Ebook: Memoirs of a Survivor. The Glolitsyn Family in Stalin's Russia

London: Reportage Press, 2008. - 556 c.
Russian original title: "Записки уцелевшего".
Первая публикация в России: 1990Introduction by Dominic LlevenSergei Golitsyn's fulsome memoirs paint a wonderfully vivid portrait of a period in Russian history - between the revolution in 1917 and Russia's entry into WWII in 1941 - which is ill-documented because, as he explains, many found it simply too terrible to write about (and at the time, of course, too dangerous).
Born into the nobility just in time to experience a world which was about to be turned upside down, he describes through the prism of family the panic, struggle, endurance and ingenuity of survivors managing to scrape a life of sorts amongst the ideological rubble of a broken country. His account of the destiny of family members, all of whom suffer different fates, tells the common story of all who suddenly found themselves the "wrong class" in those treacherous times, constantly hounded-out and prevented from having a proper life or ultimately, like many of his closest relatives, being liquidated by the authorities.
These are tragic human stories, but it's by no means all doom and gloom. Golitsyn writes fondly of the closeness of family (in particular his mother) and of idyllic days spotting mushrooms and wildlife on the Bogoroditsk estate, as well as his fascination with the spires and domes of monastic towns, and his ceaseless attempts to keep art, knowledge and the values of old Russia alive against daunting odds. The blend of family and historic events is particularly successful, as the fate of individuals is sketched out against a backdrop of sweeping historical changes, and in parts this reads like a secret love letter to a world he knows is about to be destroyed.
Golitsyn died as communism was crumbling throughout eastern Europe, knowing that his story would be published. Now, finally, it is available in English thanks to a sympathetic translation by Nicholas Witter, his first cousin once removed, a touch that would surely have thrilled an author so passionate about family. Prefaced by 19 helpful pages of maps, chronologies, family trees and forewords, this family saga is an epic and fascinating read, unhesitatingly recommended to anyone interested in an unusual perspective on this turbulent period of Russian history. (Caspersozza, Amazon review)