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Loading... Peter the Great (original 1980; edition 1986)by Robert K. Massie
Work InformationPeter the Great: His Life and World by Robert K. Massie (1980)
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Sign up for LibraryThing to find out whether you'll like this book. No current Talk conversations about this book. My dad read this in the late 1980s or early 1990s and loved it, around the time of the TV miniseries (maybe a rerun, as 1986 seems too early, and I remember watching parts of it with him). Anyway, I gave it a try in the early 1990s, but was too young and undisciplined to finish it. On reading it now, at 43, I enjoyed it immensely. Massie is a good writer, I have read some of his other stuff, and this is one of those expansive life and times biography, big bricks of books, that are still quick and enjoyable to read. Peter the Great was an amazingly important ruler, wresting his country from backwards and eastern facing to modernizing and western facing. He is the reason Russia became a European power and then a world power. He was quite an interesting fellow, at one hand shunning the trappings of power and on the other hand being a dictatorial autocrat. On one hand working as a carpenter, on the other building a city of palaces on marshland. On one hand defeating the forces of Sweden and the Turks as a good strategist, and on the other almost losing it all on an ill-fated, bungling attempt to fight the Turks. In interesting biography and well worth the read. If you are looking for an all-encompassing look at the life of Peter the Great and the world he inhabited, look no further. This book is massive. It is very well-researched and describes in great detail what life was like in Russia at Peter's court. The book can get a bit heavy-handed, especially if you are not one for war and battles, which, takes up the vast majority of the book. You do get insights into the lives of Peter's opponents, which was fun. I wish the book had been a bit more detailed in his personal relationships with his family members. There are some that are touched on in just a few short sentences. However, more is known about their interactions. This is not a casual read. You have to be ready. But, this is recommended if you are looking to broaden your horizons and read about one of history's greatest figures. Na, ez a könyv pont annyira fantasztikus, mint amekkora. Massie szĂłrakoztatĂłan Ă©s alaposan kivesĂ©zi nemcsak a kor OroszorszĂĄgĂĄt, hanem Ășgy egyĂĄltalĂĄn: a XVIII. szĂĄzad elsĆ harmadĂĄnak EurĂłpĂĄjĂĄt szĆröstĂŒl-bĆröstĂŒl. Ebben segĂtsĂ©gĂ©re van maga PĂ©ter cĂĄr is, aki megteszi neki azt a szĂvessĂ©get, hogy uralkodĂłtĂłl szokatlan mĂłdon bejĂĄrja a fĂ©l vilĂĄgot, ahovĂĄ pedig nem jut el, azzal hĂĄborĂșba bonyolĂłdik. Ăgy Massie-nek alkalma nyĂlik bemutatni a korszak valamennyi fontosabb figurĂĄjĂĄt OrĂĄniai VilmostĂłl XII. KĂĄroly svĂ©d uralkodĂłn Ă©s legendĂĄs hadvezĂ©ren ĂĄt magĂĄig a NapkirĂĄlyig*. Csupa szĂnes, izgalmas alak kavarog e könyv lapjain, Ă©s mĂ©g magyar vonatkozĂĄs is akad: egyrĂ©szt RĂĄkĂłczi rövid vendĂ©gszereplĂ©se, mĂĄsrĂ©szt az eszmĂ©letlen mennyisĂ©gƱ tokaji bor, amit PĂ©ter jĂłĂzƱen elfogyaszt. AmĂșgy meg ez a PĂ©ter egy nagy franc volt. Volt egy missziĂłja, ĂĄt akarta rĂĄncigĂĄlni a Nagy Orosz AnyĂĄcskĂĄt keletrĆl nyugatra, Ă©s ettĆl nem igazĂĄn hagyta magĂĄt elrettenteni. Ăhen haltak a parasztok a sok hadiadĂł miatt? Ez van, ezt kell szeretni. SzentpĂ©tervĂĄr Ă©pĂtĂ©sekor hullottak a munkĂĄsok, mint a legyek? HĂĄt most mit csinĂĄljon velĂŒk. Persze, csodĂĄs dolog, ha egy nagy formĂĄtumĂș uralkodĂł ĂŒldögĂ©l az ember feje felett, de az a helyzet, hogy a nagy formĂĄtumĂș uralkodĂłkat ĂĄltalĂĄban utĂłlag szoktĂĄk szeretni. Közben nem feltĂ©tlenĂŒl. Persze meglehet, hogy ez az orosz nĂ©plĂ©lek, ez a keleti fatalizmus szinte kihĂvja ezt: hogy a dolgok ne folyamatukban fejlĆdjenek ki, kisebb-nagyobb döccenĆkkel, hanem jöjjön egy diktĂĄtor, egy agyagbĂĄlvĂĄny vĂ©res mancsokkal, Ă©s a szakĂĄllĂĄnĂĄl fogva rĂĄngassa ki a nĂ©pet a derĂtĆgödörbĆl. Vagy vissza az derĂtĆgödörbe â mert ez is egy opciĂł. De nem akarok Ă©n tĂșlsĂĄgosan igazsĂĄgtalan lenni PĂ©terrel â bĂĄr talĂĄn megĂ©rdemelnĂ©. AmĂșgy