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Saint Petersburg
Sacrifice and Redemption in the City That Defied Hitler
Brief Description
From Peter the Great to Putin, a biography of the city Hitler tried to wipe off the map. Built by slave labour in the early years of the eighteenth century, Saint Petersburg was Peter the Great's so-called 'window on to Europe', a city that would outdo...
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Description
From Peter the Great to Putin, a biography of the city Hitler tried to wipe off the map.
Built by slave labour in the early years of the eighteenth century, Saint Petersburg was Peter the Great's so-called 'window on to Europe', a city that would outdo all of Europe in its splendour. But a window works both ways, and as bestselling historian Sinclair McKay writes, St Petersburg has always been a city that has drawn Westerners who wanted to see into Russia. It is also a city where much has happened. It was St Petersburg until 1917, Petrograd after the revolution, Leningrad after Lenin's death in 1924, and St Petersburg once again from 1991.
This biography of a city stretches from Peter the Great to Vladimir Putin, who was born and made in St Petersburg. The story centres on the '900 days and nights' of the Siege of Leningrad, 1941-44. Unlike Paris or Prague, the Nazis weren't trying to take over; they wanted to wipe it off the map. According to some, this siege of 1.5 million peopleβincluding Putin's motherβwas an attempted genocide. Based on first-hand and many unpublished accounts from figures from all walks of lifeβirascible authors, factory workers, bakers, furriers, dancers, sailors, grandparents, childrenβthis masterpiece reveals the central importance of St Petersburg over the centuries. This is the story of the city told from the perspective of the people who lived there.
Book Details
INFORMATION
ISBN: 9780241741313
Publisher: Penguin Books Ltd
Format: Hardback
Date Published: 10 April 2025
Country: United Kingdom
Imprint: Viking
Audience: General / adult
DIMENSIONS
Spine width: 38.0mm
Width: 162.0mm
Height: 241.0mm
Weight: 703g
Pages: 432
About the Author
Sinclair McKay is the Sunday Times bestselling author of Berlin, Dresden, The Secret Life of Bletchley Park, The Secret Listeners, Bletchley Park Brainteasers and Secret Service Brainteasers. He is a literary critic for the Telegraph and the Spectator and lives in London.
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