Stalin's Children: Three Generations of Love, War, and Survival

A fascinating family memoir intertwined with 70 years of Russian history, this book details the lives of the author's parents--a Welsh academic and a Russian girl orphaned by Stalin's purges, and the author himself--a London-born journalist and war correspondent currently living in Moscow and Istanbul.
(2008)

Stalin’s Children by Owen Matthews
Three Generations of Love, War, and Survival
Review for LibraryThing.com by MaryLouise H. Carlisle

The voice of this author is compelling. The tone is always a finely-tuned balance between the clear voice of authority through bare-bones statement of historical fact, the lyrical voice of storyteller through enchantingly vivid depiction, and the personal voice of survivor resonant with tempered emotion. These three voices are woven together like a beautifully crafted Bach Invention.

Not being a writer myself I struggled to find a satisfying metaphor for Matthews’ writing style. Being a musician, and finding the Invention as the perfect metaphor, I realized why I appreciate his composition so much. The show more contrapuntal nature of his interweaving of biography, memoir, and historical documentation is not only aesthetically satisfying but is also very practical. He supplies the larger national and political context for the particular storyline of his family while also giving a simultaneous commentary or comparison of Russia’s various cultural and political eras. While the book reads like a novel, the factual content is well researched and documented making it suitable as an adjunct text for anyone interested in Russian studies.

What I believe is most impressive is how, even though not all of the characters in Matthews’ family are appealing, he makes it possible to empathize with each of their struggles. By reading Stalin’s Children, I’ve gained not only knowledge about the Russian experience of the Soviet era, but also more compassion for the Russian people and all people who struggle to survive in the midst of political upheaval. show less

Stalin's Children is the story of one family's unique experiences amid the changing social and political sphere of Russia. Encompassing Russia's history from the 1920s onwards, Matthews acquaints us with three generations of his family who experienced extreme persecution and overwhelming odds, each bearing witness to pre- and post-Stalinist Russia. The memoir begins with the story of Boris Bibikov, a prominent Russian party member in the 1920s. Bibikov and his small family lived in relative comfort and plenty, taking full advantage that his status afforded him, until, like so many others, he was accused of anti-Party sentiments. After his arrest and imprisonment, his wife and two young daughters were left to fend for themselves. show more Eventually the girls were taken to a state-run orphanage after their mother was also imprisoned. It is here that the girls, Lyudmilla and Lenina, became separated. Lenina eventually moved in with relatives, and Lyudmilla remained a ward of the state until her adulthood, in essence becoming one of Stalin's many children. After many heartrending circumstances, including the orphans' harrowing escape from the Germans invasion of the city in the early days of WWII, near starvation, and serious disease, the sisters were once again reunited by miracle and chance. Although their years of separation and abandonment left indelible marks upon them for all time, they remained optimistic.

The second section of the book tells of the love affair between Lyudmilla and Mervin, the author's parents. Mervyn, a British russophile, begins a scholarly career in Moscow, living his dream of immersing himself in Russia. When Lyudmilla and Mervyn meet, it is clear to both that they should be together. But after Mervyn rejects the courting of KGB officials in their attempts to recruit him into their organization, he becomes persona non grata to the Russian government and is deported. He must leave Lyudmilla behind in Russia with promises that he will return soon to marry her. What follows is the couple's anguished battle to attain Lyudmilla's right to marry a foreigner and leave the country. Peppered throughout this tale is the author's own story of returning to a Russia in the 1990s that has changed in so many ways, yet in some ways remains the same.

This book was very impressive. From the distinct and eloquent nature of the author's ability to express his family's story, to the staunch and ardent persistence of the players involved, I found myself completely captivated by this memoir. Not only were the stories of his family very moving, the author has a very encompassing and instructive way of conveying the politics of Russia from the early 1900s until today. The book was informative and dealt with a vast amount of history, but it was not sluggish or boring. Each era of political change in the country was illustrated not only in terms of what was going on in the government, but also in how these changes affected the people living amongst the tumult of their oppression. In addition, the shifts in the narrative melding the past and present were deftly handled, blending the stories of each of these generations into a panoramic view of life in Soviet Russia. Although at times the author's sentiments appear somewhat dark and maudlin, I would argue that his attitude fits perfectly with the story he tells. Although there are small triumphs and large victories, there is also a sense of grim strife throughout the story. In particular, I found the hardships that Lyudmilla endured as a ward of the state to be very tragic and distressing, but I truly marveled at her optimism and perseverance. She had a quintessentially hardy spirit that I found remarkable. In addition, the struggles that Lyudmilla and Mervin face in their efforts to be married were by turns bitter and poignant. I admired the strength and conviction of these two lovers, fighting with indomitable resoluteness for their relationship. I read with mixed emotions the joys and disappointments of the couple, and felt that the inclusion of pieces of actual love letters between the two was a a brilliant touch that gave Lyudmilla and Mervyn a real sense of humanity. I liked this book for so many reasons. From the soulfulness of the characters, to the conversational style of the history, I found much here to be impressed with. This is not only a story of history and politics, but a story of people. People with hopes and fears and dreams that were expertly captured by the author.

