Victor Sebestyen Bücher

Victor Sebestyen wirft in dieser Biographie einen neuen Blick auf Lenin: Ausführlich erzählt er vom Menschen Wladimir Uljanow, schildert sein Leben mit Freunden und Frauen, seine persönlichen Überzeugungen – und stellt diese dann gegen den Politiker und dessen Handlungen. Das Rätsel Lenin ist an seine Doppelgesichtigkeit geknüpft: hier der freundliche, großzügige, höfliche Wladimir Uljanow, dort der unerbittliche Revolutionär Lenin, der unzählige Todesurteile unterschrieb, der Gegner als Tiere beschimpfte und, wie Sebestyen zeigt, sie auch so behandelte, als er die Macht dazu hatte. Sebestyen lässt sichtbar werden, was für eine komplexe, zerrissene Persönlichkeit Lenin war. Bis heute wird Lenin in Russland verehrt und verherrlicht; aber auch über das Land, das er so prägte, hinaus fasziniert er als der Mann, der Geschichte schrieb, der eine neue Form von Staat schuf, die später von beinah der halben Welt übernommen wurde. Für Lenin war Politik etwas Persönliches, und Sebestyen gelingt es, das Augenmerk auf Lenin als Menschen zu richten und das private mit dem politischen Leben und Wirken zu verknüpfen. Victor Sebestyen erzählt tempo- und kenntnisreich von Lenins Welt – und wirft dabei ein ganz neues Licht auf die Russische Revolution, einen der großen Wendepunkte der modernen Geschichte.

Victor Sebestyen wurde 1956 in Budapest geboren und verließ Ungarn noch als Kind. Er ist Historiker und arbeitete als Journalist und Auslandskorrespondent u. a. für den «London Evening Standard» und die «New York Times». Heute ist er für «Newsweek» tätig. 2015 erschien bei Rowohlt Berlin sein Buch «1946. Das Jahr, in dem die Welt neu entstand», das von der Presse hoch gelobt wurde. Victor Sebestyen lebt in London. Hainer Kober, geboren 1942, lebt in Soltau. Er hat u. a. Werke von Stephen Hawking, Steven Pinker, Jonathan Littell, Georges Simenon und Oliver Sacks übersetzt.

With the end of the Second World War, a new world was born. The peace agreements that brought the conflict to an end implemented decisions that not only shaped the second half of the twentieth century, but continue to affect our world today and impact on its future. In 1946 the Cold War began, the state of Israel was conceived, the independence of India was all but confirmed and Chinese Communists gained a decisive upper hand in their fight for power. It was a pivotal year in modern history in which countries were reborn and created, national and ideological boundaries were redrawn and people across the globe began to rebuild their lives. In this remarkable history, the foreign correspondent and historian Victor Sebestyen draws on contemporary documents from around the world - including Stalin's personal notes from the Potsdam peace conference - to examine what lay behind the political decision-making. Sebestyen uses a vast array of archival material and personal testimonies to explore how the lives of generations of people across continents were shaped by the events of 1946. Taking readers from Berlin to London, from Paris to Moscow, from Washington to Jerusalem and from Delhi to Shanghai, this is a vivid and wide-ranging account of both powerbrokers and ordinary men and women from an acclaimed author.

Journalist Victor Sebestyen witnessed much of the 1989 fall of the Soviet empire at first hand, and in this book, he reassesses this decisive moment in modern history.

The book offers an engaging exploration of Budapest's rich historical and cultural tapestry, highlighting its unique position at the crossroads of East and West in Europe. Victor Sebestyen, a renowned historian, delves into the defining events that shaped the city, providing readers with a deeper understanding of its significance. Accompanied by an eight-page insert of photographs, this work serves as a vibrant tribute to Budapest's extraordinary character and heritage.

The biography explores the multifaceted life of Lenin, portraying him as both a pivotal political figure and a complex individual shaped by personal relationships. It details his transformation from a comfortable upbringing to a radical leader following his brother's execution. Unique insights into his intimate life, including a love triangle with his wife and mistress, reveal a more nuanced character. The narrative also examines Lenin's role in the Russian Revolution and the violent legacy he left, including the rise of Stalin and the establishment of a terror-based regime.

Budapest has always been an important place. Almost at the centre of Europe, it is at the crossroads of geographical regions and of civilizations, at the intersection of ancient trade routes. Mountains that gradually slope into gentle hills converge on a great river, the Danube, and the regions of Buda and Pest sprang up on either side. Throughout history the centre of gravity in Budapest and among Hungarians has shifted between this division of East and West - culturally, politically, emotionally. Invaders have come and gone, empires have conquered, occupied for centuries or decades, and left a few footprints behind: the remains of a Roman bath house complete with wonderfully preserved mosaics stand next to a Soviet-style 'five-year-plan' apartment block. The city bears the scars of the rise and fall of multiple empires, two world wars, fascism, Nazi German occupation, Soviet Communism. It has been home to some of the world's greatest writers, artists and musicians. Hungary is a place of extremes, a small country that has often in history punched well above its weight. At many moments, events that began in Budapest have proved to be of world significance. This is the story of that tumultuous, often divided, but always fascinating city.

Victor Sebestyen's intimate biography is the first major work in English for nearly two decades on one of the most significant figures of the twentieth century. In Russia to this day Lenin inspires adulation. Everywhere, he continues to fascinate as a man who made history, and who created a new kind of state that would later be imitated by nearly half the countries in the world. Lenin believed that the 'the political is the personal', and while in no way ignoring his political life, Sebestyen's focus will be on Lenin the man - a man who loved nature almost as much as he loved making revolution, and whose closest ties and friendships were with women. The long-suppressed story of his ménage a trois with his wife, Nadezhda Krupskaya, and his mistress and comrade, Inessa Armand, reveals a different character to the coldly one-dimensional figure of legend. Told through the prism of Lenin's key relationships, Sebestyen's lively biography casts a new light the Russian Revolution, one of the great turning points of modern history.

Documents the collapse of the Soviet Union's European empire (East Germany, Poland, Czechoslvakia, Hungary, Romania, and Bulgaria) and the transition of each to independent states, drawing on interviews and newly uncovered archival material to offer insight into 1989's rapid changes and the USSR's minimal resistance.

'A fresh, powerful portrait of Lenin' Anne Applebaum, author of Red Famine 'Richly readable ... An enthralling but appalling story' Francis Wheen, author of Karl Marx The cold, one-dimensional figure of Lenin the political fanatic is only a partial truth. Drawing on extensive material that has only recently become available, Sebestyen's gripping biography casts an intriguing new light on the character behind the politics. In reality, Lenin was a man who loved nature as much as he loved making revolution, and his closest relationships were with women. He built a state based on terror. But he was a highly emotional man given to furious rages and deep passions. While never ignoring the politics, Sebestyen examines Lenin's inner life, his relationship with his wife and his long love affair with Inessa Armand, the most romantic and beguiling of Bolsheviks. These two women were as significant as the men - Stalin or Trotsky - who created the world's first Communist state with him.