martedì 18 maggio 2021
American Kompromat: How the KGB Cultivated Donald Trump, and Related Tales of Sex, Greed, Power, and Treachery by Craig Unger
Kompromat n.—Russian for "compromising information"
This is a story about the dirty secrets of the most powerful people in the world—including Donald Trump.
It is based on exclusive interviews with dozens of high-level sources—intelligence officers in the CIA, FBI, and the KGB, thousands of pages of FBI investigations, police investigations, and news articles in English, Russian, and Ukrainian. American Kompromat shows that from Trump to Jeffrey Epstein, kompromat was used in operations far more sinister than the public could ever imagine.
Among them, the book addresses what may be the single most important unanswered question of the entire Trump era: Is Donald Trump a Russian asset?
The answer, American Kompromat says, is yes, and it supports that conclusion backs with the first richly detailed narrative on how the KGB allegedly first “spotted” Trump as a potential asset, how they cultivated him as an asset, arranged his first trip to Moscow, and pumped him full of KGB talking points that were published in three of America’s most prestigious newspapers.
Among its many revelations, American Kompromat reports for the first time that:
• According to Yuri Shvets, a former major in the KGB, Trump first did business over forty years ago with a Manhattan electronics store co-owned by a Soviet émigré who Shvets believes was working with the KGB. Trump’s decision to do business there triggered protocols through which the Soviet spy agency began efforts to cultivate Trump as an asset, thus launching a decades-long “relationship” of mutual benefit to Russia and Trump, from real estate to real power.
• Trump’s invitation to Moscow in 1987 was billed as a preliminary scouting trip for a hotel, but according to Shvets, was actually initiated by a high-level KGB official, General Ivan Gromakov. These sorts of trips were usually arranged for ‘deep development,’ recruitment, or for a meeting with the KGB handlers, even if the potential asset was unaware of it. .
• Before Trump’s first trip to Moscow, he met with Natalia Dubinina, who worked at the United Nations library in a vital position usually reserved as a cover for KGB operatives.
• In 1987, according to Shvets, the KGB circulated an internal cable hailing the successful execution of an active measure by a newly cultivated American asset who took out full page ads in The New York Times, The Washington Post, and The Boston Globe promoting policies promoted by the KGB. The ads had been taken out by Donald Trump, who, Shvets said, would become a “special unofficial contact” for the KGB, that is, an intelligence asset whose role has been compared to that of the late industrialist, Armand Hammer.
A number of America’s highest national security officials have said they believe Trump is a Russian asset, but neither the Mueller Report nor the numerous congressional investigations throughout Trump’s presidency pursued that vital question. American Kompromat does.
In addition to exploring Trump’s ties to the KGB, American Kompromat also shows that from Donald Trump to Jeffrey Epstein, Russian kompromat operations documented the darkest secrets of the most powerful people in the world and transformed those secrets into potent weapons. It also reveals:
• How Jeffrey Epstein and Trump jostled for influence and financial supremacy for years. A college dropout let go from his prep school teaching job, Epstein became a millionaire in part with the help of Ghislaine Maxwell’s father—media tycoon Robert Maxwell, who allegedly served as a Soviet and Israeli spy and likely gave Epstein a sum estimated between $10 and $20 million before his death in 1991.
• How the Jeffrey Epstein-Ghislaine Maxwell sex-trafficking operation provided a source and marketplace for sexual kompromat – dirty secrets of the richest and most powerful men in the world. While Epstein had a rule when it came to selecting women, namely, “the younger, the better,” he also knew that a multimillionaire –or future leader – caught committing adultery is nothing compared to getting caught on video in the act with a minor.
• How the Epstein-Maxwell ring helped enable young women with possible ties to Russian intelligence to gain access to the highest levels of Silicon Valley and the worlds of artificial intelligence, supercomputers, and the internet. This, at a time when Vladimir Putin has asserted, “Whoever becomes the leader in this sphere [artificial intelligence] will become the ruler of the world.”
