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Tag Archives: The Great Terror
The Purge Of the Artists
This morning I read the chapter in Conquest’s book The Great Terror about the purge of the artists in Stalinist Russia. For obvious reasons, this chapter affected me deeply. The writers, actors, theatre directors, poets … and of course, the … Continue reading
Let’s Hear It For Grandiose Nerds
The other day Alex referred to me as a “grandiose nerd”. I think that about sums it up. I will now give you a tiny glimpse of what I did for about an hour this morning: I read Robert Conquest’s … Continue reading
“Grokking” Stalin And The Murder of Kirov
Update: I just realized that my description of 3 a.m. anxiety may obscure the rest of the post, which would be unfortunate. So if you want to skip over that part to get to the Stalin stuff, feel free. You … Continue reading
Posted in Books
Tagged 1984, George Orwell, Hopeful Monsters, Robert Conquest, Russia, Sergei Kirov, Stalin, The Great Terror
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Robert Conquest’s The Great Terror
Despite my promise to myself that I would not start The Great Terror right away, to give myself a break from the violence and torture in Rape of Nanking … I read over 100 pages of it this morning, doped … Continue reading
The Great Terror Has Arrived
I came home today from my holiday to find a Christmas present off my wish list a-waitin’ for me. I’ve been wanting this book for a long looooong time. My library has not felt complete without it, frankly. And yet … Continue reading