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Stalin's Library
- A Dictator and His Books
- Narrated by: Stewart Crank
- Length: 12 hrs and 19 mins
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Stalin's Library
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Summary
A compelling intellectual biography of Stalin told through his personal library.
In this engaging life of the 20th century's most self-consciously learned dictator, Geoffrey Roberts explores the books Stalin read, how he read them, and what they taught him. Stalin firmly believed in the transformative potential of words and his voracious appetite for reading guided him throughout his years. A biography as well as an intellectual portrait, this book explores all aspects of Stalin's tumultuous life and politics.
Stalin, an avid reader from an early age, amassed a surprisingly diverse personal collection of thousands of books, many of which he marked and annotated revealing his intimate thoughts, feelings, and beliefs. Based on his wide-ranging research in Russian archives, Roberts tells the story of the creation, fragmentation, and resurrection of Stalin's personal library. As a true believer in communist ideology, Stalin was a fanatical idealist who hated his enemies-the bourgeoisie, kulaks, capitalists, imperialists, reactionaries, counter-revolutionaries, traitors-but detested their ideas even more.
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What listeners say about Stalin's Library
Average customer ratingsReviews - Please select the tabs below to change the source of reviews.
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Overall4 out of 5 stars
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Performance3 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- N. Booth
- 11-10-24
Audio version in need of an editor
An interesting biography of Stalin with a particular focus on his obsession with books and his writings. It was interesting and kept you listening.
However the audiobook needs an editor (or he needs to do his job) - the narrator unfortunately made a very large number of mispronunciations and misreadings - as simple as "contract" instead of "contact", or as bad as "history" instead of "diary". This detracted from the experience.
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- Dave
- 21-02-24
Brilliant unbiased insight into Stalin’s mind
This is a great insight into Stalin’s mind. It’s refreshingly free from the western bourgeois anti-communist propaganda that plagues the majority of the works on Stalin. The audiobook was an enjoyable listen that proves the great intellectual capacity Stalin possessed.
It doesn’t shy away from his crimes but doesn’t exaggerate them and also disproves some common myths/smears.
Our modern day capitalist leaders and their servants never want another Stalin to exist. Books like this are important to help see through the rubbish we’re fed about such historical figures.
Stalin transformed a backwards country, defeated the N4zis, then turned the USSR into a world superpower. He inherited Russia with a wooden plough and left it in possession of atomic weapons.
“I know that after my death a pile of rubbish will be heaped on my grave, but the wind of History will sooner or later sweep it away without mercy.”
- Stalin
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- Iain Duffin
- 25-08-23
A factual biography (for once)
The most non-ideological western biography of Stalin.
Focuses on Stalin's personal library which was opened up to western historians after the fall of the Soviet Union.
It looks at his books, what he wrote in them, what his policy was on literature, on writing, and on the arts, what his lifelong relationship with books was.
It doesn't overstep into fictional territory (in fact the author takes great pleasure in attacking mainstream historians/academics who are happy to write nonsense — he even takes frequent aim at Khruschchev's speech), and it doesn't feel overly long or contrived.
One of the most interesting things I've ever read. Roberts is content to try and tell you what we *can* truly say about Stalin the man, his thoughts, his actions, and his books.
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