{"product_id":"how-it-all-began-the-prison-novel-paperback","title":"How It All Began: The Prison Novel - Paperback","description":"\u003cdiv\u003e\u003cp style=\"text-align: right;\"\u003e\u003ca href=\"https:\/\/reportcopyrightinfringement.com\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow\"\u003e\u003cb\u003eReport copyright infringement\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/a\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003c\/div\u003e\u003cp\u003eby \u003cb\u003eNikolai Bukharin\u003c\/b\u003e (Author), \u003cb\u003eStephen Cohen\u003c\/b\u003e (Introduction by), \u003cb\u003eGeorge Shriver\u003c\/b\u003e (Translator)\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eHere at last in English is Nikolai Bukharin's autobiographical novel and final work. Many dissident texts of the Stalin era were saved by chance, by bravery, or by cunning; others were systematically destroyed. Bukharin's work, however, was simultaneously preserved and suppressed within Stalin's personal archives. \u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003eAt once novel, memoir, political apology, and historical document, \u003ci\u003eHow It All Began\u003c\/i\u003e, known in Russia as \"the prison novel,\" adds deeply to our understanding of this vital intellectual and maligned historical figure. The panoramic story, composed under the worst of circumstances, traces the transformation of a sensitive young man into a fiery agitator, and presents a revealing new perspective on the background and causes of the revolution that transformed the face of the twentieth century. \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003eAmong the millions of victims of the reign of terror in the Soviet Union of the 1930's, Bukharin stands out as a special case. Not yet 30 when the Bolsheviks took power, he was one of the youngest, most popular, and most intellectual members of the Communist Party. In the 1920's and 30's, he defended Lenin's liberal New Economic Policy, claiming that Stalin's policies of forced industrialization constituted a \"military-feudal exploitation\" of the masses. He also warned of the approaching tide of European fascism and its threat to the new Bolshevik revolution. For his opposition, Bukharin paid with his freedom and his life. He was arrested and spent a year in prison. In what was one of the most infamous \"show trials\" of the time, Bukharin confessed to being a \"counterrevolutionary\" while denying any particular crime and was executed in his prison cell on March 15, 1938. \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003eWhile in prison, Bukharin wrote four books, of which this unfinished novel was the last. It traces the development of Nikolai \"Kolya\" Petrov (closely modeled on Nikolai \"Kolya\" Bukharin) from his early childhood though to age fifteen. In lyrical and poetic terms it paints a picture of Nikolai's growing political consciousness and ends with his activism on the eve of the failed 1905 revolution. The novel is presented here along with the only surviving letter from Bukharin to his wife during his time in prison, an epistle filled with fear, longing, and hope for his family and his nation. The introduction by Stephen F. Cohen articulates Bukharin's significance in Soviet history and reveals the troubled journey of this novel from Stalin's archives into the light of day.\u003ch3\u003eAuthor Biography\u003c\/h3\u003e\u003cp\u003eNikolai Bukharin (1888-1938) was a Bolshevik intellectual and revolutionary, as well as the author of more than a hundred articles and books. He was executed as a \"counterrevolutionary\" on March 15, 1938 and exonerated fifty years later by Mikhail Gorbachev.George Shriver has translated and edited Roy Medvedev's \u003ci\u003eOn Soviet Dissent\u003c\/i\u003eand \u003ci\u003eThe October Revolution, \u003c\/i\u003e as well as \u003ci\u003eLet History Judge\u003c\/i\u003e (all published by Columbia).Stephen F. Cohen is professor of politics and Russian studies at Princeton University. His books include \u003ci\u003eBukharin and the Bolshevik Revolution: A Political Biography, 1888-1938\u003c\/i\u003e and \u003ci\u003eRethinking the Soviet Experience: Politics and History Since 1917.\u003c\/i\u003e George Shriver has translated and edited Roy Medvedev's \u003ci\u003eOn Soviet Dissent\u003c\/i\u003eand \u003ci\u003eThe October Revolution, \u003c\/i\u003e as well as \u003ci\u003eLet History Judge\u003c\/i\u003e (all published by Columbia).\u003c\/p\u003e\n            \u003cdiv\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eNumber of Pages:\u003c\/strong\u003e 416\u003c\/div\u003e\n            \u003cdiv\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eDimensions:\u003c\/strong\u003e 0.85 x 9.08 x 6.08 IN\u003c\/div\u003e\n            \u003cdiv\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eIllustrated:\u003c\/strong\u003e Yes\u003c\/div\u003e\n            \u003cdiv\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003ePublication Date:\u003c\/strong\u003e February 24, 1999\u003c\/div\u003e\n            ","brand":"BooksCloud","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":52444128444723,"sku":"9780231107310","price":82.6,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0300\/5595\/6612\/files\/RVFoM0VhN2srenR2NVN0MXplNklmQT09.webp?v=1758930913","url":"https:\/\/www.vysn.com\/en-ca\/products\/how-it-all-began-the-prison-novel-paperback","provider":"VYSN","version":"1.0","type":"link"}