Fortress Russia

摘要

The walls of the Kremlin keep foreigners out and secrets in. But Catherine Merridale has managed to get into this famous citadel and unpick at least some of its mysteries. Nobody reading her vivid and meticulous book, "Red Fortress", is likely to come away with much affection for Russia's rulers. Nor are they going to wish that they were transported back in time to the often squalid, mad and brutal eras she depicts. But they will begin to see why Russian history exerts such fascination on those who catch even a whiff of it.