• How Epstein had ties to Russia through sex-trafficking. Epstein partnered with Jean-Luc Brunel, head of MC2 modeling agency and a major sex trafficker, who, in turn, had worked with Peter Listerman, the celebrated procurer, or “matchmaker” as he prefers, for Russian oligarchs.
• How John Mark Dougan, a former deputy sheriff in Mar-a-Lago’s Palm Beach County, says he acquired 478 videos confiscated from the Jeffrey Epstein investigation, fled to Moscow, became only the fourth American to win asylum in Russia, and immediately gained access to Putin’s inner circle, showing the ongoing power that comes from kompromat and how its value is highest before it is “used.”
Russian Energy Chains: The Remaking of Technopolitics from Siberia to Ukraine to the European Union (Woodrow Wilson Center Series) by Margarita M. Balmaceda
Russia’s use of its vast energy resources for leverage against
post-Soviet states such as Ukraine is widely recognized as a threat. Yet
we cannot understand this danger without also understanding the
opportunity that Russian energy represents. From corruption-related
profits to transportation-fee income to subsidized prices, many within
these states have benefited by participating in Russian energy exports.
To understand Russian energy power in the region, it is necessary to
look at the entire value chain―including production, processing,
transportation, and marketing―and at the full spectrum of domestic and
external actors involved, from Gazprom to regional oligarchs to European
Union regulators.
This book follows Russia’s three largest
fossil-fuel exports―natural gas, oil, and coal―from production in
Siberia through transportation via Ukraine to final use in Germany in
order to understand the tension between energy as threat and as
opportunity. Margarita M. Balmaceda reveals how this dynamic has been a
key driver of political development in post-Soviet states in the period
between independence in 1991 and Russia’s annexation of Crimea in 2014.
She analyzes how the physical characteristics of different types of
energy, by shaping how they can be transported, distributed, and even
stolen, affect how each is used―not only technically but also
politically. Both a geopolitical travelogue of the journey of three
fossil fuels across continents and an incisive analysis of technology’s
role in fossil-fuel politics and economics, this book offers new ways of
thinking about energy in Eurasia and beyond.
Ukraine vs. Darkness: (Undiplomatic Thoughts) (Ukrainian Voices) by Olexander Scherba (Author), Adrian Karatnycky (Foreword)
This book draws on the author’s experience from 26 years of Ukrainian
diplomatic service in, among others, Bonn, Berlin, Washington, and
Vienna, and his work as a speechwriter to most Ukrainian foreign
ministers for the last two decades. Scherba’s captivating essays reflect
his views of international affairs from a Ukrainian perspective. His
deliberations are presented in uncomplicated, plain language. The
articles assembled here have repeatedly caused discussion in Ukraine and
abroad.
By his opponents, Scherba is often described as being
surprisingly undiplomatic and even provocative. For instance, his
article “Why nationalism can’t be the national idea of a European
Ukraine”, published on a Ukrainian nationalist website, stirred
considerable controversy in Ukraine. Aside from explaining Kyiv’s take
on some key issues of international relations, these essays provide
insights into Ukrainian political thinking since the start of Russia’s
military aggression in 2014, and into the painful political intramural
fights in Ukrainian society ever since.
Between Two Fires: Truth, Ambition, and Compromise in Putin's Russia by Joshua Yaffa
From a Moscow correspondent for The New Yorker, a groundbreaking portrait of modern Russia and the inner struggles of the people who sustain Vladimir Putin’s rule
NAMED ONE OF THE BEST BOOKS OF THE YEAR BY NPR AND KIRKUS REVIEWS
In this rich and novelistic tour of contemporary Russia, Joshua Yaffa introduces readers to some of the country’s most remarkable figures—from politicians and entrepreneurs to artists and historians—who have built their careers and constructed their identities in the shadow of the Putin system. Torn between their own ambitions and the omnipresent demands of the state, each walks an individual path of compromise. Some muster cunning and cynicism to extract all manner of benefits and privileges from those in power. Others, finding themselves to be less adept, are left broken and demoralized. What binds them together is the tangled web of dilemmas and contradictions they face.
