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Once Upon a Time in the Soviet Union
Fascinés par les grands raids automobiles du début du XXe siècle, Dominique Lapierre, 25 ans, et Jean-Pierre Pedrazzini, 27 ans, tous deux reporters à Paris Match , arrachent l'autorisation de parcourir l'Union soviétique de Khrouchtchev en voiture, accompagnés de leurs femmes.
À bord d'un break Simca bicolore, les quatre jeunes français vont vivre treize mille kilomètres d'aventures. De la Pologne à l'Oural, de la Biélorussie au Caucase, ils découvrent des lieux mythiques, des paysages de rêves et, surtout, ils font la connaissance des Russes. Comment le régime soviétique a-t-il réussi à persuader un peuple privé de liberté qu'il était le plus heureux de la terre ?
Au-delà de l'incroyable voyage, une plongée dans un monde qui n'appartenait ni à l'enfer, ni au paradis, mais à l'histoire des hommes.
À bord d'un break Simca bicolore, les quatre jeunes français vont vivre treize mille kilomètres d'aventures. De la Pologne à l'Oural, de la Biélorussie au Caucase, ils découvrent des lieux mythiques, des paysages de rêves et, surtout, ils font la connaissance des Russes. Comment le régime soviétique a-t-il réussi à persuader un peuple privé de liberté qu'il était le plus heureux de la terre ?
Au-delà de l'incroyable voyage, une plongée dans un monde qui n'appartenait ni à l'enfer, ni au paradis, mais à l'histoire des hommes.
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First published January 1, 2005
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About the author
Dominique Lapierre
69 books342 followersDominique Lapierre was born in Châtelaillon-Plage, Charente-Maritime, France. At the age of thirteen, he travelled to America with his father who was a diplomat (Consul General of France). He attended the Jesuit school in New Orleans and became a paper boy for the "New Orleans Item". He developed interests in travelling, writing and cars and later traveled across the United States as a young man.
In the early 1950s Lapierre was conscripted into the French army. After one year in a tank regiment, he was transferred to SHAPE headquarters to serve as an interpreter. There he met a young American Army corporal, Larry Collins, a Yale graduate and draftee. They became instant friends. When Collins was discharged he was offered a job with Procter & Gamble. Two days before reporting to work, the United Press offered him a job as caption writer at their Paris office, for much less money than offered by Procter & Gamble. Collins accepted the offer and was soon picked up by Newsweek to be their correspondent in the Middle East. When Lapierre was discharged, he found work as a reporter for the magazine Paris Match. Several years later they decided to join forces to tell a big story which would appeal to both French and anglophone audiences. Their first bestseller Is Paris Burning? sold close to ten million copies in thirty languages. In this book they mixed the modern technique of investigation journalism with the classical methods of historical research.
After that they spent four years in Jerusalem to reconstruct the birth of the State of Israel for the book O Jerusalem!. Lapierre is proud that after spending a great deal of time in Jerusalem he knows each alley, square, street, and building in the Holy City intimately.
Two of Lapierre's books – Is Paris Burning? (co-written with Larry Collins) and City of Joy – have been made into films. Lapierre and Collins wrote several other books together before Collins' death in 2005.
Lapierre speaks fluent Bengali.
He was awarded the Padma Bhushan, India's third highest civilian award in the 2008 Republic Day honours list.
In the early 1950s Lapierre was conscripted into the French army. After one year in a tank regiment, he was transferred to SHAPE headquarters to serve as an interpreter. There he met a young American Army corporal, Larry Collins, a Yale graduate and draftee. They became instant friends. When Collins was discharged he was offered a job with Procter & Gamble. Two days before reporting to work, the United Press offered him a job as caption writer at their Paris office, for much less money than offered by Procter & Gamble. Collins accepted the offer and was soon picked up by Newsweek to be their correspondent in the Middle East. When Lapierre was discharged, he found work as a reporter for the magazine Paris Match. Several years later they decided to join forces to tell a big story which would appeal to both French and anglophone audiences. Their first bestseller Is Paris Burning? sold close to ten million copies in thirty languages. In this book they mixed the modern technique of investigation journalism with the classical methods of historical research.