I would recommend this book to anyone who has a curiosity about Russia. It is easily the best and most concise history of the times and people that I have ever read. The bonus of reading this for the history is that you will also get the very wonderfully rendered story of the people inside this country, and the sacrifices and joys that shaped their lives. Filled with unforgettable characters and relateable history, this book was a great read. Highly recommended. show less

Owen Matthews weaves an unforgettable tale in this celebration of his family and the lives that they lived both by choice and by force. Matthews' mother is Russian and his father is Welsh and their love story is the central theme of this memoir. With their letters to each other serving as a springboard, Matthews gives us an intimate portrait of how much his Mother, Lyudmila, and his father, Mervyn, fought to keep alive their love, a love that was considered inconvenient by both their governments.

Both Lyudmila and Meryvn came from family background that would scar them in physical and mental ways. Lyudmila's father Boris Bibikov was a loyal party member who served his government without question. He saw the deaths and brutalizations show more that his beloved government carried out but he excused it all because he like many party members believed that the communist philosophy was supreme. The hunger and starvation that farmers suffered due to collectivization were not unknown to him but they were inconvenient truths that he was not ready to deal with, so he ignored them. But Bibikov did not just ignore the atrocities, he also benefited directly by being a minion of the state, living in a beautiful house, buying foreign goods and taking vacations in beautiful sanatoriums. Unfortunately for Bibikov, he later sides with Sergei Kirov who was seen by many at the time as Stalin's heir apparent. Bibikov like many who took this stand thought that Stalin was slowly going to step down and did not realize that their stance would eventually lead to their demise. Kirov dies quite unexpectedly and all his supporters realize that they are in hot water. But Stalin like the master manipulator he was, does not take any action for awhile. He even promotes some of Kirov's supporters, Bibikov included. Just when some thought it was over, Stalin exacts his revenge and all or most of Kirov's supporters are dragged into jail, brutalize, tortured and made to confess to conspiracy against their government. Bibikov is one of this number and he is seized while on vacation. His family never sees him again. Left behind are his wife,Martha, and his two young daughters, Lenina and Lyudmila. Their lives are reduced to extreme poverty in a matter of days and eventually Martha is hurled into jail where she remains for a little over a decade.

Somewhere in her twenties, Lyudmila meets Mervyn, a diplomat at first and later student. They form a deep attachment and love for each other. But unfortunately for them Mervyn finds himself being recruited by the KGB who think that by wowing him with nice meals, fancy vacations and talk of a better world, he will turn against his government. But when he continuously refuses, he is eventually repatriated. The rest of the book chronicles his fight to marry the woman he loves and the Russian government's refusal to allow this and his own government's ineptitude in offering any help. Through it all, Lyudmila and Mervyn write letters to each other for five years, vowing their love and continued fight to be together.

This book is fascinating and the writer is a master storyteller who somehow manages to keep all of the story interesting. Matthews family history is the history of Russia and a testament to cold war politics. I could not put this book down and every page was a discovery. I was saddened by the end but the facts of it I will leave the reader to discover on their own. I highly recommend this great book. show less

"Stalin’s Children" was written as a memoir of a family but it is much more than that. It is an intimate look at life in mid-20th century Russia. The story of those years is told through the lives of three generations of the Bibikov family.

Scholarly histories can only give dry descriptions of the tumultuous years from Stalin’s purges through Perestroika. The Bibikov’s lived those events. Through them, we experience the despair of parents rounded up in a purge and sent to the Gulag, the helplessness of orphans caught up in the chaos of the mass evacuations as the German army invades Russia. We share the joy of two sisters, separated during the war, who are miraculously reunited. Then we settle down with the sisters in Moscow and show more endure the privations of the Cold War.

Owen Matthews, the author, is the son an Englishman, Mervyn Matthews, who studied Russian, worked in the British Embassy in Moscow and fell in love with both Russia and one of the sisters. It was the correspondence between Mervyn and Mila during the six years that they were separated while Mervyn worked to get his fiancée out of Russia that inspired this book.

