Rasputin : faith, power, and the twilight of the Romanovs

Author:Douglas Smith (Author)

Summary:"On the centenary of the death of Rasputin comes a definitive biography that will dramatically change our understanding of this fascinating figure. A hundred years after his murder, Rasputin continues to excite the popular imagination as the personification of evil. Numerous biographies, novels, and films recount his mysterious rise to power as Nicholas and Alexandra's confidant and the guardian of the sickly heir to the Russian throne. His debauchery and sinister political influence are the stuff of legend, and the downfall of the Romanov dynasty was laid at his feet. But as the prizewinning historian Douglas Smith shows, the true story of Rasputin's life and death has remained shrouded in myth. A major new work that combines probing scholarship and powerful storytelling, Rasputin separates fact from fiction to reveal the real life of one of history's most alluring figures. Drawing on a wealth of forgotten documents from archives in seven countries, Smith presents Rasputin in all his complexity--man of God, voice of peace, loyal subject, adulterer, drunkard. Rasputin is not just a definitive biography of an extraordinary and legendary man but a fascinating portrait of the twilight of imperial Russia as it lurched toward catastrophe."-- Provided by publisher

Print Book, English, 2017

Edition:First Picador edition View all formats and editions

Publisher: Picador / Farrar, Straus and Giroux, New York, 2017

Genre:Biography

Physical Description:xx, 817 pages : illustrations, maps ; 23 cm

ISBN:

9780374240844, 9780374711238, 9781250141262, 0374240841, 0374711232, 1250141265