so sloppy that people shouldn't even bother reading it? Or do you have another recommendation for a similar cultural history of its scope? A lot of people whose judgement I trust, like Obooki above, have raved about it or at least said very nice things about it. As far as your vanity charge against Figes, I'm not sure how that matters in terms of <em>A People's Tragedy</em> unless you're responding to the author photo I published! For me, it's a great achievement in the sense that it handles a tremendous amount of material in a frequently arresting way--and Figes doesn't come off as vain in it in any way that I can remember. I don't see how the vanity charge has any bearing on this book.Richardhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01746599416342846897noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1911087927983597831.post-70156166866927249462014-05-29T02:54:58.177-04:002014-05-29T02:54:58.177-04:00"haemophilia was so common in the royal house..."haemophilia was so common in the royal houses of Europe that it had become something of an occupational hazard"<br /><br />It would be helpful to explain that the gene was Queen Victoria's gift to European royalty. The way to avoid it was not to marry her female descendants.Alex Khttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05922917428608106970noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1911087927983597831.post-40021897798213267982014-05-29T02:05:03.952-04:002014-05-29T02:05:03.952-04:00Natasha's Dance, unfortunately, seems full of ...<i>Natasha's Dance</i>, unfortunately, seems full of errors - even I could spot a few, but the meticulous Pushkin biographer T.J. Binyon went further: "Poor Pushkin receives the scurviest of treatments. Barely a statement about the poet is without error; the climax is reached on page 87, where 16 lines of Professor Figes's prose contain eight egregious mistakes."<br /><br />Figes could be great if he were less vain and sloppy.Alex Khttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05922917428608106970noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1911087927983597831.post-34324939593696744022014-05-21T21:23:26.370-04:002014-05-21T21:23:26.370-04:00I myself have been stockpiling a lot of history th...I myself have been stockpiling a lot of history the last couple of years without really reading much along those lines, Séamus, so this was a long overdue treat for me. Have a couple of other works which, like this Figes book, have come highly recommended as great pieces of historical writing, so hopefully I'll be able to share another momentous nonfiction title or two before the end of the year. In the meantime, happy reading with that Brit '70s history book of yours as well as the history-damaged <em>Yo el Supremo</em>!Richardhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01746599416342846897noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1911087927983597831.post-11139631997794223692014-05-21T21:16:02.336-04:002014-05-21T21:16:02.336-04:00Miguel, tremendous indeed--easily one of the best ...Miguel, tremendous indeed--easily one of the best histories I've read in the last ten years or so, and this is coming from a guy who's not even particularly interested in the Russian Revolution as a topic (Figes has made me want to read more on the matter, of course).Richardhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01746599416342846897noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1911087927983597831.post-44779699766883855232014-05-21T21:10:40.583-04:002014-05-21T21:10:40.583-04:00Obooki, I'd like to read Natasha's Dance o...Obooki, I'd like to read <em>Natasha's Dance</em> or <em>The Whisperers</em> sometime in the next several months or so and more Figes in general down the road. I agree that he's a very interesting writer. Just so you know, the civil war period history spans about a quarter of this particular book and includes some of the work's most riveting moments in my opinion.Richardhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01746599416342846897noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1911087927983597831.post-63210928469972155362014-05-20T18:42:06.078-04:002014-05-20T18:42:06.078-04:00Some killer lines there - sounds great. I've b...Some killer lines there - sounds great. I've been meaning to tackle some of my mountain of non-fiction that I've been ignoring over the past few years. I just started a history of Britain in the 70's - a bit smaller scale than this but relevant to something I'm working on. Perhaps after I get through El Supremo and my current project I'll tackle a nice big history book. Séamus Dugganhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00574186409184247059noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1911087927983597831.post-51666611644229236522014-05-20T18:32:21.606-04:002014-05-20T18:32:21.606-04:00It must be a tremendous read, Richard, thanks for ...It must be a tremendous read, Richard, thanks for bringing my attention to it.LMRhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08538873868140070018noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1911087927983597831.post-28151741334378615742014-05-20T16:28:18.535-04:002014-05-20T16:28:18.535-04:00I like Figes a lot; he is very readable and intere...I like Figes a lot; he is very readable and interesting. Natasha's Dance, his cultural history of Russia, I particularly liked. I should read this: for a long time I've wanted to read something about the post-revolution civil war period, but very few books seems to cover it.obookihttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03885121629202810216noreply@blogger.com