Powieść przedstawiająca dramatyczne losy trzech kobiet z trzech pokoleń bogatej rodziny pochodzenia żydowskiego na tle burzliwych dziej�w Rosji od czas�w cara Mikołaja II aż do lat dziewięćdziesiątych XX wieku. Simon Montefiore, autor m.in. biografii Stalin. Dw�r czerwonego cara, Stalin. Młode lata despoty, nasycił powieść realiami życia codziennego i politycznego dwudziestowiecznej Rosji.
Zbiorowa biografia ludzi z najbliższego otoczenia Stalina i portret samego Stalina. Autor wykorzystał nowe dokumenty archiwalne, niepublikowane wspomnienia i wywiady ze świadkami wydarzeń, które przeprowadził w czasie swoich podróży do Rosji i byłego imperium radzieckiego.
Wielka epicka opowieść o miłości, seksie, podbojach i ekstrawagancji na rosyjską, iście imperialną skalę. Historia kochanków, którzy stali się najskuteczniejszym duetem politycznym XVIII wieku. Druga w wielkim stylu biografia pióra autora bestsellerowej sagi o rodzie Romanowów. Owiane legendą życie carycy Rosji, Katarzyny Wielkiej, i jej ekscentrycznego przyjaciela, kochanka, męża stanu, Grigorija Potiomkina, Simon Sebag Montefiore przedstawia na szerokim tle XVIII-wiecznej Rosji, tworząc wspaniałą panoramę epoki. Pasjonujące, rzetelnie udokumentowane dzieło, napisane z dbałością o szczegóły i oszałamiającym rozmachem. „The New York Times Book Review” To wspaniała opowieść, a Simon Sebag Montefiore przedstawia ją z pasją... Znakomicie rozumie politykę dworu rosyjskiego i kontekst dyplomatyczny, co nie jest łatwe, ponieważ punkt ciężkości tej opowieści przesuwa się między Sankt Petersburgiem, Wiedniem, Berlinem i Stambułem. Doskonale ukazuje związek Potiomkina z Katarzyną. Adam Zamoyski, „The Times”
Najnowsza książka autora światowych bestsellerów 'Stalin. Dwór czerwonego cara'; 'Stalin. Młode lata despoty' oraz 'Potiomkin' i 'Saszeńka'. Pasjonująca opowieść o historii Jerozolimy na tle wojen, powstań i losów jej królów, cesarzy, zdobywców oraz proroków, świętych, pisarzy, poetów, którzy... číst celé
Saga o życiu dwudziestu carów i caryc najpotężniejszej dynastii czasów nowożytnych. Pasjonująca historia spisków pałacowych, zdrad, zbrodni, błyskotliwych zwycięstw, upokarzających klęsk, geniuszu i szaleństwa. A także romansów, mariaży, seksualnych ekscesów, bajecznych bogactw i wielkich tragedii.
Najnowsza książka autora bestsellerów 'Stalin. Dwór czerwonego cara', 'Jerozolima' i 'Saszeńka'. Powieść o miłości, namiętności i władzy, której akcja rozgrywa się w środowisku kremlowskich elit w czasach Stalina. Przedstawione w powieści wydarzenia osnute są na faktach. W czerwcu 1945 roku, kiedy Moskwa świętuje zwycięstwo nad Niemcami, dwoje nastolatków ginie od kul wystrzelonych z pistoletu. Byli dziećmi wysokich sowieckich dygnitarzy, uczniami najbardziej elitarnej szkoły w Moskwie. Morderstwo? Podwójne samobójstwo? Spisek przeciwko Stalinowi? Koledzy ofiar są aresztowani, rusza śledztwo, które ujawnia starannie skrywane tajemnice ich rodziców i innych osób z najbliższego kręgu Stalina. Niektórzy bohaterowie tej książki pojawili się już na kartach 'Saszeńki'.
Shortlisted for the Samuel Johnson, Duff Cooper and Marsh Biography prizes It is one of the great love stories of history, and one of its most successful political partnerships. Catherine the Great was a woman of notorious passion and imperial ambition, perhaps the greatest of the Romanovs. Prince Potemkin - wildly flamboyant and sublimely talented - was the love of her life and her co-ruler. Together they seized Ukraine and Crimea and founded cities such as Sebastopol, defining the Russian empire to this day. Their affair was so tumultuous they negotiated an arrangement to share power, leaving Potemkin free to love his beautiful nieces, Catherine her young male favourites. But these 'twin souls' never stopped loving each other. Drawing on their intimate letters and vast new research from St Petersburg to Odessa, Simon Sebag Montefiore's enthralling, much-acclaimed biography restores these imperial partners to their rightful place as titans of their age.
