Ebook Natasha Dance A Cultural History of Russia Orlando Figes Books
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Beginning in the eighteenth century with the building of St. Petersburg and culminating with the Soviet regime, Figes examines how writers, artists, and musicians grappled with the idea of Russia itself--its character, spiritual essence, and destiny. Skillfully interweaving the great works--by Dostoevsky, Stravinsky, and Chagall--with folk embroidery, peasant songs, religious icons, and all the customs of daily life, Figes reveals the spirit of "Russianness" as rich and uplifting, complex and contradictory--and more lasting than any Russian ruler or state.
Ebook Natasha Dance A Cultural History of Russia Orlando Figes Books
"I've been meaning to read this book since it came out a few years ago, but have been too intimidated--reading a book of this size about Russian culture is not for the faint of heart! Having read some of the author's other books, however, I knew that sooner or later I would pick it up.
As I feared, this book is not a very easy read, but those who persevere will be rewarded with an excellent account of most of the highlights of Russian culture: literature, poetry, music, ballet, philosophy (of what it means to be "Russian"), and religion. As in his other books, the author does a fantastic job of relating various interesting facts and anecdotes about the Russian culture and its leading actors. One example--the tourist abominations known as Matroshka dolls are not in fact a "traditional" Russian item--during the late nineteenth century they were copied from a Chinese nesting doll by a factory owner looking for stuff for his faux-peasant workers to churn out for Russia's urban middle classes clamoring for "traditional Russian peasant" handicrafts. There are also many fascinating anecdotes about the personal lives of some of the giants of Russian culture, from Tolstoy to Prokofiev.
While many parts of this book are quite interesting, and the author is an excellent writer, large parts of the book are rather heavy-going. Personally I found the substantial part of the book describing the orthodox church to be extremely tedious. While religion is certainly a topic which has to be thoroughly addressed in any book about Russian culture, I don't think that any writer could make the topic interesting for me... Likewise for similar topics, such philosophical debates about the nature of the "Russian soul", or how various types of poetry reflect it. Also, the book skips around a bit, both chronologically and geographically, which got confusing at times.
All in all, this is a very well-researched and well-written book about Russian culture by an excellent author, but it is probably not for everyone. If you don't know much about Russia and are looking for a beach book to help you "understand Russia", this is not that book. If you are a Russophile or are particularly interested in particular aspects of Russian culture, you will probably find this book quite interesting--if difficult to read--as I did."
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Tags : Natasha's Dance A Cultural History of Russia (9780312421953) Orlando Figes Books,Orlando Figes,Natasha's Dance A Cultural History of Russia,Picador,0312421958,HIS032000,Europe - Russia The Former Soviet Union,Russia - Civilization,Russia - Intellectual life,138003 Pic Metro TPC,Central/Eastern Europe,GENERAL,General Adult,HISTORY / Russia the Former Soviet Union,HISTORY OF CIVILIZATION AND CULTURE (GENERAL),History,History - General History,History/World,History/World - General,History World,Non-Fiction,RUSSIA - HISTORY,United States,World - General,russian history; russian culture; russian peoples; russian identity; russian music; russian art; russian literature; soviet culture; russian orthodox church; soviet art; soviet literature; soviet film; anton chekhov; dostoyevsky; sergei eisenstein; nickolai gogol; maxim gorky; nabokov; moscow culture; boris pasternak; russian intellectuals; russian intellectualism,russian history; russian culture; russian peoples; russian identity; russian music; russian art; russian literature; soviet culture; russian orthodox church; soviet art; soviet literature; soviet film; sergei eisenstein; nickolai gogol; maxim gorky; nabokov; moscow culture; boris pasternak; russian intellectuals; russian intellectualism; anton chekhov; dostoyevsky,HISTORY / Russia the Former Soviet Union,History/World - General,World - General,History - General History,History Of Civilization And Culture (General),Russia - History,History,History World
Natasha Dance A Cultural History of Russia Orlando Figes Books Reviews :
Natasha Dance A Cultural History of Russia Orlando Figes Books Reviews
- I've been meaning to read this book since it came out a few years ago, but have been too intimidated--reading a book of this size about Russian culture is not for the faint of heart! Having read some of the author's other books, however, I knew that sooner or later I would pick it up.
