Stalin Audiobook By Simon Sebag Montefiore cover art

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 Imperialism
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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)

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Profile Image for David R. Butler

So Good!

I read this about 10 years ago and adored it. Was so pleased to see the unabridged audio version come out.

Both the author and the narrator bring the Stalin period to life. The approach to research and the narrative remind me of Doris Kearns Goodwin, but with all the zaniness of the Stalinist courtiers.

Remains a favourite and I know I will listen to this again down the road.

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Magnificent

This book is a heroic achievement. The author does an incredible job at stitching together all the evidence and archive documents and paints a very vivid picture of Stalin and his close circles.

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Riveting

Feels like an edge of your seat screenplay for an emmy award winning HBO series - and the narrator does an excellent job at conveying this. The visceral terror of life under Stalins rule is well captured.

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