A collection of history's greatest speeches, with commentary from internationally bestselling historian Simon Sebag Montefiore. Updated with new speeches from John Boyega, Queen Elizabeth II and others.
The second in this exciting new series for younger readers from the international bestselling authors Santa and Sebag Montefiore, illustrated by sought-after illustrator Kate Hindley.
From the New York Times bestselling author of The Romanovs—and one of our pre-eminent historians—comes “a meticulously researched, authoritative biography” (The New York Times), the companion volume to the prize-winning Stalin, and essential reading for anyone interested in Russian history. This revelatory account unveils how Stalin became Stalin, examining his shadowy journey from obscurity to power—from master historian Simon Sebag Montefiore. Based on ten years of research, Young Stalin is a brilliant prehistory of the USSR, a chronicle of the Revolution, and an intimate biography. Montefiore tells the story of a charismatic, darkly turbulent boy born into poverty, scarred by his upbringing but possessed of unusual talents. Admired as a romantic poet and trained as a priest, he found his true mission as a murderous revolutionary. Here is the dramatic story of his friendships and hatreds, his many love affairs, his complicated relationship with the Tsarist secret police, and how he became the merciless politician who shaped the Soviet Empire in his own brutal image.
A thrilling, epic and original history of humanity from a dazzlingly fresh and global perspective, from the prize-winning, bestselling historian Simon Sebag Montefiore.
Life is an adventure. Anything in the world is possible - by will and by luck, with a moist carrot, a wet nose and a slice of mad courage Shylo has always been the runt of the litter, the weakest and quietest of all of his family, his siblings spend their days making fun of him for not being like the rest of them. But when Shylo stumbles across a band of ratzis and overhears their evil plan to take a photo of the Queen in her nightie, it's up to this unlikely hero to travel to London and inform the Royal Rabbits of London about the diabolical plot The Royal Rabbits of London have a proud history of protecting the royal family and now the secret society need to leap into action to stop the ratzis... But can a rabbit as feeble and shy as Shylo convince them that Queen is in danger? The Hobbit meets Fantastic Mr Fox meets Watership Down in this charming novel from bestselling authors Santa and Sebag Montefiore, which proves even the smallest rabbit can be the biggest hero.
This updated collection features numerous impactful speeches, including Earl Spencer's tribute to Diana, Nikita Khrushchev's 1956 address marking the decline of Stalinist Russia, Patrick Pearse's stirring funeral oration that ignited the Easter Rising, Kevin Rudd's apology to Australia's Indigenous peoples, and Barack Obama's historic election night victory speech. It also showcases powerful orations from Winston Churchill, Martin Luther King's iconic "I have a dream" and "I've seen the promised land," JFK's inspiring words, and Nelson Mandela's passionate speeches—one during his 1964 trial and another upon becoming South Africa's president in 1994. Historic addresses from figures such as Elizabeth I, Charles I, Oliver Cromwell, George Washington, Napoleon Bonaparte, Abraham Lincoln, Emmeline Pankhurst, Mahatma Gandhi, and others are included. This anthology presents over 50 significant speeches that have shaped history, accompanied by brief biographies of each speaker and context regarding the importance of their orations and the outcomes that followed. It offers a compelling narrative of history through the lens of its most powerful speeches.
The black earth was already baking and the sun was just rising when they mounted their horses and rode across the grasslands towards the horizon on fire.... Imprisoned in the Gulags for a crime he did not commit, Benya Golden joins a penal battalion made up of Cossacks and convicts to fight the Nazis. He enrols in the Russian cavalry, and on a hot summer day in July 1942, he and his band of brothers are sent on a desperate mission behind enemy lines. Switching between Benya's war in the grasslands of Southern Russia, and Stalin's plans in the Kremlin, between Benya's intense affair with an Italian nurse and a romance between Stalin's daughter and a journalist also on the Eastern Front, this is a sweeping story of passion, bravery and human survival where personal betrayal is a constant companion, and death just a hearbeat away. A master storyteller - his fiction is compelling. (GQ). A natural storyteller who brings his encycolopedic knowledge of Russian history to life in language that glittlers like the ice of St Petersburg. (Washington Post).
Heroes is a selection of the ultimate heroes and heroines from world history. Informing, entertaining and inspiring these are texts that are suitable for readers of all ages. A treasure trove of the greatest stories of courage and achievement ever recorded, a collection of lives, deeds and events that everyone should know -and no one should forget. [back cover].
