{"product_id":"natashas-dance-a-cultural-history-of-russia","title":"Natasha's Dance: A Cultural History of Russia","description":"The New York Times Notable Book of 2002\nFinalist for the Samuel Johnson Prize\nFinalist for the Mark Lynton History Prize\n\nHistory on a grand scale―an enchanting masterpiece that explores the making of one of the world's most vibrant civilizations.\n\nA People's Tragedy, wrote Eric Hobsbawm, did \"more to help us understand the Russian Revolution than any other book I know.\" Now, in Natasha's Dance, internationally renowned historian Orlando Figes does the same for Russian culture, summoning the myriad elements that formed a nation and held it together.\n\nBeginning in the eighteenth century with the building of St. Petersburg―a \"window on the West\"―and culminating with the challenges posed to Russian identity by the Soviet regime, Figes examines how writers, artists, and musicians grappled with the idea of Russia itself--its character, spiritual essence, and destiny. He skillfully interweaves the great works―by Dostoevsky, Stravinsky, and Chagall―with folk embroidery, peasant songs, religious icons, and all the customs of daily life, from food and drink to bathing habits to beliefs about the spirit world. Figes's characters range high and low: the revered Tolstoy, who left his deathbed to search for the Kingdom of God, as well as the serf girl Praskovya, who became Russian opera's first superstar and shocked society by becoming her owner's wife.\n\nLike the European-schooled countess Natasha performing an impromptu folk dance in Tolstoy's War and Peace, the spirit of \"Russianness\" is revealed by Figes as rich and uplifting, complex and contradictory―a powerful force that unified a vast country and proved more lasting than any Russian ruler or state.\u003cbr\u003eASIN: 0312421958\u003cbr\u003eVSKU: DBV.0312421958.A\u003cbr\u003eCondition: Acceptable\u003cbr\u003eAuthor\/Artist:Figes, Orlando\u003cbr\u003eBinding: Paperback\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eNote:\u003c\/b\u003e Any images shown are stock photographs and product may differ from what is shown.  \u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eCondition Notes\u003c\/b\u003e: This copy has clearly been enjoyed—expect noticeable shelf wear and some minor creases to the cover. Binding is strong, and all pages are legible. May contain previous library markings or stamps.  \u003cbr\u003e","brand":"Dream Books Co.","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":41491418677306,"sku":"DBV.0312421958.A","price":5.79,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0555\/6011\/0138\/files\/0312421958-0.jpg?v=1782581488","url":"https:\/\/shop.dreambooksco.com\/products\/natashas-dance-a-cultural-history-of-russia","provider":"Dream Books Co.","version":"1.0","type":"link"}