Engineers of the Soul

A brilliant fusion of travel writing and Soviet history which reads like Bruce Chatwin.Engineers of the Soul draws the reader into the wild euphoria of the Russian Revolution, as art and reality are bent to radically new purposes. Writers of renown, described by Stalin as 'engineers of the soul', were encouraged to sing the praises of construction. But the initial enthusiasm of Soviet writers faltered as these colossal structures led to slavery and destruction, and they were obliged to labour on in the service of a deluded totalitarian society.Frank Westerman sweeps the reader along to the dramatic final confrontation between writers and engineers that signalled the end of the Soviet empire.

“"Endlessly fascinating, breathtaking. Engineers of the Soul is surprising and original, not to mention meticulously researched and well-written." -- de Volkskrant "A beautifully written, well-documented, extraordinarily fascinating book, full of wonderful anecdotes." -- Vrij Nederland "[A] fascinating literary travelogue." -- Claire Allfree, Metro "A compelling combination of literary criticism and travelogue." -- Scotland on Sunday”

A compelling combination of literary criticism and travelogue Scotland on Sunday
Westerman is a very fine writer and his stories, characters and digressions are as delicately wrought as a watch mechanism. Like Bruce Chatwin and the Polish journalist Ryszard Kapuscinski, he has elevated the authorial journalist-traveller into a brilliant, magic storyteller; like them he seeks out the smaller, human-sized epics that play out their tragedies against the backdrop of history Sunday Times
Westerman completes a portrait at once engaging and devastating. As such, it comes closer than any conventional literary history to defining the elusive Socialist Realism. Independent
An extraordinarily compelling, imaginative and subtle mixture of history, literary criticism and travelogue History Today
Brilliant, illuminating and rich Literary Review

Frank Westerman was born in 1964 and lived and worked in Moscow from 1997 to 2002 as correspondent for the leading Dutch NRC Handelsblad newspaper. Westerman is the author of five highly praised books. His work has been published in more than ten languages and has won many prizes.

Engineers of the Soul draws the reader into the wild euphoria of the Russian Revolution, as art and reality are bent to radically new purposes. Writers of renown, described by Stalin as 'engineers of the soul', were encouraged to sing the praises of construction. But the initial enthusiasm of Soviet writers faltered as these colossal structures led to slavery and destruction, and they were obliged to labour on in the service of a deluded totalitarian society. Frank Westerman sweeps the reader along to the dramatic final confrontation between writers and engineers that signalled the end of the Soviet empire. 'The fate of Soviet writers under Stalin is movingly explored in this outstanding mix of travel book and literary study, which has about it more than a hint of Bruce Chatwin... Westerman has elevated the authorial journalist-traveller into a brilliant, magic storyteller' Sunday Times 'Brilliant, illuminating and rich' Literary Review 'Westerman completes a portrait at once engaging and devastating. As such, it comes closer than any conventional literary history to defining the elusive Socialist Realism' Independent 'This is a terrific read, with vivid, well-researched and reflective insights into Soviet society' Irish Times Also by Frank Westerman: [jpeg of Ararat]

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