INCLUDES NEW MATERIAL WRITTEN IN HISTORY celebrates the great letters of world history, creative culture and personal life. Acclaimed historian Simon Sebag Montefiore selects over one hundred letters from ancient times to the twenty- first century: some are noble and inspiring, some despicable and unsettling; some are exquisite works of literature, others brutal, coarse and frankly outrageous; many are erotic, others heartbreaking. The writers vary from Elizabeth I, Rameses the Great and Leonard Cohen to Emmeline Pankhurst, Mandela, Stalin, Michelangelo, Suleiman the Magnificent and unknown people in extraordinary circumstances - from love letters to calls for liberation, declarations of war to reflections on death. In the colourful, accessible style of a master storyteller, Montefiore shows why these letters are essential reading: how they enlighten our past, enrich the way we live now - and illuminate tomorrow.
Through the centuries, Russia has swung between successful expansionism, catastrophic collapse and spectacular recovery. This accessible history traces these cycles from the late Neolithic age to Ivan the Terrible, and from the height of Communism to the truncated Russian Federation of today.
'Monsters' presents, in chronological order, grimly fascinating profiles of 101 notorious and profoundly sinister individuals whose actions have one thing in common - they have had a baleful and blood-soaked impact on the annals of world history
In 1945, two and a half million people were forced out of Germanys most easterly province, East Prussia, and in particular its capital, Königsberg. Their flight was a direct result of Hitlers ill-fated decision to invade the Soviet Union in 1941. The horrors of Leningrad and Stalingrad were to be avenged by an army determined not only to invade Germany but to take over its eastern-frontier territories. The Russians launched Operation Bagration in June 1944, to coincide with the D-Day landings. As US and British forces pushed west the Russians liberated Eastern Europe and made their first attacks in the autumn of 1944. Königsberg itself was badly damaged by two British air raids at the end of August 1944, and the main offensive against the city by the Red Army began in January 1945. The depleted and poorly armed German army could do little to hold it back, and by the end of January East Prussia was cut off. The Russians exacted a terrible revenge on the civilian population, who were forced to flee across the freezing Baltic coast in an attempt to escape. On April 9, the city surrendered to the Russians after a four-day onslaught. Through first-hand accounts as well as archival material, Königsberg 1945: The Annihilation of Hitler's Fortress City tells the dramatic story of a place and its people that bore the brunt of Russia's vengeance against the Nazi regime. It is Isabel Denny's first book.
Prince Grigory Potemkin was Catherine the Great's lover, secret husband, and co-ruler of the Russian Empire. Their tumultuous affair led to a unique arrangement that allowed them to share power while pursuing other romantic interests, yet their love for each other remained unwavering. Potemkin was an exceptional statesman, credited with winning the Crimea, founding the Black Sea Fleet, reforming the Cossacks, and planning cities like Sebastopol and Odessa, thus elevating Russia as a Near Eastern power. He embodied the duality of Russia—volatile yet charming, handsome, and always surprising. His extravagant lifestyle captivated and scandalized Europe, though he often dismissed his own achievements. Surrounded by a cosmopolitan court that included notable Americans like Admiral John Paul Jones, Potemkin's influence extended beyond Russia. An avid Anglophile, he commissioned works from Joshua Reynolds and created English gardens during his travels. In 1787, he orchestrated a lavish river tour for Catherine in Crimea, likened to Cleopatra's grand processions. His detractors accused him of staging "Potemkin villages," a myth this biography dispels through extensive research. It vividly portrays Potemkin's loving partnership with Catherine and reinstates him as a significant figure of the eighteenth century. Upon his death, Catherine mourned deeply, declaring that there could never be another like him.
Kniha Judo je užitečný průvodce historií, filozofií a vývojem, základními prvky a technikami, zásadami chování i vhodného oděvu, obrannými technikami, základními pojmy, ale i adresami národních asociací judu z celého světa.
Publikace 101 světových hrdinů je promyšleně sestavenou sbírkou příběhů a postav, které bychom měli všichni znát. Osobnosti, které byly do knihy zařazeny, spojují jejich hrdinské činy. Autor nepředpokládá že čtenáři budou s jeho výběrem hrdinů souhlasit, ale doufá, že jim kniha přinese zábavu i poučení. Nezabývá se pouze známými historickými fakty, ale všímá si také povahových zvláštností jednotlivých osobností a zabývá se nečekanými historickými souvislostmi. Pohlíží na hrdinství neotřelým způsobem, neboť za hrdiny považuje především ty, kteří jsou ochotni přijímat rizika nejen kvůli vlastní slávě, ale třeba proto, aby chránili slabší.
