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Natasha's Dance: A Cultural History of Russia Author: [UK] Orlando Figgis Series: Utopia Translation Series
Natasha's Dance: A Cultural History of Russia Author: [UK] Orlando Figgis Series: Utopia Translation Series
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Introduction · · · · · ·
★ Liang Wendao, Liu Yu, Xiong Peiyun, and Xu Zhiyuan jointly edited the "Utopia Translation Series" (MIRROR) series (025) - Keep an open mind and non-utilitarian eyes to see the richness and complexity of the world. Zhang Jianhua's special article introduces this book, which brilliantly points out the characteristics of "literary centrism" in Russian culture and the Russian national character and national psychology represented by "Natasha's Dance", as well as how the author Figes combines history and literature to present the complexity and diversity of Russian culture.
★ "Natasha's Dances" explores the profound and complex multiple aspects of Russian culture through Tolstoy's famous novel "War and Peace", showing the differences and complex interactions between the upper-class European culture and the peasant Russian culture, and how the confrontation between the "civilized" and "native" Russia has played a crucial role in national consciousness and literature and art since the 19th century.
★ "Natasha's Dance" depicts strong Russian emotions from Russian ballet, painting, poetry, drama, music to the splendid works of literary masters such as Tolstoy, Pushkin, and Dostoyevsky, showing the construction of the "Russian soul" and the trauma of Russians' "cultural identity" and "identity" under the impact of Westernization.
★ It has been selected as one of the most watched books of the year by media such as The New York Times, Time Magazine, and The Daily Telegraph, and has been shortlisted for the Samuel Johnson Award and the Duff Cooper Award.
【Content Introduction】
In Tolstoy's famous work "War and Peace", Natasha, a noble lady who received French education since childhood, loves singing and dancing. She can dance Scottish dance, English dance, or Russian folk dance, showing the graceful and elegant Russian style. Orlando Figgis reinterpreted the masterpiece "War and Peace" through "Natasha's Dance", introducing great writers and artists such as Tolstoy, Pushkin, Dostoyevsky, Tchaikovsky, Chekhov, Stravinsky, Shostakovich, etc., and reproduced the vast, simple and all-embracing Russia with beautiful prose-like writing.
Through discussions on Russian ballet, painting, poetry, drama and music that emerged in the 18th century, "Natasha's Dance" explores the differences between European civilization and folk elements in Russian culture, the confrontation between "civilized" and "native" Russia, and the division between the aristocratic upper class and the lower rural masses. The book further discusses the construction and expression of "Russian soul" and "Russianness", revealing the influence of politics, national identity, social concepts, customs, folk art, religion, etc. on the formation and development of Russian culture, presenting a cultural scroll full of dramatic details and brilliant splendor.
【Recommended by famous experts】
Everything about Russia needs to be of the highest quality, and Figgis's history of the country is no different, and he delivers once again. He writes with a fluidity and beauty, full of wit and life. He has done a light, magnificent, and wide-ranging study of a vast literature, ranging from aristocratic letters to Stalin's archives, and his analysis is concise and full of talent. This is a brilliant, brilliant, and brilliant tour of Russian culture that is lively, entertaining, storytelling, and fascinating. --Simon Montefiore, author of Jerusalem 3,000 Years
Figgis writes about this subject in a unique way. He draws on a wide range of sources, writes in a vivid, compact and dramatic way, and writes about private life in a particularly unique way. - Joseph Frank, London Review of Books
The book is detailed and contains a large number of illustrations, which illustrate the author's profound insights into this civilization that is both barbaric and intelligent, and has high artistic achievements. This book shows us a Russia between mystery and rationality, "East" and "Europe". - Lisa Yadin, "Observer News"
This is a very interesting book, and at the same time it allows the reader to almost smell the "Russian soil". Professor Figgis has accomplished this impossible task... He tells us about the cultural roots of the Russian underground, its absurdity and genius, its humanity and cruelty. This is an awe-inspiring achievement. - Geoffrey Goodman, The Tribune
Orlando Figes successfully describes the immense depth and power of Russian culture and outlines important issues and events in Russian history. He writes in a way that allows readers to have a deeper understanding of Russia, a way that is more brilliant than simply describing how despotic the rulers were, how cruel the conquerors were, and how brutal the wars were. The extraordinary feature of his book is that it uses the Russians' own words to talk about the "Russian problem," how to find the roots of Asia, explore the mystery of Russian peasants, and how to nurture so many great writers, poets, painters, and composers. -- Sergei Schmemann, The New York Times
A comprehensive account of Russian cultural history, with a wide range of themes and grand perspectives. - Anne Applebaum, Evening Standard Book of the Year
It is a rich and fascinating read... full of brilliant plots and sharp, moving, and sometimes humorous descriptions... an unparalleled insight into the character of the great Russian power. - Pierce Blunden, Old Bones Book of the Year
Wonderfully rich... magnificent and persuasive... a profoundly pleasurable reading experience. --Anthony Beevor, American writer
Orlando Figgis's stories ... are wide-ranging and beautifully told. With his fine eye for vivid prose, the world he describes comes alive. The color illustrations are beautiful, and the critical bibliography is a useful supplement, with many recent (English) monographs on different areas of Russian cultural history. ... This book is a complete pleasure to read, and it is well worth collecting. --Caroline Brooke, Professor of Russian History, King Mary College, London, UK
Exciting... This excellent work of history takes its title from War and Peace, and the aristocratic heroine Natasha Rostova subconsciously does a peasant shawl dance... A book you wish you hadn't read earlier. - The Sunday Independent
About the Author · · · · · ·
【Author introduction】
Orlando Figes, a British, was born in 1959. He holds a PhD from Trinity College, Cambridge University, and is currently a professor of history at Birkbeck College, University of London. He is familiar with all aspects of Russian life, whether literature, art, or politics and economics, and no one can match him. His series of works interpreting the history of Tsarist Russia and the Soviet Union, such as "The Whisperer: Private Life in the Soviet Union during the Stalin Era", "The Tragedy of the People", and "The Crimean War", have achieved extraordinary achievements. He is a first-class scholar of Russian studies in the English-speaking world today. His works have won the Wolfson Prize, the NCR Book Award, and have been shortlisted for the Samuel Johnson Award and the Duff Cooper Award, and have been translated into more than 20 languages.
【Translator introduction】
Zeng Xiaochu, female, from Shantou, Guangdong, graduated from Shanghai International Studies University, and became a freelance translator at the end of 2013. Currently, she mainly translates books on humanities and social sciences. Her works include Experimental Method, Athena's Promise, Rapunzel, Norwegian Tales, Philippine Folk Tales, and Emperor Meiji.
Guo Danjie is an advertising practitioner, translator, writer and compiler for magazine culture and music columns. He has participated in the translation and publishing of projects such as the Gutenberg Project's "I Was a Black Man" and Xinhua Publishing House's "Happiness Industry".
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