Book
Mud and stars : travels in Russia with Pushkin, Tolstoy, and other geniuses of the Golden Age / Sara Wheeler.
Record details
- ISBN: 9781524748012 (hardcover)
- Physical Description: xv, 287 pages : illustrations ; 25 cm
- Edition: First American edition.
- Publisher: New York : Pantheon Books, [2019]
- Copyright: ©2019
Content descriptions
| Bibliography, etc. Note: | Includes bibliographical references and index. |
| Formatted Contents Note: | The people stay silent -- A heart's journey -- The heart within the tomb -- I am yours in heart -- We all come out from under Gogol's overcoat -- We shall rest -- The lady Macbeth of Mtsensk -- The poetry of procrastination -- Deep-sea fish -- Envoi. |
Search for related items by subject
| Genre: | Biographies. |
Available copies
- 1 of 1 copy available at Tsuga Consortium.
Holds
- 0 current holds with 1 total copy.
Show Only Available Copies
| Location | Call Number / Copy Notes | Barcode | Shelving Location | Status | Due Date |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Lakeshore Branch | 891.709003 Wheel | 31681010175552 | NONFIC | Available | - |
- Baker & Taylor
A timely, lighthearted tour of contemporary Russia draws on the regional tributes of Golden Age writers, from Pushkin to Tolstoy, to explore the countryâs sociopolitical history outside of its major cities. Illustrations. - Random House, Inc.
ONE OF SMITHSONIAN'S BEST TRAVEL BOOKS OF THE YEAR
With the writers of the Golden Age as her guidesâPushkin, Tolstoy, Gogol, and Turgenev, among othersâSara Wheeler searches for a Russia not in the news, traveling from rinsed northwestern beet fields and the Far Eastern Arctic tundra to the cauldron of nationÂalities, religions, and languages in the Caucasus. Bypassing major cities as much as possible, she goes instead to the places associated with the countryâs literary masters. With her, we see the fabled Trigorskoye (âthree hillsâ) estate that Pushkin frequented during his exile, now preserved in his honor. We look for Dostoevsky along the waters of Lake Ilmen, site of the only house the restless writer ever owned. We pay tribute to the single stone that remains of TolÂstoyâs birthplace. Wheeler weaves these writersâ lives and works around their historical homes, giving us rich portraits of the many diverse Russias from which these writers spoke.
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As she travels, Wheeler follows local guides, boards with families in modest homestays, eats roe and pelmeni and cabbage soup, invokes recipes from Mastering the Art of Soviet Cooking, learns the language, and observes the pattern of outcry and silence that characterizes life under Vladimir Putin. Illustrated with both historical images and contemporary snapshots of the peoÂple and places that shaped her journey, Mud and Stars gives us timely, witty, and deeply personal insights into Russia, then and now.
