Motherland by Lesley Chamberlain

Motherland by Lesley Chamberlain

In this "lucid primer of Russian thought" (The Times Literary Supplement), Lesley Chamberlain finds that during the last two centuries Russian intellectuals have asked two fundamental questions, "what makes a good man?" and "what is the right way to live?" The nineteenth-century ideal of a happy man living in a just society became, in Russia, a quest to effect the wholesale transformation of society. Chamberlain shows how this moral passion, manifesting itself in philosophy and literature, existed in both pre- and post-revolutionary Russia. She reveals that 1917 did not represent the watershed we once thought, and shows how the dreams of a plain and simple life reached its negative apotheosis under Lenin. In Motherland, Lesley Chamberlain has produced a radical new interpretation of Russian intellectual history that, finally, gives a glimpse in to the soul of that singular country.

'Motherland is a valiant, fascinating and intellectually rigorous attempt to make sense of an extremely difficult subject' T. J. Binyon, Sunday Telegraph 'Splendid... the pages that Chamberlain devotes to Lenin's dismal monograph are among the sharpest and most keenly felt in the book.' Jonathan Derbyshire, Daily Telegraph; 'Informative and stimulating... Chamberlain can be both enlightening and original... Motherland is well worth reading.' Oliver Ready, Moscow Times; 'Ambitious, challenging and persuasive... Chamberlain excavates whole generations of thinkers in a compelling manner... Meticulously researched and clearly argued.' Scotland on Sunday

Lesley Chamberlain studied German and Russsian in Exeter and Oxford, then worked as a journalist in Moscow before settling in London to write and teach. The topics of her numerous books range from food to philosophy. Chamberlain is a regular contributor to newpapers and journals in Britain and the United States, including The Times and The Times Literary Supplement (both of London). She has received wide acclaim for her biography of Nietzsche, Nietzsche in Turin.

SKU	Unavailable
ISBN 13	9781843542865
ISBN 10	1843542862
Title	Motherland
Author	Lesley Chamberlain
Condition	Unavailable
Binding Type	Paperback
Publisher	Atlantic Books
Year published	2005-07-14
Number of pages	352
Cover note	Book picture is for illustrative purposes only, actual binding, cover or edition may vary.
Note	Unavailable