After that they spent four years in Jerusalem to reconstruct the birth of the State of Israel for the book O Jerusalem!. Lapierre is proud that after spending a great deal of time in Jerusalem he knows each alley, square, street, and building in the Holy City intimately.
Two of Lapierre's books – Is Paris Burning? (co-written with Larry Collins) and City of Joy – have been made into films. Lapierre and Collins wrote several other books together before Collins' death in 2005.
Lapierre speaks fluent Bengali.
He was awarded the Padma Bhushan, India's third highest civilian award in the 2008 Republic Day honours list.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 38 reviews
May 16, 2015
2015 Reading Challenge: #19 Basado en una historia real.
¿Para ser sincera? Me aburrió un montón. Es un libro que relata una crónica de viajes, desentrañando algunos secretos y convivencias en la URSS de la Unión Soviética. Llegué al punto en el que una mosca era más interesante o me sorprendía mirando a la nada. No es ficción, es una historia real, y las imágenes que aparecían en el texto me resultaron interesantes pero todo bien hasta ahí (hacía la historia aún más real y creíble, lo admito). La puntuación no es porque estaba mal escrito o porque no estaba de acuerdo con algunas cosas (etc etc), simplemente porque no me causó nada como lectora y me aburrió terriblemente. No es un libro para mí (creo que lo supe desde el principio) y lo intenté y lo leí completo, pero terminó siendo una historia que pasó sin pena ni gloria.
Lectura conjunta Open Road Reading.
¿Para ser sincera? Me aburrió un montón. Es un libro que relata una crónica de viajes, desentrañando algunos secretos y convivencias en la URSS de la Unión Soviética. Llegué al punto en el que una mosca era más interesante o me sorprendía mirando a la nada. No es ficción, es una historia real, y las imágenes que aparecían en el texto me resultaron interesantes pero todo bien hasta ahí (hacía la historia aún más real y creíble, lo admito). La puntuación no es porque estaba mal escrito o porque no estaba de acuerdo con algunas cosas (etc etc), simplemente porque no me causó nada como lectora y me aburrió terriblemente. No es un libro para mí (creo que lo supe desde el principio) y lo intenté y lo leí completo, pero terminó siendo una historia que pasó sin pena ni gloria.
Lectura conjunta Open Road Reading.
December 30, 2015
Desde que llegué a los dominios de Lapierre, gracias a un tío que ya se fue, se ha vuelto un imprescindible por su habilidad de construir el escenario de momentos excepcionales de la historia reciente. Me hubiese encantado que alguna vez hubiera llegado a estos lares porque habría sabido dibujar con ojos externos parte de nuestras verdades a que nos cuesta aceptar.
Autor imprescindible
Autor imprescindible
January 16, 2020
Volendo trovare i difetti del libro potrei dire che è ben lontano dai reportage in Russia fatti ad esempio da Terzani o dalla Vitale giusto per citarne alcuni italiani ma bisogna riconoscere all'autore una visione obiettiva, spogliata da ogni contingenza ideologica, cosa che molti giornalisti non riescono proprio a fare. La storia meritava di essere raccontata perché è il resoconto di un viaggio in piena era Crusciov (Chruščëv) nella Russia post-bellica, che non vedeva stranieri (o almeno non belligeranti) da decenni. Il tutto con una, apparentemente, invidiabile libertà di movimento: non dubito che non siano stati tenuti sotto osservazione (da altri oltre all'interprete) ma il fatto stesso che siano finiti a fare fotografie nei pressi di in una base militare radar nei boschi ucraini la dice lunga sulla loro indubbia libertà.
Certamente essere francesi li ha aiutati sia per i notevoli legami culturali tra i due paesi fin dai tempi di Zar come Pietro il grande che per l'indubbio appeal di Parigi sul popolo; da qui l'entusiasmo che ha accompagnato i viaggiatori perfino nei burberi e fieri georgiani (p.s. pochi mesi dopo una feroce repressione contro nostalgici staliniani).
In verità nulla di quanto viene descritto nel libro è nuovo o sorprendente anzi la sorpresa è stata semmai che abbiano preso sotto gamba il problema del carburante in un'epoca in cui le uniche macchine private erano della nomenklatura e che siano riusciti a tornare fino a Parigi con la stessa macchina.
