Rasputin
Subtitle: a short life
By: Frances Welch
Edition: First Marble Arch Press trade pbk. ed.
Publisher: Marble Arch Press
Published: 2014
Place of publication: [S. l. ]
Language: eng
Number of pages: 207
ISBN-13: 9781476755502
Subjects: Mystics; Healers; Court and courtiers; Biography; History
Description: "Told with humor, intrigue, and a shrewd eye for detail, this riveting short biography sheds much-needed light on the life of nineteenth-century Russian icon Grigory Rasputin.  Grigory Rasputin, a Siberian peasant turned mystic and court sage, was as fascinating as he was unfathomable. He played the role of the simple man, eating with his fingers and boasting, 'I don't even know the ABC.' But, as the only person able to relieve the symptoms of hemophilia in the Tsar's heir Alexei, he gained almost hallowed status within the Imperial court.  During the last decade of his life, Rasputin and his band of 'little ladies' came to symbolize all that was decadent, corrupt, and remote about the Imperial Family, especially when it was rumored that he was not only shaping Russian policy during the First World War, but also enjoying an intimate relationship with the Empress ...  Rasputin's role in the downfall of the tsarist regime is beyond dispute. But who was he really? Prophet or rascal? A 'breath of rank air ... who blew away the cobwebs of the Imperial Palace,' as Beryl Bainbridge put it, or a dangerous deviant?  Writing for historical aficionados and curious readers alike, Frances Welch turns her inimitable wry gaze on one of the great mysteries of Russian history."--from publisher's description.
Notes: "Originally published in Great Britain in 2014 by Short Books"--T.p. verso.

Includes bibliographical references (p. 203-205).