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The Autobiography Of Joseph Stalin: A Novel
In a spellbinding novel that combines the suspense of a thriller and the accuracy of a work of history, the psychology of a monster is fully revealed, every atom of his madness explored, every twist of his homicidal logic followed to its logical conclusion. "Leon Trotsky is trying to kill me," thinks Joseph Stalin. It's a paranoid lie, but all too real to Stalin. Trotsky,
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Paperback
,
272 pages
Published
October 5th 2000
by Da Capo Press
(first published 1999)
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Community Reviews
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The problem with this book is my expectation. I wanted in depth look at this dude, but what I got was a YA book. I didn't know it would be this, but I should've guessed at the clues; its only 255 pgs, and its got a cheesy illustration cover of a gorgeous redheaded broad sitting on the lap of a uniformed Stalin, with a look on his face that screams...:"I dont know what this thing on my lap is...it's stroking my chin, should I kill it, or do I have an erection?" Just look at that illustration abov
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what a creepy little read!
i'm a long way from an expert on Russian history, altho Wikipedia gave me the bare bones on Stalin and Trotsky... fascinating.
this book does an interesting balancing act between the two, and between historical fact and fiction. Stalin comes across as a thug with an immense skill for manipulating power, and Trotsky comes across as a towering intellect with zero ability to handle people. what a pair!
Stalin's observations on the manipulation of power are a master class in ...more
i'm a long way from an expert on Russian history, altho Wikipedia gave me the bare bones on Stalin and Trotsky... fascinating.
this book does an interesting balancing act between the two, and between historical fact and fiction. Stalin comes across as a thug with an immense skill for manipulating power, and Trotsky comes across as a towering intellect with zero ability to handle people. what a pair!
Stalin's observations on the manipulation of power are a master class in ...more
This is a strange, compelling novel posing as the memoir of one of the most reviled figures of the twentieth century. Set during the communist party purges of the 'thirties, Stalin reminisces about his journey from seminary student to bank robber to dictator. Meanwhile in Mexico City, Leon Trotsky is coming close to discovering a devastating secret about Stalin's past and must be eliminated before the truth can come to light.
A bleak, yet often very funny account of how talent and imagination ar ...more
A bleak, yet often very funny account of how talent and imagination ar ...more
In the Autobiography of Joseph Stalin, It tells about the life of the Russian Dictator Stalin. Joseph Stalin was born Iosif Vissarionovich Dzhugashvili in the village of Gori, in the Russian province of Georgia, on Dec. 21, 1879. His Dad was a shoemaker and was also an alchaholic, he left young Stalin and his mother to find work in Tiflis, thus leaving Stalins mother to raise him alone. His mother was the main influence of his life, she chose what schools he went to, first she enroled him in the
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It's a psychotic despot who's responsible for as many as 15-20 million deaths. This is a look at how such an evil man might think.
It's paranoid, bleak, over-the-top, and funny as hell at times.
If you don't grasp that it's basically a look into the mind of a guy who'd kill you for saying the wrong thing, then you probably need to actually LEARN about Stalin FIRST.
This is NOT where you learn about Stalin. This is where you come when you understand the gulags and the horror and you have a dark mind ...more
It's paranoid, bleak, over-the-top, and funny as hell at times.
If you don't grasp that it's basically a look into the mind of a guy who'd kill you for saying the wrong thing, then you probably need to actually LEARN about Stalin FIRST.
This is NOT where you learn about Stalin. This is where you come when you understand the gulags and the horror and you have a dark mind ...more
Ale by był numer gdyby ta osnuta na historii bajka okazała się prawdą. Louri jest genialnym historykiem i jeszcze lepszym psychologiem. A najlepszym w tej książce jest to, że wujaszek na 100% przewraca się w grobie i już nic nie może na to poradzić.
An authentically chilling mini-biography of the great demon Stalin, once the great saviour of the Motherland(funny how history turns the tables),that focuses largely on his obsession with killing Trotsky , a deed which he was,of course, able to accomplish. If you 'd like a trip inside the mind of a man with no scruples, no God and no love except for himself,then this is a short ride to hell and thanks to its brevity, you get the essence of the man without lingering too long.Much longer real biog
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Mar 16, 2013
Stephen Partington
rated it
4 of 5 stars
·
review of another edition
Shelves:
leadership
,
europe
,
evil
,
politics
,
organising
,
autobiography
,
obsession
,
possession
,
intelligence
,
boredom
,
russia
,
psychology
,
fiction
,
history
,
wisdom
,
stalin
,
trotsky
,
communism
,
siberia
Summary: A clever and thoughtful appraisal of an important world leader, designed as a psychological thriller in the form of an autobiography.
I found this book almost entirely convincing as a yarn by a self-obsessed yet brilliant political tactician.
Lourie's accounts of Stalin's thinking almost endeared me to him. To my mind, it's a sign of good writing when an author can counter a reader's revulsion to such an extent that we begin to feel as the hero feels.
One of many interesting threads in the ...more
I found this book almost entirely convincing as a yarn by a self-obsessed yet brilliant political tactician.
Lourie's accounts of Stalin's thinking almost endeared me to him. To my mind, it's a sign of good writing when an author can counter a reader's revulsion to such an extent that we begin to feel as the hero feels.
One of many interesting threads in the ...more
This book will creep you out but it is so well written, it will take you into the sadistic, psychotic, paranoid psyche of one of the 20th century's most ruthless Communist Dictators/Killers. If that grosses you out, keep away, but if you think you can face the devil and slay him, dive right in. I won't give you any spoilers except to say the ending is perfect, like a shot of vodka and some blinis on a cold winter's night. In Siberia.
Chilling. Relies heavily on Trotsky's account, but gets into Stalin's head in a convincing way all the same.
I read this at some point during high school, and re-read it during college. Absolutely brilliant first and last sentences, which I still remember offhand (it begins, "Leon Trotsky is trying to kill me" - I won't give away how it ends here). Rather brilliant in between, as well - incredibly imaginative.
Lourie takes factual information and embellishes it with opinions and machinations that he believes would represent Stalin. You get to find out what his thoughts might have been about hiring an assassin or having his wife commit suicide in the next room. Juicy. Stalin was a jerk!
(This book is fiction.) What would be inside the mind of a sociopathic, meglomaniacal dictator who scared the bejesus out of just about everybody in the Soviet Union? And yet he can't understand why people are acting so weird around him.
As a Soviet history fanatic I really enjoyed reading this dark humor book. It really goes into the emotions and actions behind the feeling of the figures involved.
A fascinating trip into a heart of darkness. The book delves into the rise and motivations of a truly evil man...
I had bought this book more than 20 years ago, and schlepped it around ever since. Finally read it. It was okay.
Not horrible. Interesting idea. Stalin comes off as a major jerk (I know, big surprise).
seems all too real...grimly funny
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