Vale la lettura per la simpatia e le vicissitudini dei protagonisti e per le istantanee che da un mondo che sarebbe rimasto congelato ancora per decenni con l'arrivo di Breznev.
Come narrativa di viaggio c'è di meglio
Certamente essere francesi li ha aiutati sia per i notevoli legami culturali tra i due paesi fin dai tempi di Zar come Pietro il grande che per l'indubbio appeal di Parigi sul popolo; da qui l'entusiasmo che ha accompagnato i viaggiatori perfino nei burberi e fieri georgiani (p.s. pochi mesi dopo una feroce repressione contro nostalgici staliniani).
In verità nulla di quanto viene descritto nel libro è nuovo o sorprendente anzi la sorpresa è stata semmai che abbiano preso sotto gamba il problema del carburante in un'epoca in cui le uniche macchine private erano della nomenklatura e che siano riusciti a tornare fino a Parigi con la stessa macchina.
Vale la lettura per la simpatia e le vicissitudini dei protagonisti e per le istantanee che da un mondo che sarebbe rimasto congelato ancora per decenni con l'arrivo di Breznev.
Come narrativa di viaggio c'è di meglio
March 12, 2017
Un libro che si legge velocemente, sono 150 pagine scorrevoli e interessanti... Perché solo 2 stelle, allora? Per tutto quello che manca e avrei voluto trovarci! 3 mesi in auto attraverso l'Unione Sovietica nel 1956, accumulando un'infinità di esperienze e aneddoti, vanno raccontati in modo diverso... E Lapierre, quando vuole, é bravissimo ad approfondire, lo ha dimostrato in svariati suoi libri.
September 27, 2020
Un libro che si può leggere in un paio di ore perché è scritto bene, il testo scorre e le storie sono interessanti. Lettura piacevole oltre al fatto che è un'ottima testimonianza storica di una parte della vita nell'unione sovietica degli anni cinquanta.
April 10, 2025
Dominique Lapierre is the well known author of many international best sellers like ‘Freedom at Midnight’, ‘The City of Joy’ and ‘It Was Five Past Midnight in Bhopal’. He also supports a major network of humanitarian actions in India and elsewhere. In recognition of his generous solidarity, he has been made ‘Citizen of Honour’ of Calcutta. This book is an account of a mysterious journey made by Lapierre and his colleague and photographer Jean-Pierre Pedrazzini and their wives to the erstwhile Soviet Union for three months in 1956. Though everyone was shocked at the idea when it was first presented to them, a little bit of influence at high places always greased the wheels in communist Russia. The author met and impressed Nikita Khrushchev into granting the team approval to make the tour. This was done in an SUV that travelled 13,000 km over tough Russian roads, challenging all odds. The author embarked on the journey on behalf of ‘Paris Match’, the periodical in which they worked as journalists.
What the readers get to know about the Soviet Union Lapierre and Pedrazzini saw is that the country was a vast prison house in which the dictatorial regime incarcerated its own citizens. Extensive barriers to personal movement, banning of foreign publications and media, unrelenting indoctrination of the tenets of Marxism-Leninism and wide-ranging surveillance by secret agencies numbed all shoots of creativity and enterprise among the people. The regime was not confident enough to let Lapierre and his friends roam the countryside unhindered. A guide, who was a Russian journalist and party member, accompanied them throughout, acting as interface between the author and the Russian Public with whom they interacted. Infrastructural wants were sorely visible everywhere they visited, but the public were on a steady indoctrination that their society was the happiest in the world. Lack of freedom was the gravest aspect. To mask the people about the lack of personal freedom, they were not allowed any foreign contact. Even those people the author interviewed were the privileged among the party. Then also, their living conditions were appalling. Even though the communists publicly decried any form of discrimination of man against man, such deprivations continued unabated in Soviet Union. Higher party and government functionaries, known as the Nomenklatura, were a privileged lot, akin to aristocracy, who had exclusive establishments open to them with public money while the ordinary citizens languished in interminable queues to obtain basic food stuffs.