egy igazĂĄn tĂŒndökletes, izgalmas szemĂ©lyisĂ©g volt, akinek tetterejĂ©t nehĂ©z nem bĂĄmulni Ăgy hĂĄromszĂĄz Ă©v tĂĄvlatĂĄbĂłl, Ă©s alighanem nagyobb szĂve Ă©s nyitottabb elmĂ©je volt, mint korabeli kollĂ©gĂĄinak. Ć a maga rĂ©szĂ©rĆl igazĂĄn jĂłt akart â csak Ă©ppen abbĂłl a magassĂĄgbĂłl, ahol Ć Ă©lt, talĂĄn alig tƱntek nagyobbnak az emberek, mint a bolhĂĄk. PlĂĄne hogy szemĂ©t folyton elĆre szegezte: a vĂĄgyott napnyugat felĂ©. Ahol azĂłta is hiĂĄba vĂĄrjĂĄk Ćket. * Na mondjuk vele PĂ©ter pont nem talĂĄlkozott se civilben, se a hadszĂntĂ©ren, de sebaj, az ĂrĂł ravaszul megoldja, hogy rĂłla is rittyentsen egy bĂĄjos portrĂ©t. Ăs jĂłl teszi, a korszak mĂĄsik legjelentĆsebb figurĂĄjĂĄt bƱn lenne kihagyni egy ilyen aprĂłsĂĄg miatt.
The specialist cannot in good conscience recommend this book to fellow historians. Yet it would be misleading as well as unfair to leave it at that. For Massie's work strikes this reviewer as, at the same time, an outstanding example of that somewhat ambiguous literary genre known as popular (or commercial) history... A colorful, dramatic, at times gripping story is told here in fine detail and effortless prose. ContainsHas the adaptationHas as a student's study guideAwardsDistinctionsNotable Lists
References to this work on external resources. Wikipedia in English (19)Biography & Autobiography.
Nonfiction.
HTML: This superbly told story brings to life one of the most remarkable rulersâ??â??and menâ??â??in all of history and conveys the drama of his life and world. The Russia of Peter's birth was very different from the Russia his energy, genius, and ruthlessness shaped. Crowned co-Tsar as a child of ten, after witnessing bloody uprisings in the streets of Moscow, he would grow up propelled by an unquenchable curiosity, everywhere looking, asking, tinkering, and learning, fired by Western ideas. We see Peter in his twenties traveling "incognito" with his ambassadors to the courts of Europe; as the victorious soldier proclaimed Emperor; as the simple workman at his forge; and as the visionary statesman who single-handedly created a formidable world power. Impetuous and stubborn, bawdy and stern, relentless in his perseverance, he was capable of the greatest generosity and the greatest c No library descriptions found. |
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Google Books — Loading... GenresMelvil Decimal System (DDC)947.050924History and Geography Europe Russia and eastern Europe [and formerly Finland] Russian & Slavic History by Period Peter the Great 1689-1725LC ClassificationRatingAverage:
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This was my second book by R. Massie, first being a wonderful tome on Catherine II another of only three monarchs so styled since the establishment of tzardom in Russia in XV century. What I can surmise upon reading these two books â on Catherine and Peter â the author loved Russia. I would go even further proposing that he was a very pleasant person to be with. The way he depicts characters, no matter how repulsive their deeds are, normally doesnât provoke rage or any other negative emotions. Probably youâd feel sorry and upset by personâs bad behavior. And if a person possesses some commendable traits or did something good, youâd end up his Facebook fan for life. Mr. Massie probably was adored by his students. Heâs not only a great narrator, but a very savvy psychologist too.
Time and again you will run into some tangential figures main protagonist meets. Their names may sound remotely familiar, but all of us are a bit rusty on school history, arenât we? Donât panic, youâll be provided with a brief, but yet sufficient enough description of a person, age, event, trade, country, etcâŠ
While reading it, I simultaneously read and watched some Russian historians talking on Peter I. It looks like Mr. Massie covered every interesting story and fact of Tzarâs life. Bravo! His warmness to Russia still baffles me, if we factor in the time of writing â late 1970s â Cold Warâs apogee! Itâs as apolitical treatment of history as it should be. An example for all historians.
P.s. In spite of making it to top 5 Russiaâs historical heroes public opinion on the Tzar is still divided.