You may think you know a fair amount about Russia, but think again: This book will open your eyes to things about that huge, fascinating country that you never even suspected.

Specifically, this gives you a long, deep, vastly detailed picture of Russian culture, from its founding as an amalgam between the original Slavic inhabitants and their conquerors, the Mongols under Genghis Khan; to the first effective uniting of the Russians under Tsar Ivan the Terrible; to Russia's first prolonged contact with the culture of the rest of Europe in the reign of Peter the Great.

Figes shows us how the Russian aristocracy took on European manners and mores in the 18th Century, even to the extent of being more comfortable speaking French than its own language; and how the country's native culture continued to thrive among the serfs, or peasants, the "dark masses" of what would later be called the "proletariat." The schizophrenic nature of Russian society may have helped to produce its volcanic outpouring of world-renowned artistic talent, especially of writers and composers, in the 19th and 20th centuries.

A word of caution: Though this is a towering work, it is not an easy read, unless you are very familiar with Russian names and common terms in the Russian language. But if you persevere through all 586 pages of text, you'll emerge with a vastly increased knowledge and understanding of what the term "Russian culture" is really all about.

Having lived in Russia six years and still in business there since 1991, I quickly learned that in Russia there is not only the proverbial two sides of the coin, but often three. Figes cetainly examines that underside of what makes a Russian different. He does it with revealing research and obvious affection and respect for those deep characteristics so unique to Russia and it's people. Certainly a scholarly work, but still entertaining, convincing, and a joy to read. As I have heard from Russian readers of my own book, "Why does it always take a foreigner to explain us." Figes is a master at that.

Frederick R. Andresen, Author of "Walking on Ice, An American Businessman in Russia"

I'm still in the middle of this thick book, and I find it fascinating--but my Russian colleagues tell me is it not altogether trustworthy in its portrayal of Russian history and culture, so I'm looking at it with an eye toward possible problems. That said, it is an eminently readable, fun way to get through a lot of the history of this endlessly fascinating country.

Sure this book didn't include everything that could be said about the cultural history of Russia, but what it said and how it said it was superb. You really get an appreciation for the great themes of intellectual thought. It reminded me of what it was like to take college history classes taught by the best professors on campus, back in the day.

Bought Natasha's Dance upon recommendation of a friend. Have only just started reading, but I am captivated by the passion and detail of Figes writing and quite looking forward to delving more deeply into this history of the Russian people.

I think russian classical music is way better than western classical music and Figes prtrayal of the richness of cultural back-ground and the many artists in other fields too was an intriguing and confirming read.The book is long and very densley packed so you may need a motivation to get through it.Other reviews here give more insight into accuracy or misleading of cultural info.The author suggests that there was no need for a revolution because the far greater number of serfs would have been incorporated in time as citizens given the greatness of russian cutural forces.Yet it is events like the french and russian revolutions that sent shock waves through western nobility to increase the crumbs that fall from the banquet incase the masses rose up in their own country.Today we enjoy the socialist fall-out that has improved life for us would-be plebs.Things went terribly wrong under the soviets.But the author is decidedly anti-soviet anti-socialist and anti revolution.The russian nobility wouldn't have budged enough otherwise.They are not the exception he implys.Despite the enormous funding and interest of the rich elite towards the richness of their culture and the arts in the 19th century.

Amazing, such history, told so well, I cannot put it down!

Figes has managed to write an engaging history that reads quickly, yet is rigorous and packed with information. The work elaborates beautifully on the Russian identity crisis between East and West, as well as the conflict between the peasantry and nobility. Particularly enjoyable is the coverage of the eastern peoples, such as the Tatars, and the culture of the peasantry. In addition, the author dwells on religion and spirituality -- the role of the Orthodox Church in Russian life, and its various divergent branches -- monastics, ascetics, Old Believers, holy fools and, of course, the mainstream church.

Figes explores many aspects of culture, including literature, music, dance, theatre, painting, and much more. The work isn't dry, however. Figes weaves together numerous intriguing tidbits and andecdotes, for example, the tragic life of Anna Akhmatova under the Soviets, or what it means to dine on the "Sheremetev account", or the private operas featuring divas of serf origin.

It is astonishing that a topic so broad could be covered so competently in one volume. "Natasha's Dance" is a superb synthesis that promises a rewarding journey to the history-oriented reader.