Between Two Fires chronicles the lives of a number of strivers who understand that their dreams are best—or only—realized through varying degrees of cooperation with the Russian government. With sensitivity and depth, Yaffa profiles the director of the country’s main television channel, an Orthodox priest at war with the church hierarchy, a Chechen humanitarian who turns a blind eye to persecutions, and many others. The result is an intimate and probing portrait of a nation that is much discussed yet little understood. By showing how citizens shape their lives around the demands of a capricious and frequently repressive state—as often by choice as under threat of force—Yaffa offers urgent lessons about the true nature of modern authoritarianism.
Praise for Between Two Fires
“A deep and revealing portrait of life inside Vladimir Putin’s Russia. . . . Yaffa mines a rich vein, describing his subjects’ moral compromises and often ingenious ways of engaging a crooked bureaucracy to show how the Kremlin sustains its authoritarianism.”—The New York Times Book Review
“Few journalists have penetrated so deep and with so much nuance into the moral ambiguities of Russia. If you want insight into the deeper distortions the Kremlin causes in people’s psyches this book is invaluable.”—Peter Pomerantsev, author of Nothing Is True and Everything Is Possible
“A stunning chronicle of Putin’s new Russia . . . It celebrates the vitality of the Russian people even as it explores the compromises and accommodations that they must make. . . . This embrace of contradictions is what makes Between Two Fires such a poignant and poetic book.”—Alex Gibney, Air Mail
Spies, Lies, and Exile: The Extraordinary Story of Russian Double Agent George Blake H by Simon Kuper
“Fascinating, rich, and probing . . . a beguiling and endlessly interesting portrait”—The Wall Street Journal
For fans of John le Carré and Ben Macintyre, an exclusive first-person account of one of the Cold War’s most notorious spies
“Kuper
provides a different and valuable perspective, humane and informative.
If the definition of a psychopath is someone who refuses to accept the
consequences of his actions, does George fit the definition? There he
sits, admitting it was all for nothing, but has no regrets. Or does he?”
—John le Carré
Few Cold War spy stories approach the sheer daring and treachery of George Blake’s.
After fighting in the Dutch resistance during World War II, Blake joined the British spy agency MI6 and was stationed in Seoul. Taken prisoner after the North Korean army overran his post in 1950, Blake later returned to England to a hero’s welcome, carrying a dark secret: while in a communist prison camp in North Korea, he had secretly switched sides to the KGB after reading Karl Marx’s Das Kapital.
As a Soviet double agent, Blake betrayed uncounted western spying operations—including the storied Berlin Tunnel, the most expensive covert project ever undertaken by the CIA and MI6. Blake exposed hundreds of western agents, forty of whom were likely executed. After his unmasking and arrest, he received, for that time, the longest sentence in modern British history—only to make a dramatic escape to the Soviet Union in 1966, five years into his forty-two-year sentence. He left his wife, three children, and a stunned country behind.
Much of Blake’s career existed inside the hall of mirrors that was the Cold War, especially following his sensational escape from Wormwood Scrubs prison. Veteran journalist Simon Kuper tracked Blake to his dacha outside Moscow, where the aging spy agreed to be interviewed for this unprecedented account of Cold War espionage. Following the master spy’s death in Moscow at age ninety-eight on December 26, 2020, Kuper is finally able to set the record straight.
The Bridgertons: Happily Ever After by Julia Quinn
#1 New York Times bestselling author Julia Quinn presents a novella featuring Violet Bridgerton along with a collection of “second epilogues” to her Bridgerton series—her beloved Regency-set novels featuring her charming, powerful Bridgerton family—now a series created by Shondaland for Netflix.
Ever wonder what happens after the Happily Ever After?
Julia Quinn’s Bridgerton series remains one of the most beloved among historical romance readers, and this collection of “second epilogues”—stories that take place after the original books end—offers fans more from their favorite characters.
Also unique to this volume is a novella featuring Violet Bridgerton, beloved mother of the eight Bridgerton siblings, in addition to second epilogues for The Duke and I; The Viscount Who Loved Me; An Offer from a Gentleman; Romancing Mister Bridgerton; To Sir Phillip, With Love; When He Was Wicked, It’s in His Kiss; and On the Way to the Wedding sure to satisfy the legions of Julia Quinn fans.
