Pale Horse: A Novel of Revolutionary Russia (Russian and East European Studies)

Praise for Pale Horse: A Novel of Revolutionary Russia (Russian and East European Studies)

“An early English translation . . . has been far surpassed by the sparkling new one by Michael Katz, who has ably translated several works of Russian radical fiction.” —New York Review of Books

“For anyone interested in the psychology of terrorism, in the morality of killing for a cause, or in the seductive thrill of extreme situations, this novel, written by a prominent terrorist will prove fascinating.  Expertly translated and annotated by Michael Katz, it brings to life disturbing and complex questions often overlooked by those who romanticize (or dismiss) revolutionary violence.” —Gary Saul Morson, Northwestern University
 

“In his thinly-disguised autobiographical work, the Socialist Revolutionary assassin and later anti-Bolshevik activist Boris Savinkov provides fascinating insight into the psychology and motivations of socialist terrorists in prerevolutionary Russia. The book is a valuable resource for anyone wishing to understand the revolutionary underground in Russia at this time.” —William G. Wagner, Williams College
 

“Expertly introduced and translated, Pale Horse takes its place for English-language readers in a Russian tradition of novels about radical intellectuals that stretches from Turgenev and Dostoevsky to Bely and writers of the early Soviet period.  Its characters are as ambiguous as Savinkov himself — terrorist and confessional writer, Social Revolutionary and proto-fascist.  Essential reading for anyone interested in Russian modernism or in the terrorist mentality.” —William Mills Todd III, Harvard University