Several of the earlier reviewers have covered the book very well, including both its strengths and weaknesses. I have to nothing to add or subtract, but some recommendations to make. There is a very good "interpretive" cultural history of Russia written in the 1960's by James Billington (who is the Librarian of Congress). The book is still in print and is one of five or six concerning Russian history and culture written by Billington. For reader-reviewers who felt that Russian history prior to the late 17th century was slighted by Figes, Billington's book is the place to go for information on the earlier period, especially on Russian Orthodoxy --its art,architecture, and influence on political and cultural life. The abundance and high quality of 20th century translations of Russian literature (both prose and poetry)almost obviates the need of a "cultural interpreter" for the period of the last 120 years or so. Edmund Wilson's "To the Finland Station" does this sort of job for the relationship between the radicalized ideas of the Enlightenment and Russian political life, but should be read with the cautionary note that he himself lost his enthusiasm for Leninism as a real solution to Russia's age-old social and economic problems. Reading a typical 1930's era hagiography of Stalin by any Western writer who leaned to the left is especially informative if you read any of the post-mortem biographies (Volkogonov's, R. Tucker's, etc.)that tell the truly awful story of the man, who chose to bestride culture as well as politics as a "colossus". Chekov, Bulgakov and the far less talented Solzhenitsyn(I mean this only from the point of literary skill, his importance lying in other directions) will also show you life as perceived by those who have lived it in its recent Russian incarnation. My "supplementary" list slights a few areas (the visual arts, music, film), but each of these areas has been treated in depth and with finesse by 20th century authors whose work is available in English. Like any book of this type, Figes' work should be a starting point from which the reader can branch out along many possible paths (and then come back and read it again, say five or ten years later, after exploring some of the territory in depth; then he or she will be able to better judge whether or not it does a good comprehensive job.)

As a Russian Student at Moscow Lomonsov State University, my whole education is surrounded by Russia, Russians, and most of all history. I love it. But I don't love this book. I've had it for almost three years and still can't get around to finishing it all. It's a big, big book. One of the reason why I love history books so much is because they are a bargain! However that didn't turn me off, I actually was quite happy with the amount of information and the color excepts were fantastic. I can tell the author is enthusiasm for the cultural history because it goes from speaking about traveling musicians to how Peter the Great abhorred the unwesternized ways of Moscow. I mean, it goes from one thing to an completely different topic in only a paragraph on one page, and then picks up back with describing the local music of the small villages. The information is so rich and he wants to describe everything to us at once that the reader can get so overwhelmed and lost that it becomes boring to read. It isn't my first history book and I have so many unexciting textbooks I have to read, but I rather read my law book -- in Cyrillic -- then attempt to actually finish this book. You would think with around 700 pages he would be able to take his time. No doubt, this is for the serious reader and someone who is in need to cite something for their term paper (the index works very well indeed, that's one star) and the major information it gives you that you could hardly find in a text book (that's another star) but as reading you c

This is an extraordinarily moving portrait of Russian culture, seen through its writers, poets and composers, peasant folklore, painters and aristocratic manners. The motif that runs through the book is the tussle between the western and the eastern influences in the Russian consciousness, a tussle that gives the Russian soul its peculiarly dichotomous cahracter, and Russian culture it distinct blend of western rationality and eastern mysticism. Nowhere is this more apparent than in the differences between MOscow and St. Petersburg, the latter modelled after the grand capitals of Europe; the former evolving with the earthiness of Mother Russia, complete with its oriental onion-domes that look like something out of the Arabian Nights. The most poignant part of the book is the efforts of post-revolution Russian emigres in coming to terms with the "loss" of Russia in all its physical vastness, a landscape that had so informed their art. Thier longing for Russia was an almost visceral yearning that tormented them all their lives. (For a similarly moving book on the modern Chinese artistic/intellectual tradition, see Jonathan Spence's THE GATE OF HEAVENLY PEACE.)

Figes's expansive discussion of cultural influences and trends in Russian history opens with the reign of Peter the Great and runs through the first half of the twentieth century. He makes only brief forays into the era before 1700 (e.g., the lingering effects of the Mongol invasion), and he scans the years after Stalin sketchily in a final chapter on exiles from the Soviet Union (Nabokov, but not Brodsky--although he follows Stravinsky through the early 1960s).

Still, that's over 250 years in 600 pages, and his focus allows him to analyze what are surely the most formative years of the Russian empire. Although he occasionally examines the visual arts, architecture, politics, and scholarship, Figes primarily discusses music, performance art, and--above all--literature. Even then, there's a lot to absorb, yet remarkably the book is a refreshing survey that will not only motivate many readers (including yours truly) to run out and buy some of the novels and orchestral works he mentions but also provides a framework for appreciating all those newly purchased books and CDs.

