October: The Story of the Russian Revolution - Softcover

China Mieville

Softcover

ISBN 10: 1784782785 ISBN 13: 9781784782788

Publisher: Verso Books, 2018

Synopsis

In February of 1917 Russia was a backward, autocratic monarchy, mired in an unpopular war; by October, after not one but two revolutions, it had become the world's first workers' state, straining to be at the vanguard of global revolution. How did this unimaginable transformation take place? In a panoramic sweep, stretching from St Petersburg and Moscow to the remotest villages of a sprawling empire, Miéville uncovers the catastrophes, intrigues and inspirations of 1917, in all their passion, drama and strangeness. Intervening in long-standing historical debates, but told with the reader new to the topic especially in mind, here is a breathtaking story of humanity at its greatest and most desperate; of a turning point for civilisation that still resonates loudly today. China Miéville tells the extraordinary story of this pivotal moment in history.

About this title

Review

“This gripping account is a re-enactment of the Russian Revolution... His writing can be as passionate as that of the poets of the time: Alexander Blok, Mikhail Kuzmin, Marina Tsvetaeva, to mention some of those quoted here. Miéville's own special effects are of a piece with them.” – Financial Times

“Miéville is an ideal guide through this complex historical moment, giving agency to obscure and better-known participants alike, and depicting the revolution as both a tragically lost opportunity and an ongoing source of inspiration.” – Publishers Weekly (★ Starred Review)

“When one of the most marvellously original writers in the world takes on one of the most explosive events in history, the result can only be incendiary” – Barbara Ehrenreich

“To give a new generation of readers a fresh account of the great revolution, incorporating all the post-1989 archival discoveries and scholarly research, is a singularly daunting task. To render it in vivid, oracular prose, moving across the pages with the gathering force of a hurricane, is something that only China Miéville could achieve.” – Mike Davis

“Elegantly constructed and unexpectedly moving” – Sheila Fitzpatrick, London Review of Books

“Miéville presents the action with his novelist’s eye ... An intriguing march to revolution, told here with clarity and insight.” – Kirkus

“There are delightful grace notes here over and above a brisk and perceptive narrative.” – Stuart Kelly, Scotsman

“Cinematic and vivid” – Newsweek

“Readers will be satisfied that October gives them the literary equivalent of bearing witness to world history.” – Booklist

“It’s as if John Reed, author of the classic piece of revolutionary journalism, Ten Days That Shook the World, woke from a decades-long sleep to tell the story of 1917 once again.” – Counterpunch

About the Author

China Miéville is the multi-award-winning author of many works of fiction and non-fiction. His fiction includes The City and the City, Embassytown and This Census-Taker, and has won the Hugo, World Fantasy and Arthur C. Clarke Awards. His non-fiction includes London's Overthrow and Between Equal Rights. He has written for various publications, including the New York Times, Guardian, and Granta, and is a founding editor of the quarterly Salvage.

About this edition

• Publisher: Verso Books
• Publication date: 2018
• ISBN 10: 1784782785
• ISBN 13: 9781784782788
• Binding: Paperback
• Edition number: 2
• Number of pages: 384