On the Way to the Wedding: Bridgerton (Bridgertons Book 8) by Julia Quinn
A New York Times Bestseller
From #1 New York Times bestselling author Julia Quinn comes the story of Gregory Bridgerton, in the final installment of her beloved Regency-set novels featuring the charming, powerful Bridgerton family, now a series created by Shondaland for Netflix.
GREGORY’S STORY
Unlike most men of his acquaintance, Gregory Bridgerton believes in true love. And he is convinced that when he finds the woman of his dreams, he will know in an instant that she is the one. And that is exactly what happened. Except ...
She wasn’t the one. In fact, the ravishing Miss Hermione Watson is in love with another. But her best friend, the ever-practical Lady Lucinda Abernathy, wants to save Hermione from a disastrous alliance, so she offers to help Gregory win her over. But in the process, Lucy falls in love. With Gregory! Except ...
Lucy is engaged. And her uncle is not inclined to let her back out of the betrothal, even once Gregory comes to his senses and realizes that it is Lucy, with her sharp wit and sunny smile, who makes his heart sing. And now, on the way to the wedding, Gregory must risk everything to ensure that when it comes time to kiss the bride, he is the only man standing at the altar …
It's In His Kiss: Bridgerton (Bridgertons Book 7) by Julia Quinn
A New York Times Bestseller
From #1 New York Times bestselling author Julia Quinn comes the story of Hyacinth Bridgerton, in the seventh of her beloved Regency-set novels featuring the charming, powerful Bridgerton family, now a series created by Shondaland for Netflix.
HYACINTH’S STORY
Meet Our Hero . . .
Gareth St. Clair is in a bind. His father, who detests him, is determined to beggar the St. Clair estates and ruin his inheritance. Gareth’s sole bequest is an old family diary, which may or may not contain the secrets of his past . . . and the key to his future. The problem is—it’s written in Italian, of which Gareth speaks not a word.
Meet Our Heroine . . .
All the ton agreed: there was no one quite like Hyacinth Bridgerton. She’s fiendishly smart, devilishly outspoken, and according to Gareth, probably best in small doses. But there’s something about her—something charming and vexing—that grabs him and won’t quite let go . . .
Meet Poor Mr. Mozart . . .
Or don’t. But rest assured, he’s spinning in his grave when Gareth and Hyacinth cross paths at the annual—and annually discordant—Smythe-Smith musicale. To Hyacinth, Gareth’s every word seems a dare, and she offers to translate his diary, even though her Italian is slightly less than perfect. But as they delve into the mysterious text, they discover that the answers they seek lie not in the diary, but in each other . . . and that there is nothing as simple—or as complicated—as a single, perfect kiss.
When He Was Wicked: Bridgerton (Bridgertons Book 6) by Julia Quinn
A New York Times Bestseller
From #1 New York Times bestselling author Julia Quinn comes the story of Francesca Bridgerton, in the sixth of her beloved Regency-set novels featuring the charming, powerful Bridgerton family, now a series created by Shondaland for Netflix.
FRANCESCA’S STORY
In every life there is a turning point. A moment so tremendous, so sharp and breathtaking, that one knows one’s life will never be the same. For Michael Stirling, London’s most infamous rake, that moment came the first time he laid eyes on Francesca Bridgerton.
After a lifetime of chasing women, of smiling slyly as they chased him, of allowing himself to be caught but never permitting his heart to become engaged, he took one look at Francesca Bridgerton and fell so fast and hard into love it was a wonder he managed to remain standing. Unfortunately for Michael, however, Francesca’s surname was to remain Bridgerton for only a mere thirty-six hours longer—the occasion of their meeting was, lamentably, a supper celebrating her imminent wedding to his cousin.
But that was then . . . Now Michael is the earl and Francesca is free, but still she thinks of him as nothing other than her dear friend and confidant. Michael dares not speak to her of his love . . . until one dangerous night, when she steps innocently into his arms, and passion proves stronger than even the most wicked of secrets . . .
