St. Petersburg
Madness, Murder, and Art on the Banks of the Neva
New York : Pegasus Books, 2018.
Format: Book
Edition: First Pegasus Books hardcover edition.
Description: 592 pages, 16 unnumbered pages of plates : illustrations, map, color ; 24 cm
From Peter the Great to Putin, this is the unforgettable story of St Petersburg--one of the most magical, menacing, and influential cities in the world.
St. Petersburg has always felt like an impossible metropolis, risen from the freezing mists and flooded marshland of the River Neva on the western edge of Russia. It was a new capital in an old country. Established in 1703 by the sheer will of Peter the Great, its 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. Yet, for all its glittering palaces, fairytale balls and enchanting gardens, the blood of thousands has been spilt on its snow-filled streets.
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.
This is an epic tale of murder, massacre and madness played out against squalor and splendor, and an unforgettable portrait of a city and its people.
St. Petersburg has always felt like an impossible metropolis, risen from the freezing mists and flooded marshland of the River Neva on the western edge of Russia. It was a new capital in an old country. Established in 1703 by the sheer will of Peter the Great, its 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. Yet, for all its glittering palaces, fairytale balls and enchanting gardens, the blood of thousands has been spilt on its snow-filled streets.
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.
This is an epic tale of murder, massacre and madness played out against squalor and splendor, and an unforgettable portrait of a city and its people.
Subjects:
Saint Petersburg (Russia) -- History.
Saint Petersburg (Russia) -- Civilization.
Saint Petersburg (Russia) -- Politics and government.
Saint Petersburg (Russia) -- Intellectual life.
Saint Petersburg (Russia) -- Kings and rulers.
Saint Petersburg (Russia) -- History.
Saint Petersburg (Russia) -- Civilization.
Saint Petersburg (Russia) -- Politics and government.
Saint Petersburg (Russia) -- Intellectual life.
Saint Petersburg (Russia) -- Kings and rulers.
ISBN:
9781681776767
Availability | |||
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Call Number | Location | Shelf Location | Status |
HISTORY Europe Russia Mil | Main (Downtown) | Third Level, Nonfiction | In |
Includes bibliographical references and index.