Astolphe marquis de Custine

Astolphe de Custine

The Marquis de Custine's record of his trip to Russia in 1839 is a brilliantly perceptive, even prophetic, account of one of the world's most fascinating and troubled countries. It is also a wonderful piece of travel writing. Custine, who met with people in all walks of life, including the Czar himself, offers vivid descriptions of St. Petersburg and Moscow, of life at court and on the street, and of the impoverished Russian countryside. But together with a wealth of sharply delineated incident and detail, Custine's great work also presents an indelible picture--roundly denounced by both Czarist and Communist regimes--of a country crushed by despotism and "intoxicated with slavery." Letters from Russia, here published in a new edition prepared by Anka Muhlstein, the author of the Goncourt Prize-winning biography of Custine, stands with Tocqueville's Democracy in America as a profound and passionate encounter with historical forces that are still very much at work in the world today.

Letters from Russia

Rosja w 1839 roku

Listy z Rosji

La Russie

La Russie en 1839

La Russie en 1839. The Empire of the Czar; or, Observations on the social, political, and religious state and prospects of Russia, made during a journey through that Empire, translated from the French

Made During a Journey Through that Empire

The Empire of the Czar; Or, Observations on the Social, Political, and Religious State and Prospects of Russia

The Marquis de Custine's unique perspective on a vast, fascinating country in the grip of oppressive tyranny. In 1839, encouraged by his friend Balzac, Custine set out to explore Russia. His impressions turned into what is perhaps the greatest and most influential of all books about Russia under the Tsars. Rich in anecdotes as much about the court of Tsar Nicholas as the streets of St Petersburg, Custine is as brilliant writing about the Kremlin as he is about the great northern landscapes. An immediate bestseller on publication, Custine's book is also a central book for any discussion of 19th century history, as - like de Tocqueville's Democracy in America - it dramatizes far broader questions about the nature of government and society.

Astolphe marquis de Custine

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