I have a new review up at Shiny New Books today, and it’s a title and author which were both new to me. However, the book sounded like the perfect fit for me, as it’s a rediscovered memoir by a man who lived through the Russian Revolution, ensuing civil war and the iron grip of the Soviet regine. The book is “One Man In His Time” and it’s by N.M. Borodin.
Borodin is an elusive figure; a scientist who defected to the West, he wrote his story in his adopted language of English, and it is indeed a dramatic tale, full of dark events, violence and betrayals. It’s a gripping book, and you can read my full review here!
Kaggsy's Bookish Ramblings 
May 23, 2024 @ 10:03:44
I read your review and this seems a remarkable book indeed. I love how sparsed down the prose is. I will have to get a copy of it.
May 23, 2024 @ 11:20:41
It’s a powerful read, and although his prose is what I would expect from a scientists, it’s an unforgettable book.
May 23, 2024 @ 10:59:57
Oh, this sounds promising! I read Teffi’s Memories earlier this month and loved that—sort of in the mood for more émigré life stories…
May 23, 2024 @ 11:19:50
It’s a great book, but a lot harsher than Teffi’s – and he doesn’t emigrate until the end of the book (which is really quite dramatic). That said, it’s a powerful read and I highly recommend it!
May 23, 2024 @ 11:28:02
Gosh – your tag line – a sobering memoir of revolutionary times seems an excellent summing up of this intriguing and powerful account. It also seems to raise more unanswered questions given the ‘disappearance’ of the author. I am drawn to want to read this for myself, whilst wondering whether it might be a step too far for my stomach and peaceful sleep at night?!
May 23, 2024 @ 15:39:03
It’s unsettling for sure, and visceral at times, but it really does get you right inside what it was like to live through violent and changing times. It also captures the crippling uncertainty of the Soviet world. It’s not always an easy read, and I had to let my eyes glide over a couple of bits re animal testing, but it certainly is powerful.
May 23, 2024 @ 18:31:25
That John Simpson has written an introduction suggests it’s as fascinating a story as you say – but I’m guessing he had no idea who Borodin was either!
May 24, 2024 @ 10:44:24
It does, though I have to confess I’ve not read it as I have an ARC which doesn’t have the intro! Which is a shame, because I would have enjoyed hearing his take on the book…
May 24, 2024 @ 18:22:14
This sounds a fascinating read, though as you say unsettling as well; having just added Yulia Yakovleva’s second Leningrad confidential book to my summer reading list, I remembered the fraught atmosphere described in the first book where Zaitzev himself is taken into custody for a while
May 25, 2024 @ 07:50:36
It’s definitely dark and unsettling, and your comparison is a good one. Living under that kind of regime must have been quite stressful, to say the least.
May 26, 2024 @ 20:55:58
An extraordinary, dark sounding memoir. Memoirs that depict such difficult times are so revealing.
May 27, 2024 @ 11:53:39
It’s very dark and powerful, but as you say it reveals so much about living through those times.