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Stalin

The Court of the Red Tsar

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Stalin

By: Simon Sebag Montefiore
Narrated by: Jonathan Aris
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About this listen

Winner of the British Book Awards History Book of the Year

Longlisted for the Samuel Johnson Prize

This thrilling biography of Stalin and his entourage during the terrifying decades of his supreme power transforms our understanding of Stalin as Soviet dictator, Marxist leader and Russian tsar.

Based on groundbreaking research, Simon Sebag Montefiore reveals in captivating detail the fear and betrayal, privilege and debauchery, family life and murderous cruelty of this secret world. Written with extraordinary narrative verve, this magnificent feat of scholarly research has become a classic of modern history writing. Showing how Stalin's triumphs and crimes were the product of his fanatical Marxism and his gifted but flawed character, this is an intimate portrait of a man as complicated and human as he was brutal and chilling.

PLEASE NOTE: When you purchase this title, the accompanying PDF will be available in your Audible Library along with the audio.

©2003 Simon Sebag Montefiore (P)2019 Orion Publishing Group Historical Military & War Russia Stalin Soviet Union War Imperialism Military Socialism

Critic Reviews

Horrific, revelatory and sobering ... triumph of research and should be required reading in Russia. Book of the Year (John Le Carre)
This grim masterpiece, shot through with lashes of black humour ... The personal details are riveting (Antonia Fraser)
Fascinating ... [Montefiore] concentrates, as any good historian should, on pushing forward the boundaries of our knowledge of the subject ... [He] provides rich detail of daily life and family relationships in a world of human values turned inside out ... scrupulously fair in the way he describes Stalin's qualities - including his ability to charm, his uncanny grasp of geopolitical issues, his brilliant handling of foreign statesmen and his genuine passion for literature (Antony Beevor)
All stars
Most relevant
The access to archival material not previously available means this book trumps everything which came before it.

Discard all earlier biographies

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A fantastic work by Simon Montefiore, incorporating such varying evidence from personal testimony to the written annotations of Stalin himself. While it’s not a perfect work, and it never seeks to exceed its goal of providing a detailed sketch of Stalin himself, it is well worth listening to for anyone interested in the history of the Soviet Union.
Johnathan Aris also preforms beautifully, playing with the original text and adding an all-important sense of wryness to proceedings.
Highly recommended.

A Haunting annotation of one of history’s great monsters.

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Such a selfish and brutal man, couldn't say I felt sorry for the man's demise, could not have come sooner.

Brutal

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Fantastic narration. A timely reminder of how deranged and fanatic communists really are. Viva liberty!

Engrossing

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Excellent research with detailed footnotes. Very well read and narrated. It will be highly recommended.

Excellent story line and research

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