Lapierre’s journey took place during the reign of Khrushchev, when Stalin’s inhuman tyranny was being exposed to the public eye. But the regime was as hard as ever. A pedestrian who kissed the small French flag pinned to the car was arrested, and sentenced to several years in a Siberian jail. The Russian guide who was a journalist was allowed to go to Paris at the final end of the journey, but his wife was held back in Russia, lest any impulse come over them to seek asylum in France! When Lapierre’s paper published his accounts of the travels, predictably the Russian authorities were offended at the poor treatment they obtained. And what did they do? Arrest the guide as if all of it was his fault and jail him for three years! If this was the atmosphere in Khrushchev’s era, one can only wonder how harsh and pathetic the situation was under Stalin, one of the most heinous mass murderers in modern history.
Having said all this, it must not be denied that Lapierre and his friends had no interest other than the sensational value associated with such a journey. Never for a moment had they turned out a flattering portrait of the Russian vastness they were traversing. As a journalist, what the author wanted from the whole episode was a scoop, and he got it aplenty. What better piece would get news value other than sending your guide to prison for no other crime than accompanying you? Even before his travel, the world knew about the repressive measures of the Soviet administration. Lapierre got permission to go on his fantastic trip from Khrushchev himself. So, in the end, the reader may reach the conclusion that the author had somewhat abused the hospitality provided by Russia. He must have been well aware of what might happen to his guide when his revealing essays hit newsstands, but he stayed the course. A good journalist, but a poor friend and companion!
The narrative is mediocre and interesting only for the exclusivity of the project. The author’s detachment from the adventures is clearly evident. Only when the party is detained by the military police does any emotion comes to the fore. The book contains brief glimpses of five families the team selected supposedly at random. Even the number is quite arbitrary and chosen to impart a semblance of originality. As is common with all of Lapierre’s narratives, the depth of research is only skin deep. The book also contains voluble appeals to donate to the charity works undertaken by the author. Altogether, it looks like a marketing initiative.
The book is recommended.
What the readers get to know about the Soviet Union Lapierre and Pedrazzini saw is that the country was a vast prison house in which the dictatorial regime incarcerated its own citizens. Extensive barriers to personal movement, banning of foreign publications and media, unrelenting indoctrination of the tenets of Marxism-Leninism and wide-ranging surveillance by secret agencies numbed all shoots of creativity and enterprise among the people. The regime was not confident enough to let Lapierre and his friends roam the countryside unhindered. A guide, who was a Russian journalist and party member, accompanied them throughout, acting as interface between the author and the Russian Public with whom they interacted. Infrastructural wants were sorely visible everywhere they visited, but the public were on a steady indoctrination that their society was the happiest in the world. Lack of freedom was the gravest aspect. To mask the people about the lack of personal freedom, they were not allowed any foreign contact. Even those people the author interviewed were the privileged among the party. Then also, their living conditions were appalling. Even though the communists publicly decried any form of discrimination of man against man, such deprivations continued unabated in Soviet Union. Higher party and government functionaries, known as the Nomenklatura, were a privileged lot, akin to aristocracy, who had exclusive establishments open to them with public money while the ordinary citizens languished in interminable queues to obtain basic food stuffs.
Lapierre’s journey took place during the reign of Khrushchev, when Stalin’s inhuman tyranny was being exposed to the public eye. But the regime was as hard as ever. A pedestrian who kissed the small French flag pinned to the car was arrested, and sentenced to several years in a Siberian jail. The Russian guide who was a journalist was allowed to go to Paris at the final end of the journey, but his wife was held back in Russia, lest any impulse come over them to seek asylum in France! When Lapierre’s paper published his accounts of the travels, predictably the Russian authorities were offended at the poor treatment they obtained. And what did they do? Arrest the guide as if all of it was his fault and jail him for three years! If this was the atmosphere in Khrushchev’s era, one can only wonder how harsh and pathetic the situation was under Stalin, one of the most heinous mass murderers in modern history.
Having said all this, it must not be denied that Lapierre and his friends had no interest other than the sensational value associated with such a journey. Never for a moment had they turned out a flattering portrait of the Russian vastness they were traversing. As a journalist, what the author wanted from the whole episode was a scoop, and he got it aplenty. What better piece would get news value other than sending your guide to prison for no other crime than accompanying you? Even before his travel, the world knew about the repressive measures of the Soviet administration. Lapierre got permission to go on his fantastic trip from Khrushchev himself. So, in the end, the reader may reach the conclusion that the author had somewhat abused the hospitality provided by Russia. He must have been well aware of what might happen to his guide when his revealing essays hit newsstands, but he stayed the course. A good journalist, but a poor friend and companion!
