Rate this book

L'hirondelle Avant L'orage (2009)

by Robert Littell(Favorite Author)

3.75 of 5 Votes: 1

ISBN

2917559063 (ISBN13: 9782917559062)

languge

English

genre

Historical Fiction

publisher

Éditions Baker Street

review 1: Using the adult life, and death at the hands of the State, of Osip Mandelstam, The Stalin Epigram examines the atrocities of the Stalinist Era. Mandelstam, of course, was one of Russia's greatest poets. He ran afoul of the regime when, in 1933, he composed "The Stalin Epigram", a poem ostensibly written in praise of "the Kremlin highlander", but in fact a thinly veiled criticism of Stalin, collectivism, and the early purges. The book presents a number of historical figures, including Trotsky, Bukharin, Stalin himself, and more. The book is fiction, but draws heavily from the actual events and people involved. Stalin's Epigram is entertaining, in its way, and at the same time a grim, heartbreaking portrayal of the political purges, and the inevitable descent from the m... moreisguided ideals of the October Revolution into oppression. As in most of Littell's work, the tone is slightly sardonic, but in the end, it is sad. As it should be.
review 2: I picked this book up knowing next to nothing about it, never having heard of Mandelstam or most of the other characters. However, I ended up enjoying it. The Stalin Epigram is not a spy novel. It has a very oppressive tone, since it takes place in Stalin's USSR and all. It is very much concerned with art, poetry, and artistic expression. I do wish the author had done more on that topic, but I liked what there was. I liked the different characters and their varying viewpoints. The writing was very nice, except for a few minor pet peeves of mine. I now need to look into Osip Mandelstam and his poetry, or read Nadezhda Mandelstam's memoirs. Definitely an interesting topic. less

Download links for: L'hirondelle avant l'orage

Advertising