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OverviewOf all the great imperial romances in European history, few can compare with that of Catherine the Great and Prince Grigory Potemkin. Their turbulent and complicated relationship shocked their contemporaries and continues to intrigue observers of Russia centuries later. Lovers, companions, and, most likely, husband and wife, Catherine and Potemkin were also close political partners, and for a time Potemkin served as Catherine's de facto co-ruler of the Russian empire. Their letters offer an intimate glimpse into the lovers' unguarded moments, revealing both ecstatic expressions of love and candid insights on eighteenth-century politics. Beginning with Potemkin's initial letter to Catherine written while off fighting the Turks in 1769 and concluding with his farewell note scribbled the day before his death in 1791, the correspondence spans most of Catherine's reign. The letters are at once personal and political, private and public. Many of Catherine's love letters to Potemkin written during their stormy affair reveal the empress's passionate personality. Potemkin's letters provide rare insight into his arrogant and mercurial character. Full Product DetailsAuthor: Douglas Smith , Empress Catherine II of RussiaPublisher: Cornell University Press Imprint: Northern Illinois University Press Dimensions: Width: 15.20cm , Height: 3.70cm , Length: 22.90cm Weight: 0.907kg ISBN: 9780875803241ISBN 10: 0875803245 Pages: 475 Publication Date: 15 April 2004 Audience: College/higher education , Professional and scholarly , Postgraduate, Research & Scholarly , Professional & Vocational Format: Hardback Publisher's Status: Active Availability: Out of stock  The supplier is temporarily out of stock of this item. It will be ordered for you on backorder and shipped when it becomes available. Table of ContentsTable of Contents Acknowledgments Introduction Note on the Translation 1. Ardent Zeal, Sincere Confessions—1769–1774 2. Lovers—1774–1775 3. Breaking Up—1776 4. Partners—1777–1781 5. Annexing the Crimea—1782–1783 6. Southern Vision—1784–1787 7. War—1787 8. The Siege of Ochakov—1788 9. A Gallant Campaign, the Count's Betrayal, and Blackie 10. One Paw Out of the Mud 11. Death on the Steppe Appendix I: Maps Appendix II: Chronology Appendix III: Table of Ranks IndexReviewsA wonderfully readable collection... beautifully translated and shrewdly edited. - New York Review of Books The most comprehensive and scholarly English-language edition to date. - TLS Surely the most revealing letters from a ruler ever published. - Financial Times Author InformationDouglas Smith is author of Working the Rough Stone, which won the William W. Reese II Memorial Book Award for 1999–2000. He lives in Seattle. Tab Content 6Author Website:Countries AvailableAll regions |
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