The narrative is mediocre and interesting only for the exclusivity of the project. The author’s detachment from the adventures is clearly evident. Only when the party is detained by the military police does any emotion comes to the fore. The book contains brief glimpses of five families the team selected supposedly at random. Even the number is quite arbitrary and chosen to impart a semblance of originality. As is common with all of Lapierre’s narratives, the depth of research is only skin deep. The book also contains voluble appeals to donate to the charity works undertaken by the author. Altogether, it looks like a marketing initiative.
The book is recommended.
May 4, 2023
Muy buen libro. Resulta muy revelador para el actual contexto mundial leer las impresiones del que entonces era un joven periodista francés sobre su visita a la URSS. Para quienes no lo vivieron, resulta inconcebible imaginar que fuera tan difícil entrar y salir de ese conjunto de países.
El libro relata de manera alegre y con cierto deje de inocencia el viaje que planearon los periodistas franceses (escritor y fotógrafo) de la revista Match, a lo largo de lo que consideraban las principales ciudades de la URSS. Kiev incluida. Van en su propio coche, y con sus esposas, en una especie de viaje de veraneo.
Conocen gente amable y se enfrentan a las limitaciones materiales del régimen, que por entonces empezaba a vivir una nueva era post-Stalin. Todo, escoltados en todo momento por un periodista designado por las autoridades.
Es una obra única, ya que ningún viaje de este tipo se volvió a realizar por parte de ningún medio occidental a las entrañas de una de las grandes potenciales mundiales de aquel entonces. Pero también por lo directo y sencillo del relato, que tiene la gran cualidad de no estar impregnado de prejuicios ideológicos. Dominique Lapierre no fue a juzgar ni a espiar, sino a conocer, para saciar su curiosidad.
Recomendable si quieres saber sobre la vida detrás del muro de hierro.
El libro relata de manera alegre y con cierto deje de inocencia el viaje que planearon los periodistas franceses (escritor y fotógrafo) de la revista Match, a lo largo de lo que consideraban las principales ciudades de la URSS. Kiev incluida. Van en su propio coche, y con sus esposas, en una especie de viaje de veraneo.
Conocen gente amable y se enfrentan a las limitaciones materiales del régimen, que por entonces empezaba a vivir una nueva era post-Stalin. Todo, escoltados en todo momento por un periodista designado por las autoridades.
Es una obra única, ya que ningún viaje de este tipo se volvió a realizar por parte de ningún medio occidental a las entrañas de una de las grandes potenciales mundiales de aquel entonces. Pero también por lo directo y sencillo del relato, que tiene la gran cualidad de no estar impregnado de prejuicios ideológicos. Dominique Lapierre no fue a juzgar ni a espiar, sino a conocer, para saciar su curiosidad.
Recomendable si quieres saber sobre la vida detrás del muro de hierro.
July 7, 2018
A book about an historic event of which I knew nothing. Two reporters and their wives given unprecedented access to go on a road trip across the Soviet Union, stay in tents, jugaad car parts, petrol etc and with all the players of Russian workers, their families, their hardships, the Red Army, meeting Kruschev and other dignitaries.
it's a simply written book with a sense of journey which this book is infused with. It also comes with black and white pictures taken of their travel. It is an astonishing book in which I read things which contrasted what I thought and things which were expected based on my sense of history.
It's a small page turner which I will recommend to anyone who likes reading about history of the world
it's a simply written book with a sense of journey which this book is infused with. It also comes with black and white pictures taken of their travel. It is an astonishing book in which I read things which contrasted what I thought and things which were expected based on my sense of history.
It's a small page turner which I will recommend to anyone who likes reading about history of the world
February 20, 2021
Lapierre writes this nonfiction travel book when he is granted an opportunity to travel through USSR in 1956. So, alongwith his wife and a photographer journalist friend and his wife they travel and document the first hand experience behind the iron curtain.
Escorted by a Russian journalist and his wife they visit the homes of five Russians from different social strata. A detailed account of the living standards, earnings, working conditions, and mental makeup follows. There is a visit to the largest automobile factory, a large retail supermarket and even a short visit to a military jail.
