Search:

The Romanov sisters : the lost lives of the daughters of Nicholas and Alexandra / by Rappaport, Helen.;
Includes bibliographical references and index.Prologue : the room of the first and last door -- Mother love -- La petite duchesse -- My god! "what a disappointment! ... a fourth girl -- The hope of Russia -- The Big Pair and The Little Pair -- The Shtandart -- Our friend -- Royal cousins -- In St Petersburg we work, but at Livadia we live -- Cupid by the thrones -- The Little One will not die -- Lord send happiness to him, my beloved one -- God Save the Tsar -- Sisters of mercy -- We cannot drop our work in the hospitals -- The outside life -- Terrible things are going on in St Petersburg -- Good-bye : don't forget me -- On Freedom Street -- Thank god we are still in Russia and still together -- They knew it was the end when I was with them -- Prisoners of the Ural Regional Soviet -- Epilogue : victims of repression."They were the Princess Dianas of their day--perhaps the most photographed and talked about young royals of the early twentieth century. The four captivating Russian Grand Duchesses--Olga, Tatiana, Maria and Anastasia Romanov--were much admired for their happy dispositions, their looks, the clothes they wore and their privileged lifestyle. Over the years, the story of the four Romanov sisters and their tragic end in a basement at Ekaterinburg in 1918 has clouded our view of them, leading to a mass of sentimental and idealized hagiography. With this treasure trove of diaries and letters from the grand duchesses to their friends and family, we learn that they were intelligent, sensitive and perceptive witnesses to the dark turmoil within their immediate family and the ominous approach of the Russian Revolution, the nightmare that would sweep their world away, and them along with it. The Romanov Sisters sets out to capture the joy as well as the insecurities and poignancy of those young lives against the backdrop of the dying days of late Imperial Russia, World War I and the Russian Revolution. Rappaort aims to present a new and challenging take on the story, drawing extensively on previously unseen or unpublished letters, diaries and archival sources, as well as private collections. It is a book that will surprise people, even aficionados"--Provided by publisher.
Subjects: Nicholas II, Emperor of Russia, 1868-1918; Nicholas II, Emperor of Russia, 1868-1918; Romanov, House of; Princesses; Sisters.;
Available copies: 1 / Total copies: 1
unAPI

After the Romanovs : Russian exiles in Paris from the Belle Époque through revolution and war / by Rappaport, Helen,author.;
Includes bibliographical references and index."From Helen Rappaport, the New York Times bestselling author of The Romanov Sisters comes After the Romanovs, the story of the Russian aristocrats, artists, and intellectuals who sought freedom and refuge in the City of Light. Paris has always been a city of cultural excellence, fine wine and food and the latest fashions. But it has also been a place of refuge for those fleeing persecution, never more so than before and after the Russian Revolution and the fall of the Romanov dynasty. For years, Russian aristocrats had enjoyed all Belle Époque Paris had to offer, spending lavishly when they visited. It was a place of artistic experimentation such as Diaghilev's Ballets Russes. But the brutality of the Bolshevik takeover forced Russians of all types to flee their homeland, sometimes leaving with only the clothes on their backs. Arriving in Paris, former princes could be seen driving taxicabs, while their wives who could sew worked for the fashion houses, their unique Russian style serving as inspiration for designers like Coco Chanel. Talented intellectuals, artists, poets, philosophers and writers struggled in exile, eking out a living at menial jobs. Some, like Bunin, Chagall and Stravinsky, encountered great success in the same Paris that welcomed Americans like Fitzgerald and Hemingway. Political activists sought to overthrow the Bolshevik regime from afar, while double agents plotted espionage and assassination from both sides. Others became trapped in a cycle of poverty and their all-consuming homesickness for Russia, the homeland they had been forced to abandon. This is their story"--
Subjects: Exiles; Political refugees; Russians; Russians; Russians; Russians;
Available copies: 1 / Total copies: 1
unAPI