Best rasputin biography
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Synopsis
Get lost in the labyrinthine life of Grigori Rasputin, an enigmatic figure that continues to puzzle historians to this day. Drawing on major new sources hitherto unexamined by western historians, Douglas Smith offers an unparalleled biography that exposes the mysteries and myths surrounding this extraordinary figure.
Rasputin. A horse thief and a hard-drinking ruffian in his ungdom. A devout Orthodox Christian – or a just a fake holy man. This book scrutinises the myths – of his debauchery and sexual exploits, his healing powers and uncanny influence over Russia's empress and kejsare, and whether he manipulated the Russian government at his own behest, or under the influence of forces more sinister.
Smith scrutinises his murder and the players involved, with focus on Prince Yusupov and his fellow conspirators – questioning broader conspiracy theories involving British secret agents and Freemasons, and discussing the long shadow his murder cast over the Romanov dynast
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Rasputin
"Perceptive in its human portraits, penetrating in its political analysis, brilliantly researched, and enlivened by a crazed cast of degenerate priests, whores, charlatans, adventurers, mystics, murderers, and a completely overburdened and incompetent Tsar Nicholas II, Smith has presented a riveting portrayal of Grigory Rasputin, whose end brought with it the finale of the tsars' empire."
— Theodor Kissel, Frankfurt Live (Germany)
"A must read minutely researched and luminously readable."
— Jane Shilling, The daglig Mail (UK)
"The best biography of Rasputin and a splendid del av helhet of work."
— Gary Saul Morson, First Things
"As we immerse ourselves in this year's commemoration of , we should not forget the recently passed centenary of the man who was more responsible than any other for bringing down the Romanovs. Such a grand claim for Grigory Rasputin's significance may invite scepticism, but Douglas Smith's engrossing and deeply researched biogr
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Rasputin
A hundred years after his murder, Rasputin continues to excite the popular imagination as the personification of evil. The spectre of the lustful Siberian holy man and peasant still casts its eerie shadow over Russia's bloody 20th century.
Numerous biographies, novels, and films recount his mysterious rise to power as Nicholas and Alexandra's confidant and guardian of the sickly heir to the throne. His debauchery and sinister political influence are the stuff of legend, and the downfall of the Romanov dynasty was laid at his feet. Even during his lifetime Rasputin was shrouded in myth, and his true story remains obscure today.
Douglas Smith's Rasputin separates fact from fiction to reveal the true life of one of history's most alluring figures. Rasputin draws on a wealth of forgotten documents from archives in seven countries and is the most thoroughly researched biography ever written. Demolishing the caricature of the holy devil, Smith's account presents Rasputin