Comrade Pavlik : The Rise and Fall of Soviet Boy Hero – Catriona Kelly

R300.00

September 1932. Gerasimovka, Western Siberia. Two children are found dead in the forest outside a remote village. Both have been repeatedly stabbed and their bloody bodies are covered in sticky, crimson cranberry juice. Who committed these horrific murders has never been satisfactorily proved, but the elder boy, 13-year-old Pavlik Morozov, was quickly to become the most famous boy in Soviet history – statues of him were erected, biographies published, and children across the country exhorted to emulate him. This book sets out to explore why he rose to fame, and later fell from grace. This is the first book in English on the extraordinary legend of Pavlik. To write it, Catriona Kelly, who has long been fascinated by the case, has visit Pavlik’s village, the Siberian forest where he was murdered, and previously inaccessible local archives. Her aim is not to find out who really killed the boys, but rather to explore how Stalin’s regime turned Pavlik into a hero designed to produce good Soviet citizens. Pavlik’s story is intriguing and multi-layered: did he denounce his own father to the authorities? Was he murdered by members of his own family?
Did he ever belong to the Pioneers, the Communist youth organization who claimed him as member No. 001? But the book also depicts the background against which the dramatic events unfolded- around the country roamed fugitive Kulaks (wealthy peasants), marauding bandits, and escaped prisoners, any one of whom could have been responsible for Pavlik’s death.

Hardcover in mint, like new condition. Internally fresh and super clean, pages crisp, dust wrapper like new, this is a copy to be proud of

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SKU: 9781862077478 Category: Title: Comrade Pavlik : The Rise and Fall of Soviet Boy Hero
Author: Catriona Kelly
Publisher: Granta Books
Year: 2005
ISBN10: 1862077479
ISBN13: 9781862077478
Condition: Very Good
Format: Hardcover
Inventory No: 1188

Description

September 1932. Gerasimovka, Western Siberia. Two children are found dead in the forest outside a remote village. Both have been repeatedly stabbed and their bloody bodies are covered in sticky, crimson cranberry juice. Who committed these horrific murders has never been satisfactorily proved, but the elder boy, 13-year-old Pavlik Morozov, was quickly to become the most famous boy in Soviet history – statues of him were erected, biographies published, and children across the country exhorted to emulate him. This book sets out to explore why he rose to fame, and later fell from grace. This is the first book in English on the extraordinary legend of Pavlik. To write it, Catriona Kelly, who has long been fascinated by the case, has visit Pavlik’s village, the Siberian forest where he was murdered, and previously inaccessible local archives. Her aim is not to find out who really killed the boys, but rather to explore how Stalin’s regime turned Pavlik into a hero designed to produce good Soviet citizens. Pavlik’s story is intriguing and multi-layered: did he denounce his own father to the authorities? Was he murdered by members of his own family?
Did he ever belong to the Pioneers, the Communist youth organization who claimed him as member No. 001? But the book also depicts the background against which the dramatic events unfolded- around the country roamed fugitive Kulaks (wealthy peasants), marauding bandits, and escaped prisoners, any one of whom could have been responsible for Pavlik’s death.

Hardcover in mint, like new condition. Internally fresh and super clean, pages crisp, dust wrapper like new, this is a copy to be proud of

Additional information

Weight 0.62 kg
Dimensions 21.6 × 14 × 3.8 cm

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