Well written its a short two hundred pages book. Quite a learning lesson about the communist country.
Escorted by a Russian journalist and his wife they visit the homes of five Russians from different social strata. A detailed account of the living standards, earnings, working conditions, and mental makeup follows. There is a visit to the largest automobile factory, a large retail supermarket and even a short visit to a military jail.
Well written its a short two hundred pages book. Quite a learning lesson about the communist country.
March 9, 2021
Español:
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Buen libro, con tragedia real, pero un final positivo. Pero no explica los términos rusos ni franceses que utiliza el escritor. Un glosario y un indice alfabético hubieran sido geniales. Mientras más sepa uno de la historia de la unión soviética y de sus personajes históricos, más se beneficiará de este libro.
English:
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Good book, with real tragic events, but with a satisfying ending. It does not explain the foreign words used (french, russian) by the writer. A Glossary and an alphabetical Index would have been amazing. You will benefit the most with this book, the more you know about soviet history and soviet historical figures.
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Buen libro, con tragedia real, pero un final positivo. Pero no explica los términos rusos ni franceses que utiliza el escritor. Un glosario y un indice alfabético hubieran sido geniales. Mientras más sepa uno de la historia de la unión soviética y de sus personajes históricos, más se beneficiará de este libro.
English:
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Good book, with real tragic events, but with a satisfying ending. It does not explain the foreign words used (french, russian) by the writer. A Glossary and an alphabetical Index would have been amazing. You will benefit the most with this book, the more you know about soviet history and soviet historical figures.
May 10, 2023
The book chronicles the road trip of almost 13000 KMs done by Dominique Lapierre in erstwhile USSR and the kind of warmth he and his companions received from common citizens of Minsk, Georgia, Ukraine, Tiflis, Gorki, etc. No doubt getting an approval to enter deep behind the iron curtain was a story in itself.
The travel was at an important time when Nikita Khrushchev had just publicly disowned Stalin. However the author had to conclude that Russians they met did not gave them the impression of suffering as a result of being deprived of the freedoms capitalist world held so dear.
However the years ahead proved the dreams of communism for thousand years to be just a dream.
The travel was at an important time when Nikita Khrushchev had just publicly disowned Stalin. However the author had to conclude that Russians they met did not gave them the impression of suffering as a result of being deprived of the freedoms capitalist world held so dear.
However the years ahead proved the dreams of communism for thousand years to be just a dream.
March 27, 2024
En 1956, à bord d'une Simca Marly 8 cylindres V, deux journalistes français accompagnés de leurs épouses parcourent 13 000 km à travers une partie de l'Union Soviétique Européenne jusqu'en Géorgie.
Le livre est un document historique de l'époque et dépeint l'Union soviétique après la dénonciation du stalinisme par Kroutechv - voir la partie du voyage en Géorgie et les opinions locales sur Staline et Kroutechv, ainsi que l'invasion de la Hongrie.
Le livre est un document historique de l'époque et dépeint l'Union soviétique après la dénonciation du stalinisme par Kroutechv - voir la partie du voyage en Géorgie et les opinions locales sur Staline et Kroutechv, ainsi que l'invasion de la Hongrie.
January 15, 2023
Ahora entiendo el legado de escritor de Dominique Lapierre, sus viajes retratan lugares a los que la gente en los 60's y 70's no tenían acceso. En este caso la URSS. Pero como todo lo que es transformado por el cambio y el tiempo, la URSS ya no existe y si puede uno conocer su nuevo modelo económico, político y social.
September 3, 2019
Un po’ superficialone, un riassuntino molto -ino... Gran peccato perché di spunti e vicissitudini per analisi approfondite ce ne erano nel testo
June 7, 2020
A short quick read
May 18, 2021
About the author's adventeroud road trip through the Soviet Union in 1956. The escapades, the encounters, the people he meets paint a vivid picture of the USSR of then.
April 3, 2022
Corto y entretenido.
October 2, 2022
Interessante documento storico
April 8, 2023
Interesante relato. Aporta una visión de la rusia comunista de la guerra fría. Se lee fácil y nos muestra una ya lejana realidad
December 26, 2023
Libro interessante che racconta il viaggio di due coppie francesi nell’URSS degli anni 50
December 28, 2024
Un libro superficiale e alquanto banale. Sembra una specie di libro Cuore sull'URSS.