To Sir Phillip, With Love: Bridgerton (Bridgertons Book 5) by Julia Quinn
A New York Times Bestseller
From #1 New York Times bestselling author Julia Quinn comes the story of Eloise Bridgerton, in the fifth of her beloved Regency-set novels featuring the charming, powerful Bridgerton family, now a series created by Shondaland for Netflix.
ELOISE’S STORY
Sir Phillip knew that Eloise Bridgerton was a spinster, and so he’d proposed, figuring that she’d be homely and unassuming, and more than a little desperate for an offer of marriage. Except . . . she wasn’t. The beautiful woman on his doorstep was anything but quiet, and when she stopped talking long enough to close her mouth, all he wanted to do was kiss her . . . and more.
Did he think she was mad? Eloise Bridgerton couldn’t marry a man she had never met! But then she started thinking . . . and wondering . . . and before she knew it, she was in a hired carriage in the middle of the night, on her way to meet the man she hoped might be her perfect match. Except . . . he wasn’t. Her perfect husband wouldn’t be so moody and ill-mannered, and while Phillip was certainly handsome, he was a large brute of a man, rough and rugged, and totally unlike the London gentlemen vying for her hand. But when he smiled . . . and when he kissed her . . . the rest of the world simply fell away, and she couldn’t help but wonder . . . could this imperfect man be perfect for her?
Romancing Mister Bridgerton (Bridgertons Book 4) by Julia Quinn
A New York Times Bestseller
From #1 New York Times bestselling author Julia Quinn comes the story of Colin Bridgerton and Penelope Featherington, in the fourth of her beloved Regency-set novels featuring the charming, powerful Bridgerton family, now a series created by Shondaland for Netflix.
COLIN AND PENELOPE’S STORY
Penelope Featherington has secretly adored her best friend’s brother for . . . well, it feels like forever. After half a lifetime of watching Colin Bridgerton from afar, she thinks she knows everything about him, until she stumbles across his deepest secret . . . and fears she doesn’t know him at all.
Colin Bridgerton is tired of being thought of as nothing but an empty-headed charmer, tired of the notorious gossip columnist Lady Whistledown, who can’t seem to publish an edition without mentioning him. But when Colin returns to London from a trip abroad, he discovers nothing in his life is quite the same—especially Penelope Featherington! The girl who was always simply there is suddenly the girl haunting his dreams. When he discovers that Penelope has secrets of her own, this elusive bachelor must decide . . . is she his biggest threat— or his promise of a happy ending?
Offer from a Gentleman, An: Bridgerton (Bridgertons, 3) by Julia Quinn
A New York Times Bestseller
From #1 New York Times bestselling author Julia Quinn comes the story of Benedict Bridgerton, in the third of her beloved Regency-set novels featuring the charming, powerful Bridgerton family, now a series created by Shondaland for Netflix.
BENEDICT’S STORY
Sophie Beckett never dreamed she’d be able to sneak into Lady Bridgerton’s famed masquerade ball—or that “Prince Charming” would be waiting there for her! Though the daughter of an earl, Sophie has been relegated to the role of servant by her disdainful stepmother. But now, spinning in the strong arms of the debonair and devastatingly handsome Benedict Bridgerton, she feels like royalty. Alas, she knows all enchantments must end when the clock strikes midnight.
Ever since that magical night, a radiant vision in silver has blinded Benedict to the attractions of any other—except, perhaps, this alluring and oddly familiar beauty dressed in housemaid’s garb whom he feels compelled to rescue from a most disagreeable situation. He has sworn to find and wed his mystery miss, but this breathtaking maid makes him weak with wanting her. Yet, if he offers her his heart, will Benedict sacrifice his only chance for a fairy-tale love?
The Viscount Who Loved Me: Bridgerton (Bridgertons, 2) by Julia Quinn
A New York Times Bestseller
From #1 New York Times bestselling author Julia Quinn comes the story of Anthony Bridgerton, in the second of her beloved Regency-set novels featuring the charming, powerful Bridgerton family, now a series created by Shondaland for Netflix.