It's not easy to summarize the themes that, according to Figes, pervade most of Russia's culture (and politics). At the risk of oversimplification, one could say that "Natasha's Dance" views the last three centuries as a clash of dualities. Peter the Great opened Russia to European exchanges, and, by the end of his reign, society in St. Petersburg was emulating Parisian trends to the point of caricature: "the aristocracy had become so bilingual that they slipped quite easily and impercitibly from Russian into French and back again. Letters of a page or so could switch a dozen times, sometimes in the middle of a sentence."

During the nineteenth century, however, many writers and artists longed to pull Russia back to its roots, and they found their "lost" heritage reflected in the eyes of the peasantry. (The war with Napoleon only hastened this retrenchment.) Thus, for example, one sees the unintentionally comical specter of Tolstoy trying to be like his serfs: "he idealized the peasants and loved to be with them, but for many years he could not bring himself to break from the conventions of society and become one himself." More seriously, by the beginning of the twentieth century, fine art was influenced less by European expectations and more by folk art and peasant dances (compare, for example, Tchaikovsky's "Swan Lake" with Stravinksy's "Firebird"). Nevertheless, the aristocracy continued to remain aloof from the "more Russian" customs of the peasantry--for many, the folk traditions never rose above a trendy curiosity--and this dissonance contributed to the tensions that led to the Russian Revolution.

In many ways, Russia's history has been a search for the answer to a number of parallel questions. Is Russia part of Europe or part of Asia? Is the nation's center in St. Petersburg or in Moscow? Is its essence to be found in the cities or in the countryside? These are questions that inform Russian culture (and politics) to this day, and Figes helps the lay enthusiast understand their lasting effects.

This was a rather interesting book about cultural history of Russia. It did get monotonous at times but still, interesting enough to read. I think it would be invaluable to someone who knows nothing about Russia's culture.

This was a rather interesting book about cultural history of Russia. It did get monotonous at times but still, interesting enough to read. I think it would be invaluable to someone who knows nothing about Russia's culture.

_Natasha's Dance_ begins with a dance, a scene from Tolstoy's _War and Peace_ where Natasha Rostov throws off her shawl and rushes forward to strike a pose and then perform those dance movements which are "inimitable and unteachable Russian ones."
Natasha'a dance is an opening between two worlds, the culture of the Russian people and the culture of France which had come to be emulated during the time of Louis XIV. Of course, even before then, Peter the Great sought to import culture from "the West"
(see the footnote on page 17).

That which is Russian culture is a tapestry of cultures. The vastness of the land is well known, but often the vastness of time over which Russian culture has existed is often forgotten.
Surely its roots must go back to the 9th century just before Kiev became the political center of a federation of states. It was another century before the Russians were converted to Christianity en masse. During this period, Russian culture was largely Byzantine in character. It was not until the first quarter of the 13th century that the Mongols invaded southern Russia.

Russian culture is a tapestry of vast times and spaces. Orlando Figes weaves them together in his book.

_Natasha's Dance_ begins with a dance, a scene from Tolstoy's _War and Peace_ where Natasha Rostov throws off her shawl and rushes forward to strike a pose and then perform those dance movements which are "inimitable and unteachable Russian ones."
Natasha'a dance is an opening between two worlds, the culture of the Russian people and the culture of France which had come to be emulated during the time of Louis XIV. Of course, even before then, Peter the Great sought to import culture from "the West"
(see the footnote on page 17).

That which is Russian culture is a tapestry of cultures. The vastness of the land is well known, but often the vastness of time over which Russian culture has existed is often forgotten.
Surely its roots must go back to the 9th century just before Kiev became the political center of a federation of states. It was another century before the Russians were converted to Christianity en masse. During this period, Russian culture was largely Byzantine in character. It was not until the first quarter of the 13th century that the Mongols invaded southern Russia.

Russian culture is a tapestry of vast times and spaces. Orlando Figes weaves them together in his book.

This is an intimidating book to pick up and read given its length and scope of coverage. However, I am pleased I finally did. Orlando Figes is an insightful expert on Russia, a very good writer, and one who chooses cultural material that suits his well informed taste. I have read many books on the politics of the USSR. This was a good reminder that Russia has had a rich cultural history before, during and transcending the Reds.