December 13, 2016
Great travel book.
March 30, 2015
http://elrincondesnu.blogspot.com.es/...
No tenía ninguna intención de leerme este libro para el Open Road Reading ya que la sinopsis y la portada no me llamaban demasiado la atención, pero como este mes ya me había leído más de un libro en el que el totalitarismo ha tenido alguna importancia a lo largo de la historia, me anime a darle una oportunidad. La verdad es que no me arrepiento pero tampoco me alegro demasiado de habérsela dado.
Otra vez os traigo un libro basado en hechos reales. Dominique Lapierre y su compañero Jean-Pierre Pedrazzini eran dos jóvenes periodistas del Paris Match que lograron los permisos necesarios para aventurarse en un país hermético después de la caída de Stalin, la URSS. Así, junto a sus respectivas parejas realizaran un viaje de trece mil kilómetros para conocer y entrevistar a personas con diferente estatus social, desde un campesino hasta un cirujano.
Como os dije un poco más arriba, no me arrepiento de haberle dado una oportunidad al libro pero tampoco me alegro. Después de haber leído un libro como Diario de Ana Frank, me esperaba poder conocer muchas más cosas sobre un país como la URSS, pero a pesar de que he conocido la forma en la que vivían cinco personas completamente diferentes en este país no ha sido lo que yo me esperaba.
El libro es más bien una biografía de Dominique Lapierre y su viaje a la URSS. Nos cuenta prácticamente todo el viaje que hicieron él, su amigo y sus esposas. La forma en la que les recibía la gente, lo amables que eran con ellos, como les vigilaban todo el rato las autoridades... Y la verdad, yo me esperaba algo mucho más dinámico y no tan plano. Ya que al fin y al cabo, la forma de vivir de esas personas a las que entrevistan es solamente un conjunto de datos que logran recopilar y te pone el autor ahí en el libro. Sé que no me explico bien, pero para que os hagáis una idea es como leer un libro de historia en el que te cuentan cuando cobraban, cuanto medía su casa, cuánto tiempo duraba su jornada de trabajo...
Así que a pesar de todo y aunque el libro está bastante bien para conocer un poco más sobre un país como la URSS, yo no os lo recomiendo a no ser que os llame la atención este tema.
No tenía ninguna intención de leerme este libro para el Open Road Reading ya que la sinopsis y la portada no me llamaban demasiado la atención, pero como este mes ya me había leído más de un libro en el que el totalitarismo ha tenido alguna importancia a lo largo de la historia, me anime a darle una oportunidad. La verdad es que no me arrepiento pero tampoco me alegro demasiado de habérsela dado.
Otra vez os traigo un libro basado en hechos reales. Dominique Lapierre y su compañero Jean-Pierre Pedrazzini eran dos jóvenes periodistas del Paris Match que lograron los permisos necesarios para aventurarse en un país hermético después de la caída de Stalin, la URSS. Así, junto a sus respectivas parejas realizaran un viaje de trece mil kilómetros para conocer y entrevistar a personas con diferente estatus social, desde un campesino hasta un cirujano.
Como os dije un poco más arriba, no me arrepiento de haberle dado una oportunidad al libro pero tampoco me alegro. Después de haber leído un libro como Diario de Ana Frank, me esperaba poder conocer muchas más cosas sobre un país como la URSS, pero a pesar de que he conocido la forma en la que vivían cinco personas completamente diferentes en este país no ha sido lo que yo me esperaba.
El libro es más bien una biografía de Dominique Lapierre y su viaje a la URSS. Nos cuenta prácticamente todo el viaje que hicieron él, su amigo y sus esposas. La forma en la que les recibía la gente, lo amables que eran con ellos, como les vigilaban todo el rato las autoridades... Y la verdad, yo me esperaba algo mucho más dinámico y no tan plano. Ya que al fin y al cabo, la forma de vivir de esas personas a las que entrevistan es solamente un conjunto de datos que logran recopilar y te pone el autor ahí en el libro. Sé que no me explico bien, pero para que os hagáis una idea es como leer un libro de historia en el que te cuentan cuando cobraban, cuanto medía su casa, cuánto tiempo duraba su jornada de trabajo...