Readers who came of age after the break-up of the Soviet empire may find the tactics Mervyn used in his six year campaign unbelievable, if not downright silly. Those of us who remember “duck & cover” drills, hiding under our desks in school in the vain hope that they would shield us from nuclear attack, will be less skeptical. We remember the extreme measures taken by those desperate to escape from behind the Iron Curtain.

There is danger in writing a true story about dramatic events. The result could be maudlin or read like a fictional thriller. The author has avoided both of these extremes. He allows the family members to tell their stories through reminisces, letters and official documents, accurately capturing the fatalistic attitude of the Russian people.

I was a little disappointed at the end of the book. The constant foreshadowing of the dramatic love story between Mervyn and Mila builds expectations so high that the actual telling is a letdown. The final chapters are an attempt on the part of the author to draw parallels between his parent’s lives and his own. His effort to make his story, told in a rambling oblique manner, as dramatic as his parents’ doesn’t end the book so much as let it just fade away. show less

What an interesting and compelling read this is , an account of a love and loss in 20th century Soviet Union seen through the eyes of the authors parents and Grandparents.

Drawing on KGB files and his parent's correspondence through years of separation, Matthews pieces together his grandfather Boris Bibikow's arrest and disappearance at the hands of Stalin's secret police and the details of his wife (the authors grandmother) time in the Gulag, her crime being being an " enemy of the People" leaving two children to be raised by the state.

This is a well written and researched book and I just loved the family story here, its a story of love and heartbreak and a grandson's quest to find the truth about his family history from the Stalin era show more through to the collapse of the Soviet Union.
I love family history stories and this was interesting and informative and the book contains numerous photos of the authors family throughout the years.

I came accosts a hard copy of this book in while browsing in a used bookstore and am happy to add this one to my book shelf. show less

Owen Matthews has done a remarkable job of investigating and telling his family’s story in Stalin’s Children: Three Generations of Love, War, and Survival. The three generations are the author’s, his parents, and his grandparents.

Matthews’ maternal grandfather was executed during Stalin’s purges and his maternal grandmother was jailed, leaving their daughters Lenina and Lyudmila wards of the Soviet state. As a young woman, Lyudmila falls in love with a young British Sovietologist. Before they can marry, the young man is expelled from the country and they spend the next six years trying to reunite. When they do reunite in Britain, real life begins with its own trials. The author’s story is no less interesting than that of his show more parents and grandparents and provides the frame for the other generations.

I find it difficult to do this book justice in a review, but since I have been trying to write this review for over a week I decided finally just to give you what I have so that you know about Stalin’s Children.

Matthews is fortunate in having an interesting family history to tell, but the real strength of the book is the writing. Although Matthews is a journalist, the writing is often poetic and captures the feel of both the time and the people. I marked a few passages as I was reading that demonstrate this much better than I can describe it.:

As a journalist, Owen Matthews tries to find his place in the world:

"I found the thrill I had been seeking by riding UN armoured personnel carriers past piles of shattered concrete and the beautiful, boyish debris of my first war. I walked down unlit streets filled with people strolling on a summer’s night like the damned in a Gustave Dore engraving. I read The Brothers Karamazov during a bout of shelling, imagining myself in communion with the darkest forces of the world. But then I saw a child shot dead by a sniper as he ran across a road, picked up off his feet by the impact of the bullet and thrown down lifeless like laundry tossed from a basket, and felt a surge of revulsion at my own voyeurism. On my return to Budapest I decided I could no longer face the Bohemian folly of cafe society, and began to seek something bleaker and more hard-bitten. (p. 136)"

On the death of a Russian ex-girlfriend:

"Even before her death I couldn’t think of her as anything but a child of her time, vibrating to the deep, doomed rhythms of a specific moment. I could never place her anywhere else but Moscow, or imagine her old, or bored, or cynical, or fat, or married. So that’s why it seemed right, somehow, that Russia swallowed her in the end. (p. 176)"

In addition to living in Moscow and doing research there, Matthews made use of the incredible research materials that his parents created during their lives. Matthews’ parents wrote each other literally every day during their separation, documenting their long-distance love affair and their struggle to be reunited. Many of these letters are quoted in Stalin’s Children. Matthews’ father wrote several memoirs, which Matthews used to access details and thoughts that otherwise would have been lost over the years.

The narrative moves around in time, but always comes back to Matthews’ search and the present. The moving back and forth through time is done almost seamlessly so that you always know where you are and one era flows into the next. I’m glad I had the chance to review Stalin’s Children because it was fascinating to read about that place and time in history in such vivid and human terms. Though Stalin’s Children is the story of a single family, it is also the story of a country and its people.

You can find more of my reviews at Booklorn.com. show less