První významné a zaznamenané projevy jsou spojeny s biblickým obdobím. Čtenář má možnost přenést se na Sinaj, kde Mojžíš předložil Židům desatero božích přikázání nebo prožít atmosféru Ježíšova slavného Kázání na hoře. Spolu s Karlem I. a Oliverem Cromwellem opět prožije emotivní období anglické revoluce či období velkolepého budování nového amerického národa, které nám zprostředkují George Washington a Thomas Jefferson. Spolu s Abrahamem Lincolnem, Martinem Lutherem Kingem, Nelsonem Mandelou si opět připomeneme nezbytnost rasové tolerance, skutečnost, že všichni lidé se rodí sobě rovni bez ohledu na barvu pleti, pohlaví či náboženského vyznání. S tím úzce souvisí přesvědčení, že největší lidskou touhou je touha po svobodě (Jan Pavel II., Nelson Mandela, Václav Havel) a odhodlání nežít v porobě (Winston Churchill, Charles de Gaulle). Od chvíle, kdy se člověk naučil mluvit a zvláště poté, co vynalezl písmo, mají jazyk i pero mnohdy sílu meče. Slova moudrých lidí mají schopnost inspirovat, ukazovat cestu, poskytovat útěchu a povzbuzení či ztělesnit přání a touhy mnoha lidí. Mohou přinášet morální zásady a inspiraci pro dobrý život, vyjádřit odhodlanou vůli toho, kdo je pronáší, povzbudit ke statečnému boji za vznešené ideály, vést k lepšímu životu ve vzájemné toleranci a úctě, ale nemusí vždy vést k prosazování dobra, nýbrž i k šíření zla. Můžeme z nich vyčíst atmosféru doby, povahové rysy autora i očekávání jeho posluchačstva.
This book contains over 50 momentous and thought-provoking speeches from a wide range of historical eras and nations that will inspire readers and give them a greater understanding of events of the time. Each speech is accompanied by a comprehensive introduction that explains its historical background, why it was significant and what happened as a result.
1613-1918: A Romanov-dinasztia vérrel, szexszel és könnyekkel teli történetének lenyűgöző krónikája
Eine globale Geschichte des organisierten Verbrechens | Ursprünge und Entwicklung der Mafia, von Syndikaten, Gangs und Kartellen
»Sein Verfahren eröffnet eine tatsächlich neue Sicht auf die Geschichte.« Stephan Wackwitz, Die Zeit Die Bonapartes, Rothschilds, die Hohenzollern und die Krupps, die Churchills, Kennedys und die Trumps – mächtigen Familien repräsentieren die gesamte Bandbreite menschlichen Strebens, mit blutigen Nachfolgekämpfen, verräterischen Verschwörungen und schockierendem Größenwahn neben blühender Kultur, bewegenden Romanzen und aufgeklärter Wohltätigkeit. Dramatisch, ungeschönt und ergreifend lässt der Autor Weltgeschichte intensiv erleben – großartig als überwältigende Vision und ganz intim in den seltenen Augenblicken, an denen die Geschichte stillzustehen scheint. »Die große Leistung des Autors besteht darin, uns die Welt aus einem ganz anderen Blickwinkel sehen zu lassen – das Unbekannte vertraut zu machen und, was noch wichtiger ist, das Vertraute ungewohnt.« The Spectator »Einen umfassenden wie außerordentlich lesbaren und kurzweiligen Ansatz hat der britische Historiker Simon Sebag Montefiore in seinem neuen Buch ›Die Welt‹ vorgelegt« Berthold Seewald, Die Welt »[E]in opulentes Potpourri brutaler, saftiger, bluttriefender, konfliktgetränkter, absurder und zum Teil kurioser Geschichten.« Günter Kaindlstorfer, Deutschlandfunk
Vom Neandertaler bis Mozart
»Dieses Buch hat Persönlichkeit und eine Seele. Es ist enorm unterhaltsam.« Gerard DeGroot, The Times Mit der ersten Familie beginnt die Menschheit. Individuen und ihre Familien machen Geschichte und ihre Dynastien formen – bis heute – die Weltgeschichte. Simon Sebag Montefiore inszeniert in diesem Band unsere Weltgeschichte als Familien- und Gesellschaftsdrama von den Neandertalern, den Pharaonen, Hethitern und Assyrern bis zu den Königen der Perser, von Nofretete, Kleopatra, Cäsar bis zu den Medici und den Habsburgern. Noch nie wurde die Familien-Weltgeschichte so vielschichtig entfaltet, so mitreißend erzählt. »Streckenweise liest es sich wie eine Netflix-Serie mit Sex und Crime.« Michael Brackmann, Handelsblatt »Eine großartig erzählte Weltgeschichte, die stets einen Riesenkrach in den Familien garantiert.« Michael Hesse, Frankfurter Rundschau »So etwas hat man noch nicht gelesen: eine Geschichte der Menschheit, die auf allen Kontinenten spielt, erzählt aus der Perspektive von Familien, Clans und Dynastien.« Peer Teuwsen, NZZ am Sonntag »Eine umwerfende Leistung« James Walton, Daily Telegraph