ANTHONY’S STORY
This time the gossip columnists have it wrong. London’s most elusive bachelor Anthony Bridgerton hasn’t just decided to marry—he’s even chosen a wife! The only obstacle is his intended’s older sister, Kate Sheffield—the most meddlesome woman ever to grace a London ballroom. The spirited schemer is driving Anthony mad with her determination to stop the betrothal, but when he closes his eyes at night, Kate’s the woman haunting his increasingly erotic dreams...
Contrary to popular belief, Kate is quite sure that reformed rakes do not make the best husbands—and Anthony Bridgerton is the most wicked rogue of them all. Kate’s determined to protect her sister—but she fears her own heart is vulnerable. And when Anthony’s lips touch hers, she’s suddenly afraid she might not be able to resist the reprehensible rake herself...
Bridgerton: The Duke and I (Bridgertons Book 1)
A #1 New York Times Bestseller
From #1 New York Times bestselling author Julia Quinn comes the story of Daphne Bridgerton, in the first of her beloved Regency-set novels featuring the charming, powerful Bridgerton family, now a series created by Shondaland for Netflix.
In the ballrooms and drawing rooms of Regency London, rules abound. From their earliest days, children of aristocrats learn how to address an earl and curtsey before a prince—while other dictates of the ton are unspoken yet universally understood. A proper duke should be imperious and aloof. A young, marriageable lady should be amiable…but not too amiable.
Daphne Bridgerton has always failed at the latter. The fourth of eight siblings in her close-knit family, she has formed friendships with the most eligible young men in London. Everyone likes Daphne for her kindness and wit. But no one truly desires her. She is simply too deuced honest for that, too unwilling to play the romantic games that captivate gentlemen.
Amiability is not a characteristic shared by Simon Basset, Duke of Hastings. Recently returned to England from abroad, he intends to shun both marriage and society—just as his callous father shunned Simon throughout his painful childhood. Yet an encounter with his best friend’s sister offers another option. If Daphne agrees to a fake courtship, Simon can deter the mamas who parade their daughters before him. Daphne, meanwhile, will see her prospects and her reputation soar.
The plan works like a charm—at first. But amid the glittering, gossipy, cut-throat world of London’s elite, there is only one certainty: love ignores every rule...
This novel includes the 2nd epilogue, a peek at the story after the story.
lunedì 17 maggio 2021
Il venditore di Stelle di Oleksandr Irvanets (I Quaderni del Bardo Edizioni di Stefano Donno)
Bagliori a San Pietroburgo di Jan Brokken
«A ogni passo in questa città mi viene in mente un libro o mi risuona in
testa una musica. E una scoperta continua.» È il 1975 quando Jan
Brokken rimane folgorato da San Pietroburgo, l'allora Leningrado, patria
splendente e malinconica di poeti e dissidenti, folli e geni, disperati
e amanti, culla della ribellione agli zar e poi al regime sovietico in
nome della libertà dell'arte e dello spirito. In occasione del
centenario della Rivoluzione d'Ottobre, Brokken ci accompagna nelle sue
passeggiate fra presente e passato attraverso strade, teatri, case e
musei sulle tracce dei personaggi che hanno reso Pietroburgo una
capitale mitica della cultura europea. Un viaggio che parte dalla
raffinatissima Anna Achmatova, che sembra quasi personificare l'elegante
fierezza di questa città, per proseguire con l'avventura umana e
poetica di Dostoevskij, Gogol', Solzenicyn; i radicali Stravinskij e
Malevic e i tormentati Cajkovskij e Sostakovic; gli espatriati Brodskij,
Rachmaninov e Nabokov e l'inquieto Esenin, il «Rimbaud russo» che
conquistò Isadora Duncan; il principe dandy Jusupov, che assassinò
Rasputin e fuggì a Parigi con un Rembrandt sottobraccio, e la pianista
Marija Judina, che seppur ebrea e dissidente ottenne con la sua musica
l'eterno favore di Stalin. In una sinfonia di ricordi, citazioni e
frammenti di vita, Brokken compone un ritratto impressionista della
città della nostalgia e del confronto tra l'arte e il potere, dove
Mandel'stam ebbe a dire: «Solo da noi hanno rispetto per la poesia,
visto che uccidono in suo nome.»
