Lenin

The Man, the Dictator, and the Master of Terror

De: Victor Sebestyen

Narrado por: Jonathan Aris

Victor Sebestyen's riveting biography of Vladimir Ilyich Lenin—the first major biography in English in nearly two decades—is not only a political examination of one of the most important historical figures of the twentieth century but also a fascinating portrait of Lenin the man.

Brought up in comfort and with a passion for hunting and fishing, chess, and the English classics, Lenin was radicalized after the execution of his brother in 1887. Sebestyen traces the story from Lenin's early years to his long exile in Europe and return to Petrograd in 1917 to lead the first Communist revolution in history. Uniquely, Sebestyen has discovered that throughout Lenin's life his closest relationships were with his mother, his sisters, his wife, and his mistress. The long-suppressed story told here of the love triangle that Lenin had with his wife, Nadezhda Krupskaya, and his beautiful, married mistress and comrade, Inessa Armand, reveals a more complicated character than that of the coldly one-dimensional leader of the Bolshevik Revolution.

With Lenin's personal papers and those of other leading political figures now available, Sebestyen gives is new details that bring to life the dramatic and gripping story of how Lenin seized power in a coup and ran his revolutionary state. The product of a violent, tyrannical, and corrupt Russia, he chillingly authorized the deaths of thousands of people and created a system based on the idea that political terror against opponents was justified for a greater ideal. An old comrade what had once admired him said that Lenin "desired the good . . . but created evil." This included his invention of Stalin, who would take Lenin's system of the gulag and the secret police to horrifying new heights.

In Lenin, Victor Sebestyen has written a brilliant portrait of this dictator as a complex and ruthless figure, and he also brings to light important new revelations about the Russian Revolution, a pivotal point in modern history.


(With 16 pages of black-and-white photographs)

Humanizes the Villain

I think this is what Audiobooks are meant for; that is for listening to autobiographies of historical figures. I know for me, I couldn’t picture myself going to a bookstore to pick up a book on Lenin. But an audiobook like this, that was so captivating through and through, made me feel like I was watching one of those well made, top production, Netflix documentaries. This was just all audio. I highly recommend this book if you were ever curious to learn of what started the communist revolution, or learning about how dictators can get to power (fyi it’s not so hard), or what life in Russia was like 100 years ago, or seeing the effect one human being can have on history, and many many more insights. I’m already looking up the next “great” figure I can read up on.

Excellent history and presentation

Well-documented work, brilliantly written and equally brilliantly presented. I understand the origins of 20th century conflicts much better now.

Well written and narrated

Growing up in Ukraine in the 80s and 90s, I had no interest or proper awareness of the real history as a teenager. What an blissful ignorance it was. I remember those days in school when we had to be accepted into various levels of communist youth organizations, and how I was bummed out for not becoming a "pioneer"(second level, in 4th grade) with the orange handkerchief around my neck, from the first try. We did indeed spoke of him as Grandpa Lenin with such affection, so many years past his time, hard to believe it now. Seeing the collapse of the Soviet Union was awesome and liberating, though. Between various dictator characters, including the current one, Russia keeps going from the fire to the flame, and back. What a pity for the Russian people. And my people.
More to the point, this book on Lenin's life is well written and revealing. I went through it within about 4 days. Good read.

Lenin

not much is known about Lenin. This seems to be a very objective book . well narrated

A true master

This book portrayed Lenin's live in such details that it made one feel like they were there.