A superb account of the cultural history of Russia since the end of the 18th century, bringing most vividly alive the tension between slavophiles and westernizers. The last chapter, on the Russian émigrés during the Stalinist period, is the finest of the lot, and his account of how some of them returned to Russia from Khrushchev's time onwards is very moving. I learnt something new on almost every page of this 586 pages long book.

A superb account of the cultural history of Russia since the end of the 18th century, bringing most vividly alive the tension between slavophiles and westernizers. The last chapter, on the Russian émigrés during the Stalinist period, is the finest of the lot, and his account of how some of them returned to Russia from Khrushchev's time onwards is very moving. I learnt something new on almost every page of this 586 pages long book.

Whew! This is a THICK book! Be prepared for dense, detailed, intelligent discussion of many aspects of Russian cultural history. This book's style reminds me of Simon Schmama's Citizens (a history of the French revolution). If you liked that book and are interested in learning a lot about Russian culture, this book is for you. At times, you will need to plod through many paragraphs to get the golden nuggets of information, which is why this review suggests three stars but also states that the diligent reader will find the investment fairly worthwhile.

Figes opens the discussion with the question, "What does it mean to be Russian?" There are many examples of European cultural affinity, such as punishment in the upper social circles for a child's speaking Russian rather than French. However, many will recall the famous quote that "scratch a Russian and you will find an Asian" to paraphrase. And much of Figes' book demonstrates that truism. For example, there's the legacy of the Mongol invasion that resulted in many generations of illiteracy, with a tiny reading audience even in 1800. Diaghilev's compositions and sets, as well as the works of Borodin and Tchaikovsky, give tribute to oriental themes and subjects. The chapter on the children of 1812 is enlightening, as we learn how the military leaders of that generation came into contact with the progressive ideas of the west brought in part by Napoleon's officers and their books. We learn that changes occurred soon thereafter in Russian painting and history, as serfs were introduced as subjects worthy of art (Repin might be considered the master of this), and bookstores became flooded with history books while several history departments were founded at universities.

Besides the aforementioned criticism of the book's density, it might also have helped to have more maps as well as some architectural plans and elevations of great cultural icons like the Cathedral of Christ the Savior.

Whew! This is a THICK book! Be prepared for dense, detailed, intelligent discussion of many aspects of Russian cultural history. This book's style reminds me of Simon Schmama's Citizens (a history of the French revolution). If you liked that book and are interested in learning a lot about Russian culture, this book is for you. At times, you will need to plod through many paragraphs to get the golden nuggets of information, which is why this review suggests three stars but also states that the diligent reader will find the investment fairly worthwhile.

Figes opens the discussion with the question, "What does it mean to be Russian?" There are many examples of European cultural affinity, such as punishment in the upper social circles for a child's speaking Russian rather than French. However, many will recall the famous quote that "scratch a Russian and you will find an Asian" to paraphrase. And much of Figes' book demonstrates that truism. For example, there's the legacy of the Mongol invasion that resulted in many generations of illiteracy, with a tiny reading audience even in 1800. Diaghilev's compositions and sets, as well as the works of Borodin and Tchaikovsky, give tribute to oriental themes and subjects. The chapter on the children of 1812 is enlightening, as we learn how the military leaders of that generation came into contact with the progressive ideas of the west brought in part by Napoleon's officers and their books. We learn that changes occurred soon thereafter in Russian painting and history, as serfs were introduced as subjects worthy of art (Repin might be considered the master of this), and bookstores became flooded with history books while several history departments were founded at universities.

Besides the aforementioned criticism of the book's density, it might also have helped to have more maps as well as some architectural plans and elevations of great cultural icons like the Cathedral of Christ the Savior.

I'm just beginning to get interested in learning about Russian culture and history, and this book provided a good starting place. Figes has produced a book that is incredibly ambitious in scope, attempting to cover hundreds of years of Russian thought about what it means to be Russian, right up until the present day. He's a little too dialectical for my taste--he tends to present Russian identity as being developed in response to a perceived Western European identity, either in an attempt to embrace it or to reject it, and I'd like to see a little bit more about in situ trends of Russian identity; I also think he spends a little too much time discussing what elites thought (although this may be because like most societies until very recently, it was the elites that left most of the written records) and it might be interesting to spend a bit more time with non-elite individuals. It's also a little heavy-going at times, although that may simply be because of the density of the subject. Still, I feel that this book is a fair starting place for people who are developing an interest in Russian culture.