Racconti di Pietroburgo di Gogol'
“Siamo tutti usciti da 'Il cappotto' di Gogol'” Fëdor Dostoevskij Pietroburgo non è una città: è un progetto, un sogno, un miraggio, un'allucinazione, o un incubo, se volete, ma non è una città. E non c'è un autore che meglio di Gogol' abbia visto e reso tangibile la sua realtà. I suoi "Racconti di Pietroburgo" ci restituiscono l'essenza di questa città, che è la cultura che vi è germinata. Leggendo questi cinque smilzi racconti sarete in un attimo gogolianamente proiettati nel mondo di Puskin, di Dostoevskij, di Andrej Belyj, di Anna Achmatova e Andrej Bitov; grazie a queste cinque capriole gogoliane vi troverete in un istante imbevuti di cultura pietroburghese. E dunque: non mettete piede a Pietroburgo senza prima aver letto i racconti di Gogol'… non vedreste nulla, non capireste nulla… Restituiti al lettore italiano nella traduzione di Damiano Rebecchini, questi racconti iniziano oggi una nuova vita, vestiti di tutto punto, con un nuovo cappotto tagliato a meraviglia, pronti a popolare i sogni pietroburghesi dei loro futuri lettori.
San Pietroburgo. Con mappa estraibile di Jeremy Howard e E. Damiani
Gli esperti di National Geographic viaggiano in ogni angolo del mondo per cogliere tutti gli aspetti della cultura, della storia e delle tradizioni dei vari luoghi. Questo bagaglio di esperienze si ritrova in ogni guida National Geographic Traveler. Programmare il viaggio: una panoramica generale sulle principali attrazioni della città che aiuta a organizzare la visita in base al tempo a disposizione e agli interessi specifici. Itinerari a piedi, corredati da cartine con rimandi alle descrizioni dei luoghi toccati: lungo la zona ovest della Nevskij Prospekt, tra i monumenti dell’asse Nevskij/Sadovaja e tra i palazzi dell’isola Vasilevskij. Escursioni lungo itinerari insoliti, come una gita tra le città costiere dell’Istmo di Carelia, al vecchio villaggio di Staraja Dervnja o all’isola-fortezza di Shlisselburg. Da non perdere: un elenco di località e attività vivamente consigliate con i rimandi di pagina alle descrizioni puntuali di ogni capitolo della guida. Da provare: originali idee per fare esperienze uniche, come partecipare a un tour delle cattedrali, rilassarsi in una banya, la tipica sauna russa, o assistere a uno spettacolo teatrale o a un balletto. Suggerimenti forniti da fotografi, autori, ricercatori di National Geographic o da esperti conoscitori della città su mete e località assolutamente da visitare. Fotografie e cartine dettagliate che facilitano la selezione delle mete, la creazione di percorsi di visita e consentono di cogliere il meglio di ogni luogo.
Il Mito di Pietroburgo di Ettore Lo Gatto
1703: più di tre secoli fa nasceva Sankt-Piterburg. La costruzione di
Pietroburgo significò molte cose, ma prima di tutto un atto di
predominio con il quale Pietro il Grande volle imporsi alla natura e
agli uomini. Mosca, la terza Roma, la città degli zar, era simbolo della
guerra contro i tartari, dell'unificazione, della diffusione della fede
ortodossa. Ma alle porte della Russia premeva un mondo dinamico, in
cui, accanto agli interessi mercantili, fiorivano attività scientifiche e
culturali. Pietro I, che nutriva per l'Europa un amore pari forse
all'odio per le vecchie tradizioni nazionali del suo paese, decise di
occidentalizzare la Russia, e fondò Pietroburgo proprio per aprire una
grande finestra sull'Europa. Luogo d'incontro di due civiltà, porto
commerciale di grande importanza, capitale della Russia e residenza
dello zar, la città raggiunse ben presto l'imponenza delle maggiori
capitali europee, da cui prese a prestito non solo criteri urbanistici e
architettonici, ma anche istituzioni, usanze, costumi. E uomini.