Así que a pesar de todo y aunque el libro está bastante bien para conocer un poco más sobre un país como la URSS, yo no os lo recomiendo a no ser que os llame la atención este tema.
January 30, 2024
¡He amado este libro! ¡Lo he amado con todo mi ser!
Es la historia real de dos periodistas que recorren la URSS en el 1956 junto a sus novias en un auto Simca. Fue increíble leer sobre todas las aventuras que tuvieron y las personas que conocieron. La lectura es muy simple y llevadera.
El libro al final tiene una serie de fotografías preciosas. Inclusive las últimas que tomó Jean-Pierre Pedrazzini antes de morir.
Recomiendo a todo aquel que le encante la historia de la URSS. Ha sido uno de mis libros favoritos y sin lugar a dudas podría leerlo varias veces.
Es la historia real de dos periodistas que recorren la URSS en el 1956 junto a sus novias en un auto Simca. Fue increíble leer sobre todas las aventuras que tuvieron y las personas que conocieron. La lectura es muy simple y llevadera.
El libro al final tiene una serie de fotografías preciosas. Inclusive las últimas que tomó Jean-Pierre Pedrazzini antes de morir.
Recomiendo a todo aquel que le encante la historia de la URSS. Ha sido uno de mis libros favoritos y sin lugar a dudas podría leerlo varias veces.
March 30, 2015
Loved the little book. It's about Lapierre's Soviet travel during '56 with his friend Jean-Pierre and their wives in their Marly. Their story of Soviet travel with short adventures while discovering the much hidden land beneath the iron curtain makes an interesting read. Lives of people away from individualistic impulses, much of the modern technology, collective lifestyles, disciplined ways of living and lack of ambitious spirit in people marks a distinct image. The story starts with much fanfare and enthusiasm, goes on to unravel exciting incidents, like the military camp or the gulag escapee who tried to escape through Turkey with 12 cats that he let out to distract sniffer dogs... By the end it becomes a sad one with Jean-Pierre's brutal encounter of Soviet tanks in which he was shot in leg stomach and back. This leads to his death. Several other protagonists like Slava and George die in the end. I think the book is very good. Funny, exciting, entertaining, surprising, thought-provoking and by the end sad.
" And so I found myself the only one left to set to music the thirteen thousand kilometers of happiness and friendship that this book records."
-Dominique Lapierre
" And so I found myself the only one left to set to music the thirteen thousand kilometers of happiness and friendship that this book records."
-Dominique Lapierre
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
November 17, 2010
Un'analisi un po' superficiale e "bon enfant" dell'Unione Sovietica degli anni Cinquanta, che commuove comunque per l'epilogo drammatico.
Lapierre mi ha un po' deluso: lo conosco come il giornalista appassionato e scrupoloso di "Mezzanotte e cinque a Bhopal" e mi sarei aspettata almeno qualche dettaglio in più di un viaggio durato due mesi.
Lapierre mi ha un po' deluso: lo conosco come il giornalista appassionato e scrupoloso di "Mezzanotte e cinque a Bhopal" e mi sarei aspettata almeno qualche dettaglio in più di un viaggio durato due mesi.
October 3, 2014
Une belle aventure dans l'Union Soviétique des années 50. Formidable épopée, cet ouvrage a cependant deux points faibles à mon goût. Le premier: la narration à la première personne et le parti pris peuvent parfois légèrement agacer. Le deuxième: trop court! Quel dommage, car on se prend à voyager et rêver à ces grands espaces, à cette patrie des travailleurs à jamais perdue.
August 27, 2012
Took up this book out of curiosity to read one of Lapierre's book .. and mann has he written an awesome travelogue which will take you to places in 1950's USSR and it'll finish with some deep and intriguing ideologies to think about ...
February 21, 2015
Un excelente libro sobre la hermética Unión Soviética durante la guerra fría narrado en forma de crónicas de viaje, una narrativa de dos viajeros y periodistas que emocionan a quienes nos gusta la historia y viajar.
November 13, 2008
Nice book, but actually a bit "short". You finish it with the feeling it was more a short story than a novel. But it's still a nice story !
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