Review by Booklist Review
By the middle of the nineteenth century, the spread of railroads linking Europe's major cities revolutionized commerce and gave birth to a new European culture that broke down borders despite nations' political differences. To illustrate this transformation, Figes (Revolutionary Russia, 1891-1991, 2014) focuses on three personalities: the Spanish mezzo-soprano Pauline Garcia Viardot; her husband, French writer and critic Louis Viardot; and Ivan Turgenev, Russian literary giant. The courses of these three lives intersect not just in Paris, but also across the face of Europe as Pauline creates musical sensations in opera houses from Madrid to St. Petersburg and carries on an affair with Turgenev. Figes delves into all aspects of Europe's cultural evolution as the speed and ease of train travel made all the arts accessible to more people. Even fine art was affected as it became commoditized for investment purposes. Figes' attention to detail may overwhelm some readers, but his deep grasp of the characters and of technology-driven societal upheaval make this cultural history of Europe in the nineteenth century fascinating, even indispensable. Includes illustrations and bibliographic notes.--Mark Knoblauch Copyright 2010 Booklist
From Booklist, Copyright (c) American Library Association. Used with permission.
Review by Publisher's Weekly Review
Figes (Natasha's Dance: A Cultural History of Russia) weaves this excellent, wide-ranging history of 19th-century Europe around three people: the opera singer Pauline Viardot (1821--1910); her husband, the art critic, theater manager, and translator Louis (1800--1883); and the writer Ivan Turgenev (1818--1883). The link between the arts, commerce, and railway travel in the creation of a holistic European culture is his central theme: according to Figes, "The railways enabled people across Europe to see themselves as 'Europeans' in ways they had not done before." As Figes chronicles Turgenev's writing and Pauline's performances, there is a veritable history of the opera and European literature of the period, with appearances from Berlioz, Chopin, Dicken, Dostoevsky, Flaubert, Hugo, James, Strauss, Wagner, and Zola. With the discussion of the "new" relationship between the arts and capitalism in the 19th century, Figes not only gives the details of everyone's income and outlay but chronicles changes in publishing that birthed serialized novels, modern tourist guides, a market for translation, royalties, effective copyright protections, and literary agents. Wars (Franco-Prussian, 1870--1871; Russo-Turkish, 1877--1878) and assorted political upheavals are incorporated, and intrigues, rivalries, affairs, and gossip (Turgenev is "hopelessly in love" with Pauline; he and Dostoevsky feud) add spice. Figes's history masterfully summarizes this period, albeit sometimes in overwhelming detail, in a persuasive and consistently enlightening fashion. Photos. (Oct.)
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Review by Library Journal Review
In this lively study, Figes (history, Birkbeck Univ. of London; A People's Tragedy) untangles the fraught relationships among three subjects: operatic diva Pauline Viardot, her husband, Louis, and Russian novelist Ivan Turgenev. (Was Pauline's daughter the product of a liaison with Turgenev?) But he does more than that: using their lives to show how, in the middle of the 19th century, an understanding of art as European, not solely national, slowly emerged. In the process, Figes discusses the impact of the railroad and telegraph on communications and movement, how changes in finance led to transformations in repertoire in opera companies, and the fight of writers and composers to secure international copyright protection. Turgenev was the first Russian author widely read in the West, in part because of his energetic involvement in securing translations of his writings before pirated editions appeared. The cast of characters shows how Turgenev knew and associated with figures such as Gustave Flaubert, Charles Dickens, Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky, Fyodor Dostoyevsky, Eugène Delacroix, and more. VERDICT Vividly written and meticulously detailed, this book will please lovers of the history of literature and music, at the very least. [See Prepub Alert, 4/15/19.]--David Keymer, Cleveland
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Review by Kirkus Book Review
A prodigiously researched account of the spread of culture throughout the mid and late 19th century using three specific biographies to personalize the voluminous historical data.Figes (History/Birkbeck Coll., Univ. of London; Revolutionary Russia, 1891-1991, 2014, etc.) returns with another astonishing work displaying his vast knowledge of art, music, literature, culture, and history. Wisely, he uses three people to embody much of his discussion: Russian writer Ivan Turgenev, French singer Pauline Viardot, and her husband, Louis, a political activist and literary figure. The author follows these three over the decadesTurgenev and Pauline had an intimate relationship that Louis toleratedand through their stories, we see specific instances of the cultural changes Figes illuminates throughout the book. The growth of railways, the advances in photography and publication, the explosion in literary translations, the vast increase in literacythese and other factors increased the development of a kind of common European culture that only the growth of nationalism, and the consequent wars, could weaken. "The arts played a central role in this evolving concept of a European cultural identity," writes Figes. "More than religion or political beliefs, they were seen as uniting people across the Continent." This necessitated the "recognition that any national culture is a result of a constant dialogue across state boundaries and of the assimilation of separate artistic traditions into a larger European world." Turgenev and the Viardots traveled continually: She was a popular singer, and, initially, it was her financial success that supported her family. Later, her voice gone, it was Turgenev's writing and generosity. In many ways, the text is a who's who of the time period. Liszt, Dickens, Balzac, Hugo, George Sand, Chopin, Tolstoy, Flaubertthese and countless other icons move smoothly through the narrative, a rich mlange of tasty ingredients. There are some mild surprises, too: Mary Shelley briefly wanders in (we read Victor Frankenstein's description of the Rhine), and Henry James makes some cameos.A powerful and essential addition to our understanding of European history and culture. Copyright Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
Copyright (c) Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