Scienziati, matematici, esperti di costruzioni nautiche, architetti,
pittori, attori, musicisti. Le riforme di Pietro avevano forzato la
sonnolenta Russia a mettersi al passo con le nazioni dell'Ovest nel
corso di pochi decenni: la città entrò nella letteratura e nell'arte. Il
mito di Pietroburgo è il libro fondamentale per capire il fascino
dell'antica capitale russa, un autentico classico della storiografia.
Le campane di San Pietroburgo di Jessica Marchionne
Viktor è solo un bambino quando riceve in dono dal fratello Ivan un
diario, a suo dire, capace di realizzare tutto quello che vi viene
scritto: è così che esprime il desiderio di diventare Zar. Ma la sua
vita, nel pieno della prima grande guerra, è destinata a essere
stravolta: viene venduto dal padre a uno strano uomo di nome Gavril,
segnato dalla perdita di moglie e figli. Di loro gli resta solo un
orologio fermo, che all’improvviso riprende a ticchettare con l'arrivo
di Viktor. Quando Palazzo d’Inverno viene attaccato, però, tutto sembra
perduto ancora una volta. Anni dopo, Viktor incontrerà Anastasia
Romanov, e insieme a lei, dopo essere diventato Zar, riconquisterà la
città fino all’avvento di Stalin. Ma ecco che, quando le campane di San
Pietroburgo risuoneranno, il diario rivelerà ancora una volta la sua
magia. E cosa ne sarà di Gavril, legato a quell’orologio che segna il
tempo in bilico tra la vita e la morte?Nella Russia di Lenin e Stalin,
della fierezza imperiale dei Romanov, tra la neve, le rose e il sangue
"Le campane di San Pietroburgo" mescola realtà e finzione, storia e
fantasia, in un intreccio ricco di avvenimenti e colpi di scena.
The Plot Against the President: The True Story of How Congressman Devin Nunes Uncovered the Biggest Political Scandal in U.S. History by Lee Smith
Fascism: A Warning by Madeleine Albright
#1 New York Times Bestseller
A personal and urgent examination of Fascism in the twentieth century and how its legacy shapes today’s world, written by one of America’s most admired public servants, the first woman to serve as U.S. secretary of state
A Fascist, observes Madeleine Albright, “is someone who claims to speak for a whole nation or group, is utterly unconcerned with the rights of others, and is willing to use violence and whatever other means are necessary to achieve the goals he or she might have.”
The twentieth century was defined by the clash between democracy and Fascism, a struggle that created uncertainty about the survival of human freedom and left millions dead. Given the horrors of that experience, one might expect the world to reject the spiritual successors to Hitler and Mussolini should they arise in our era. In Fascism: A Warning, Madeleine Albright draws on her experiences as a child in war-torn Europe and her distinguished career as a diplomat to question that assumption.
Fascism, as she shows, not only endured through the twentieth century but now presents a more virulent threat to peace and justice than at any time since the end of World War II. The momentum toward democracy that swept the world when the Berlin Wall fell has gone into reverse. The United States, which historically championed the free world, is led by a president who exacerbates division and heaps scorn on democratic institutions. In many countries, economic, technological, and cultural factors are weakening the political center and empowering the extremes of right and left. Contemporary leaders such as Vladimir Putin and Kim Jong-un are employing many of the tactics used by Fascists in the 1920s and 30s.
Fascism: A Warning is a book for our times that is relevant to all times. Written by someone who has not only studied history but helped to shape it, this call to arms teaches us the lessons we must understand and the questions we must answer if we are to save ourselves from repeating the tragic errors of the past.
Regalo Nonna - Cornice 13x18 in Legno con Scritto Super Nonna TVB Decorata con Cuoricini - Cornici Foto Bianca - Idea Regalo Compleanno Nonni - Portafoto da Tavolo o Parete
Un regalo speciale per la tua Super Nonna La nostra cornice foto 13x18 in legno è realizzata con cura per custodire i tuoi ricordi più p...
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