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BETWEEN HEAVEN AND HELL

Name: BETWEEN HEAVEN AND HELL
Author: W. Bruce Lincoln
ISBN: 0-679-87568-6

THE STORY OF A THOUSAND YEARS OF ARTISTIC LIFE IN RUSSIA

by W. Bruce Lincoln ‧ RELEASE DATE: March 1, 1998

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A Russian historian explores 1,000 years of Russian art within the context of ongoing political repression and brutality and a search for Russian identity. Lincoln (The Conquest of a Continent, 1993, etc.), whose writings are usually focused on political history, here presents a grand synthesis of Russia's artistic life in an effort to illuminate the ongoing struggles that paved the road to that country's enduring masterpieces. Lincoln's densely footnoted history will be welcomed by those seeking a comprehensive overview of Russian arts. But those seeking deeper insight or a new interpretation of Russian artistic life will be disappointed. As its title suggests, this volume leans heavily on exaggerated and dramatic frameworks. Conflicts and debates that have determined Russian political and artistic development for centuries dominate the narrative but do not lend it direction or depth. Thus, themes such as the ``eternal Russian dilemma'' of being caught between East and West, the chasm between Russia's elites and her masses, and the ongoing struggle against censorship and brutal political repression appear more as self-fulfilling prophesies than as real explanations for artistic endeavors. The chronically overwritten style detracts from Lincoln's narrative (Russian folk motifs were ``elevated into the artistic stratosphere'' by works of art; Crime and Punishment ``catapulted him [Dostoyevsky] to the pinnacle of greatness''), which is also marred by an overly passionate veneration of Russian national culture, revering the achievements of 19th-century Russia as the result of their uniquely Russian character. Flawed in its conception and narrative style, Lincoln's sweeping consideration of artistic life in Russia nevertheless offers a stimulating read because of the sheer power of its subject matter. (16 pages color and 16 pages b&w illustrations, not seen)

Pub Date: March 1, 1998

ISBN: 0-679-87568-6

Page Count: 544

Publisher: Viking

Review Posted Online: May 19, 2010

Kirkus Reviews Issue: Jan. 1, 1998

Categories:

GENERAL NONFICTION

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NUTCRACKER

by E.T.A. Hoffmann ‧ RELEASE DATE: Oct. 28, 1996

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This is not the Nutcracker sweet, as passed on by Tchaikovsky and Marius Petipa. No, this is the original Hoffmann tale of 1816, in which the froth of Christmas revelry occasionally parts to let the dark underside of childhood fantasies and fears peek through. The boundaries between dream and reality fade, just as Godfather Drosselmeier, the Nutcracker's creator, is seen as alternately sinister and jolly. And Italian artist Roberto Innocenti gives an errily realistic air to Marie's dreams, in richly detailed illustrations touched by a mysterious light. A beautiful version of this classic tale, which will captivate adults and children alike. (Nutcracker; $35.00; Oct. 28, 1996; 136 pp.; 0-15-100227-4)

Pub Date: Oct. 28, 1996

ISBN: 0-15-100227-4

Page Count: 136

Publisher: Harcourt

Review Posted Online: May 19, 2010

Kirkus Reviews Issue: Aug. 15, 1996

Categories:

GENERAL NONFICTION

- BOOK REVIEW
THE NUTCRACKER AND THE MOUSE KING
by E.T.A. Hoffmann ; adapted by Natalie Andrewson ; illustrated by Natalie Andrewson

- BOOK REVIEW
THE NUTCRACKER
by E.T.A. Hoffmann & illustrated by Julie Paschkis

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TO THE ONE I LOVE THE BEST

EPISODES FROM THE LIFE OF LADY MENDL (ELSIE DE WOLFE)

by Ludwig Bemelmans ‧ RELEASE DATE: Feb. 23, 1955

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An extravaganza in Bemelmans' inimitable vein, but written almost dead pan, with sly, amusing, sometimes biting undertones, breaking through. For Bemelmans was "the man who came to cocktails". And his hostess was Lady Mendl (Elsie de Wolfe), arbiter of American decorating taste over a generation. Lady Mendl was an incredible person,- self-made in proper American tradition on the one hand, for she had been haunted by the poverty of her childhood, and the years of struggle up from its ugliness,- until she became synonymous with the exotic, exquisite, worshipper at beauty's whrine. Bemelmans draws a portrait in extremes, through apt descriptions, through hilarious anecdote, through surprisingly sympathetic and understanding bits of appreciation. The scene shifts from Hollywood to the home she loved the best in Versailles. One meets in passing a vast roster of famous figures of the international and artistic set. And always one feels Bemelmans, slightly offstage, observing, recording, commenting, illustrated.