RASPUTIN

Auteur

Douglas Smith

Texte du rabat

**On the centenary of the death of Rasputin comes a definitive biography that will dramatically change our understanding of this fascinating figure

**A hundred years after his murder, Rasputin continues to excite the popular imagination as the personification of evil. Numerous biographies, novels, and films recount his mysterious rise to power as Nicholas and Alexandra's confidant and the guardian of the sickly heir to the Russian throne. His debauchery and sinister political influence are the stuff of legend, and the downfall of the Romanov dynasty was laid at his feet.

But as the prizewinning historian Douglas Smith shows, the true story of Rasputin's life and death has remained shrouded in myth. A major new work that combines probing scholarship and powerful storytelling, Rasputin separates fact from fiction to reveal the real life of one of history's most alluring figures. Drawing on a wealth of forgotten documents from archives in seven countries, Smith presents Rasputin in all his complexity--man of God, voice of peace, loyal subject, adulterer, drunkard. Rasputin is not just a definitive biography of an extraordinary and legendary man but a fascinating portrait of the twilight of imperial Russia as it lurched toward catastrophe.

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CONTENTS

List of Illustrations xiii
Maps xxi
Note on Dates and Spelling xxvi

Introduction: The Holy Devil? 1

PART ONE: HOLY PILGRIM: 1869-1904

1. Origins 11
2. The Pilgrim 20
3. Nicholas and Alexandra 30
4. Monsieur Philippe 33
5. Alexei 46
6. The Burning Torch 50
7. The Mad Monk 60

PART TWO: OUR FRIEND: 1905-1909

8. To the Throne 65
9. Rasputin- Novy 71
10. Sects and Whips 82
11. Demons of the Silver Age 89
12. Anna Vyrubova 98
13. The Eyes 103
14. ". . . prayers that purify and protect us." 107
15. The Investigation: Part I 115
16. The First Test 130
17. "better ten Rasputins . . ." 141

PART THREE: SCANDALS: 1910-1911

18. Trouble in the Nursery 155
19. The Press Discovers Rasputin 168
20. In Search of Rasputin 177
21. Prince Yusupov 184
22. Holy Land 198
23. Rasputin in His Own Words 207
24. Iliodor's Triumph 216
25. Two Murders 223
26. Confronting the "Antichrist" 228

PART FOUR: A TIME OF MIRACLES: 1912-July 1914

27. Germogen's Fall 235
28. Iliodor, Apostate 243
29. Quousque tandem abutere patientia nostra? 253
30. The Blow to the Alcove 264
31. The Investigation II: Was Rasputin a Khlyst? 279
32. The Miracle at Spala 289
33. War and Celebration 301
34. Gutter Talk, Name-Glorifiers, and Murder Plots 308
35. On the Edge of a Precipice 323
36. The Attack 330
37. "This time it didn't work . . ." 341
38. Iliodor's Flight 351

PART FIVE: WAR: JULY 1914-1915

39. A Menacing Cloud 359
40. The Incident at the Yar 370
41. Rasputin's Women 381
42. Dinner with Rasputin 393
43. The Religious Faces of Rasputin 402
44. A Summer of Troubles 409
45. The Tovarpar 422
46. Nicholas Takes Command 428
47. Rasputin, Favorite 436
48. Fresh Scandal 444
49. The Troika 452
50. Gorokhovaya, 64 464
51. Dark Forces and Mad Chauffeurs 475
52. Another Miracle 486

PART SIX: THE FINAL YEAR: 1916

53. Revolution in the Air 491
54. The Minister Plots Murder 495
55. Iliodor in America 509
56. With Us or With Them 514
57. Rasputin the Spy? 526
58. Rasputin and the Jews 535
59. "The sun will shine . . ." 547
60. Apotheosis 553
61. Stupidity or Treason 561
62. "Vanya has arrived." 569
63. "My hour will soon strike." 578
64. The Last Day 586
65. A Cowardly Crime 590
66. The Investigation 597
67. The Body in the Water 602
68. The Romanov Family Drama 615
69. Orgies, Gay Love, and the Secret Hand of the British 624
70. The End of the Tobolsk Yoke 635

PART SEVEN: THE AFTERMATH: 1917-1918

71. A Time for Dominoes 643
72. Here Lies the Dog 650
73. The Myth 655
74. Unsettled Business 660

Epilogue 671

Acknowledgments 681
Bibliography 683
Notes 716
Index 789