As I feared, this book is not a very easy read, but those who persevere will be rewarded with an excellent account of most of the highlights of Russian culture literature, poetry, music, ballet, philosophy (of what it means to be "Russian"), and religion. As in his other books, the author does a fantastic job of relating various interesting facts and anecdotes about the Russian culture and its leading actors. One example--the tourist abominations known as Matroshka dolls are not in fact a "traditional" Russian item--during the late nineteenth century they were copied from a Chinese nesting doll by a factory owner looking for stuff for his faux-peasant workers to churn out for Russia's urban middle classes clamoring for "traditional Russian peasant" handicrafts. There are also many fascinating anecdotes about the personal lives of some of the giants of Russian culture, from Tolstoy to Prokofiev.
While many parts of this book are quite interesting, and the author is an excellent writer, large parts of the book are rather heavy-going. Personally I found the substantial part of the book describing the orthodox church to be extremely tedious. While religion is certainly a topic which has to be thoroughly addressed in any book about Russian culture, I don't think that any writer could make the topic interesting for me... Likewise for similar topics, such philosophical debates about the nature of the "Russian soul", or how various types of poetry reflect it. Also, the book skips around a bit, both chronologically and geographically, which got confusing at times.
All in all, this is a very well-researched and well-written book about Russian culture by an excellent author, but it is probably not for everyone. If you don't know much about Russia and are looking for a beach book to help you "understand Russia", this is not that book. If you are a Russophile or are particularly interested in particular aspects of Russian culture, you will probably find this book quite interesting--if difficult to read--as I did. - I'm ashamed to say it took me 15 years after buying this excellent book to read it. Russia is a country apart with a sweeping and fabulous cultural dimension that few Westerners appreciate. Most of the comments on the book rating it highly are accurate. The fascinating part on the development of Kandinsky's art and the influence of his trips to the hinterlands opened a new window into his art for me. Virtually every chapter elucidates some corner of the culture, especially the profound religious cross-currents and the rise of Moscow countering St Petersburg as the center of Russia. I'll read it a second time.
- Culture is paramount to a Russian. One of the worst insults I can use in describing someone is to say he is nekulturniy - not cultured. Creating a window into a nation's soul is no easy task. And yet Figes, through breadth of scholarship and an inviting writing style, manages to do just that. Having read this book ten years ago for the first time, I was quite excited to be able to read this again now that it is available as an eBook. Ten years later I find this book as remarkable an achievement as I did the first time.
This is not a complete cultural history of Russia. The time before the founding of St. Petersburg is hardly covered (though there is some excellent analysis in the chapter entitled 'Descendants of Genghiz Khan' about the links of Imperial Russia to Mongol Russia). And that does seem to be a drawback to the book. Though Peter may have broken the link with Moscow and Eurasian Russian, the centuries before Peter still affected Imperial Russia to a very wide extent.
But the period that is covered is a true cultural history of Russia. Literature and music are the primary focuses though the visual arts and architecture are also given some attention. In particular the author is most convincing when he fuses analysis of his theses with the words of the authors and musicians themselves. This brings alien and lost worlds to life once more. For anyone interested in Russian literature or Russian music, this is a good place to start.
Art is a mirror for a culture and a people. It reveals who they are, what they consider important, and what their dreams are. Figes shows how the art and ideas of the centuries covered were a mirror for how the Russians (and by Russians I refer to a tiny substrata of the people due to the limitations of literary and the bourgeoisie's growth) considered themselves and how they tried to understand themselves. In particular the tension between the Russia of Europe and the Russia of Eurasia and the unique situation the Russians found themselves in between these two worlds is a particularly interesting theme drawn out throughout the book. This duality is further complicated during the last two chapters when there is another split - that between Russia Abroad and Soviet Russia.
One window is not enough to explore Russia's culture because there is more than one Russia and more than one culture. And Figes does an excellent job of exploring the cultures of all these Russias. He is kulturniy. - In Natasha’s Dance noted historian Orlando Figes examines the contributing strands of Russian culture that give Russia it’s very unique flavor. For one, Russian culture is not a monolithic thing but rather a mixture of competing forces like modernization vs tradition. This is played out in the battle between Moscow and Saint Petersburg one with more modern values while the other is welded towards tradition. You also get a clash of the European character vs. The Asian character of the Russian State.
Historical cultural studies are a complicated business. I’ve heard some critics say that the book is a Western interpretation of Russian culture. However, the reality is that all this book really says at its core is that the culture of people and places is a mixture of a wide variety of elements that often exist in tension with each other. This isn’t just true of Russian culture, but any population grouping on the planet.
