Past Events and Random Thoughts

БЫЛОЕ И ДУМЫ

A great monument of Russian literature, it grasped its destiny in the torrent of history and upheld human goodness and freedom. ◎ Editor's recommendation ◆ Herzen was a great fighter against the tsarist autocracy in Russia, who influenced generations of thinkers and revolutionaries in Russia, Europe and even the world.
◆ The history described in the book is extensive, with characters such as Napoleon I, Alexander I, Nicholas I, Belinsky, Chaadayev, Bakunin, Mazzini, Proudhon, and Napoleon III appearing one after another, vividly and interestingly.
◆ This book not only tells history and analyzes human nature, but is also a masterpiece of free thought, highly praised by the great thinker Isaiah Berlin.
◆ Herzen was a thinker and writer who influenced the writing of Leo Tolstoy. Past and Reflections is also a literary classic worth savoring.
◆ Xiang Xingyao’s translation has been widely acclaimed since its first publication and has been praised by authorities such as Ba Jin.
Summary: Past and Thoughts is a monumental work of spiritual history, a memoir written with blood and tears by Herzen. The book covers a wide range of topics, from the Patriotic War of 1812, the Decembrist uprising, the life and thought of Russia's advanced intellectuals in the 1840s, the revolutionary storms of 1848 in Europe, and the bourgeois regime's bloody suppression of the masses, to the activities of international exiles and sectarian struggles in London in the 1850s, the sociopolitical landscape of Russia in the 1860s, and the development of a new generation of revolutionaries—what Herzen called "the young helmsmen of the coming storm"—covering virtually the entire historical period from the early 19th century to the eve of the Paris Commune.
Herzen's experiences in Russia brought him into contact with a diverse range of people, from princes and ministers to peddlers and hawkers. His descriptions constitute an "encyclopedia of Russian life." After arriving in Western Europe, he encountered the revolutionary climax of 1848, witnessing the magnificent spectacle of Europe's national democratic movements and experiencing the tragic aftermath of their defeat.
Herzen was not only an artist but also a political commentator, possessing both revolutionary passion and compassion. His writings depict the journey of a noble soul, unafraid of oppression and persecution, bravely fighting against the turbulent waves of history. This work is both inspiring and encouraging for people today.
◎ Celebrity recommendation ◆ His autobiography is one of the great monuments of Russian literary and psychological genius, worthy of being ranked alongside the great novels of Turgenev and Tolstoy.
— Isaiah Berlin ◆ Comrade Xingyao: I received your letter of the 26th, and I was delighted to learn that Herzen's "Memoirs" will soon be published. I naturally agree that your full translation will still use the title "Past and Reflections," and I owe you gratitude for repaying a debt I've owed for decades. (I planned to translate this great book as early as 1928! Later, friends, including you, helped me. I only translated one-fifth, and the word "Reflections" was suggested by a reader.) Herzen is my "teacher," and his "Memoirs" is my favorite book. However, I've been plagued by illness for several years, and writing is difficult. I have no words to write, and I don't have the energy to write. I will have to wait until I'm better, or when your translation is published, before I pick up my pen and write down my joy. Thank you again.
—— Ba Jin ◆ "Past and Reflections" is an autobiographical classic, which can be ranked alongside the autobiographies of Rousseau, Stendhal, Gibbon, Tolstoy and Henry Adams. Some people would even add Trotsky and Churchill. Like Herzen, they knew how to place the individual in history.
—Dwight MacDonald (English translator of Past and Present)
◆ His observational skills are remarkable, and he tells stories with the economy of a great journalist. His gift is understanding not only the people themselves but also their place in history. The observations this tireless and honest observer makes in this book—what people in motion endure—are best discovered for ourselves.
—— VS Pritchett (famous British writer and literary critic)
◆ Herzen's memoirs are a monumental masterpiece of the 19th century, an important document, and an outstanding literary work.
— Philip Toynbee

2018-09-01

四川人民出版社

Houlang, Houlang Literature

1896

9787220105142