Softcover

ISBN 10: 0099744317 ISBN 13: 9780099744313

Publisher: Vintage, 1997

In this work, Michael Ignatieff re-creates the lives of his grandparents before and during the Russian revolution. Through his own trips to modern day Russia and through family documents and journals, he brings together two generations whose times did not connect.

About the Author:

Michael Ignatieff is internationally renowned both as a commentator on moral, ethical and political issues and as a novelist. His novel Scar Tissue was short listed for the Booker Prize in 1993, and his non-fiction works include a biography of Isaiah Berlin, and four books on ethnic war and intervention- Blood and Belonging, The Warrior's Honour, Virtual War and the recent Empire Lite- Nation Building in Bosnia, Kosovo, Afghanistan.

Review:

“A vividly fascinating account by a gifted writer who sweeps back the curtain from the past, revealing it full of color and life.” ―Suzanne Massie, The New York Times Book Review

“A rich story of a cultivated elite bound to a disintegrating autocracy.” ―Walter Goodman, The New York Times

“The Russian Album is a poignant family memoir, a fitting close to Russian life before the 'red curtain of the revolution.'” ―Elena Brunet, Los Angeles Times

“A vivid, fascinating account by a gifted writer who sweeps back the curtain from the past, revealing it full of color and life.” ―New York Times

“Spellbinding...a family history, focusing on the author's grandparents who fled with their young sons from the Russian Revolution . . . But this is more than a family memoir. It's a meditation on rootlessness and belonging, and on the ambivalent feelings we all have about the lost past and about our forbears. Not to be missed.” ―Victoria Glendinning, Vogue

“An exemplary Russian performance.” ―Bruce Chatwin

“The Russian Album is a work of such evocative power that the story of one family will speak volumes to many.” ―Maclean's

“The Russian Album is a joy to read. Every sentence seems heartfelt. And the book as a whole is likely to captivate all who are interested in the question of roots.” ―Cleveland Plain Dealer

“This beautifully written book . . . is about tenderness, courage, and a sublime life-force.” ―The Observer (London)