Molotov's Magic Lantern: Travels in Russian History Review

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Molotov's Magic Lantern: Travels in Russian History ReviewBritish writer Rachel Polonsky lived in Moscow with her husband and four children for many years in the 1990's and later. As a Cambridge-educated journalist, she brought her writer's eye to the both the Russian capital and the outlying areas she visited during her years in Russia.
The Polonsky's main residence in Moscow was a large apartment building, #3 Romanov Street, near the center of the city. Many famous Russians had lived in the building, including Vyacheslav Molotov, close ally of Josef Stalin, and a man who had signed many death warrants as Stalin's aide. He also, of course, was a diplomat who concluded a pact with Germany's Joachim Ribbentrop in 1939, essentially keeping the USSR out of WW2 until the German invasion in June, 1941.
Among the other notables who had lived in the building were Leon Trotsky and several noted artists, politicians, and scientists. Now the building seemed occupied by wealthy Russian capitalists and foreigners posted to Moscow after the fall of Communism in 1989.
Polonsky takes the reader on a rather idiosyncratic look at both modern Russian society and that of the past, particularly in the later years of the Tsar and the Stalinist years. Most of what she writes about, most of whom she writes about, and most of where she writes about, have a connection to the past. In Russia today its not hard to be faced with echos of the past everywhere you go. Polonsky writes about places - Murmansk, Novgorad, Irkutsk, and many others - she visited. She's very good at tying loose pieces of history and society together. Many of these relate back to Molotov, who's tentacles seemed to have reached out over the years to touch many things. One of her pleasures is reading through Molotov's still untouched library, left in place since his death in 1980.
I wouldn't say Polonsky's book would appeal to the average reader. As it is, I was constantly referring to Wiki articles to learn more about the people and places she was writing about, and I have a pretty basic knowledge of Russian/Soviet history. But, actually, it's good to be "challenged" by a book, as I was. My only complaint about the book is the lack of photos. She did provide two maps - one of Russia and one of central Moscow - on which she noted some of the places she referred to in her text. But, it would have been wonderful to have photographs which went along with the text, too. I have no idea of the cost to a publisher to include photos in a book, but this is a book that could have used them. In any case, it is a very good read for the right reader.Molotov's Magic Lantern: Travels in Russian History Overview

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