Odessa: Genius and Death in a City of Dreams
11 hrs. 43 min.
Language
Russian
Author
Charles King
Author
Charles King
Narrator
Mikhail Roslyakov
Narrator
Mikhail Roslyakov
Description
The book by the American researcher and publicist Charles King is a long-awaited, fascinating study of the history of Odessa— a city that has drawn interest almost from the moment of its founding, and which, as Mark Twain put it, is “America in miniature.”
Odessa as a historical and social phenomenon, as a center of life full of enchanting romance, sparkling humor, and enduring drama—this is the dream city Charles King unveils.
King focuses not so much on the history of city management and construction, but on Odessa’s independent spirit. And on an attempt to bring to life the dream of an ideal city, where people are ready “to value the unusual and the unfamiliar, the art of self-irony, and also to take a skeptical view of pompous speeches about national greatness.” In the twentieth century, this spirit was put through brutal trials: revolution, wars, and Soviet reality undermined it. The Odessans themselves also had a hard time—especially the Jewish community, which prospered throughout the entire 19th century. Its end was tragic: during the war, a significant part of Odessa’s Jews was destroyed by Romanian occupiers.
Today’s Odessa is a typical post-Soviet city. But the former spirit still peeks through, and hope for greatness remains.
Odessa as a historical and social phenomenon, as a center of life full of enchanting romance, sparkling humor, and enduring drama—this is the dream city Charles King unveils.
King focuses not so much on the history of city management and construction, but on Odessa’s independent spirit. And on an attempt to bring to life the dream of an ideal city, where people are ready “to value the unusual and the unfamiliar, the art of self-irony, and also to take a skeptical view of pompous speeches about national greatness.” In the twentieth century, this spirit was put through brutal trials: revolution, wars, and Soviet reality undermined it. The Odessans themselves also had a hard time—especially the Jewish community, which prospered throughout the entire 19th century. Its end was tragic: during the war, a significant part of Odessa’s Jews was destroyed by Romanian occupiers.
Today’s Odessa is a typical post-Soviet city. But the former spirit still peeks through, and hope for greatness remains.
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