I'm just beginning to get interested in learning about Russian culture and history, and this book provided a good starting place. Figes has produced a book that is incredibly ambitious in scope, attempting to cover hundreds of years of Russian thought about what it means to be Russian, right up until the present day. He's a little too dialectical for my taste--he tends to present Russian identity as being developed in response to a perceived Western European identity, either in an attempt to embrace it or to reject it, and I'd like to see a little bit more about in situ trends of Russian identity; I also think he spends a little too much time discussing what elites thought (although this may be because like most societies until very recently, it was the elites that left most of the written records) and it might be interesting to spend a bit more time with non-elite individuals. It's also a little heavy-going at times, although that may simply be because of the density of the subject. Still, I feel that this book is a fair starting place for people who are developing an interest in Russian culture.

So much praise has been heaped on this book that it is hard to say anything new. The encyclopedic knowledge, the refined sensibility, the able selection of episodes and anecdotes make it a delight to read.

But I was struck mainly by the sense of wonder at the extraordinary flowering of Russian culture in Czarist times, and of loss at the destruction of this world by the neo-barbarian Bolsheviks. Figes explicitly says that there was no such thing as a Soviet culture, and that the Soviet regime brought nothing of value in the cultural sphere. While harsh, that judgement is probably right, if one sees that there were no new Soviet musical composers besides well-known pre-revolutionary ones who returned to the Soviet Union, such as Prokofiev or Shostakovich. I loved the chapter on the Russian exile, a subject with which I was not familiar other than through Boyd's two volume life of Nabokov. A similar situation currently exists with the Cuban exiles, a similarly talented (and sized) diaspora.

The sections on Mongol influences in Russian culture and language, on the survival of pagan themes in folklore, on the exiled Decembrist noblemen, and particularly the peasant Prince Volkonsky and his wife, and on the awful life of Poet Tsevtaeva were specially trenchant. Several names remain in my memory, as people I would have liked to meet, particularly Akhmatova and Maiakovski. Or to have been a fly on the wall during the all-night meeting between poet Akhmatova and philosopher Berlin.

A friend brought me this book from the UK, and I read it through, always feeling a bit sorry that I was getting closer to the end. I recommend it wholeheartedly.

My obsession with wanting a people's history of Russia started with a collection of letters left to me from correspondence between my grandparents in the USA and their families in the Minsk area of Russia. Everything of my heritage is gone except what I hold in my heart from the stories and emotions coming thru in the letters. Using NATASHA'S DANCE as a guide, I have been able to piece together the story of a land torn apart by war but held together by the culture and spirit of the people. Figes takes writers', artists', and musicians' great works and weaves them into a tapestry of daily life giving the reader a window into a fascinating land. This is a history book that rings with facts, creatively written in a style you don't have to be a scholar of history to appreciate. If you have ancestors from Russia or Poland who came through Ellis Island, this book will open your eyes to your roots. If you are a student of history or someone interested in Russia as it was, then this is a book you MUST read.

I didnt feel comfortable with author's personality present in every sentence - I found a lot of times he finds examples to support his point of view and ommits the dociments that prove him wrong. I tried to read this book keeping it in mind and make my own judgements ( cause the book is full of them - some right, some wrong) But the last two chapters on USSR and Russians abroad were brilliant.

I have always approached Russian history with varying degrees of interest. If my university course in Russian history had been this interesting I not only would have done better but I would have maintained the craving I now have for it after reading this book. In spite of its length, even a book of this size cannot be exhaustive and so several figures are used as examples of the themes or periods Figes presents, e.g the Sheremetevs, the Volkonskys, Mussorgsky, Stravinsky, Akhmatova, etc. Sometimes this left me wondering what else was going on at that time but on the whole this technique worked. Figes' style is highly readable, there is scarcely a dull page in the book, and he even manages to make the Soviet period seem interesting, something it never seemed to be from a cultural point of view. Now I have to read more!

This is an excellent book. Though it is arranged thematically rather than chronologically, timelines are not confusing. The great debates of Russian culture - between east and west, between serfs and aristocracy, between Orthodoxy and the Old Belief - are presented vividly and clearly. The countryside and cities come alive with characters, not just of the great figures of Russian literature and art but of the nameless millions and their beliefs, culture, attitudes and preoccupations. Natasha's Dance made me want to learn much more about Russia, its people, its history, its literature and art. And that, to me, is the measure of success of a cultural history such as this.