{"product_id":"stalins-scribe-literature-ambition-and-survival-the-life-of-mikhail-sholokhov-paperback","title":"Stalin's Scribe: Literature, Ambition, and Survival: The Life of Mikhail Sholokhov - Paperback","description":"\u003cp\u003eby \u003cb\u003eBrian J. Boeck\u003c\/b\u003e (Author)\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eMikhail Sholokhov is arguably one of the most contentious recipients of the Nobel Prize in Literature. As a young man, Sholokhov's epic novel, \u003cem\u003eQuiet Don\u003c\/em\u003e, became an unprecedented overnight success. \u003cem\u003eStalin's Scribe\u003c\/em\u003e is the first biography of a man who was once one of the Soviet Union's most prominent political figures. Thanks to the opening of Russia's archives, Brian Boeck discovers that Sholokhov's official Soviet biography is actually a tangled web of legends, half-truths, and contradictions. Boeck examines the complex connection between an author and a dictator, revealing how a Stalinist courtier became an ideological acrobat and consummate politician in order to stay in favor and remain relevant after the dictator's death.\u003cbr\u003e \u003cbr\u003e \u003cem\u003eStalin's Scribe\u003c\/em\u003e is a remarkable biography that both reinforces and clashes with our understanding of the Soviet system. It reveals a Sholokhov who is bold, uncompromising, and sympathetic--and reconciles him with the vindictive and mean-spirited man described in so many accounts of late Soviet history. Shockingly, at the height of the terror, which claimed over a million lives, Sholokhov became a member of the most minuscule subset of the Soviet Union's population--the handful of individuals whom Stalin personally intervened to save.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003ch3\u003eAuthor Biography\u003c\/h3\u003e\u003cp\u003eBrian J. Boeck holds a PhD in Russian history from Harvard University and have taught Russian and Soviet history for over a decade at DePaul University. He is the author of \u003ci\u003eImperial Boundaries\u003c\/i\u003e (Cambridge) and lives in Chicago, Illinois.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cdiv\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eNumber of Pages:\u003c\/strong\u003e 400\u003c\/div\u003e\u003cdiv\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eDimensions:\u003c\/strong\u003e 0.91 x 9 x 6 IN\u003c\/div\u003e\u003cdiv\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eIllustrated:\u003c\/strong\u003e Yes\u003c\/div\u003e\u003cdiv\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003ePublication Date:\u003c\/strong\u003e April 07, 2020\u003c\/div\u003e","brand":"Books by splitShops","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":51792600269088,"sku":"9781643134796","price":32.33,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0974\/9764\/5344\/files\/ff3d6e5dc8af043c9cae5f6356ee8199.webp?v=1780704796","url":"https:\/\/ebocreations.com\/products\/stalins-scribe-literature-ambition-and-survival-the-life-of-mikhail-sholokhov-paperback","provider":"The E-Book Oasis LLC","version":"1.0","type":"link"}