“The book of the year … A dry, funny, erudite journey … To wrestle travelogue, literary biography, social history and bad
communist cinema into such a light, readable book is an engineering triumph all of its own—highly recommended.”
THE SUNDAY TIMES
“Engagingly written and extensively researched, the book covers compelling historical and literary ground.”
FINANCIAL TIMES
“An extraordinarily compelling, imaginative and subtle mixture of history, literary criticism and travelogue.”
HISTORY TODAY
“A gripping moral tale … Westerman knew a good science and adventure story when it came his way … The cruelty inherent in
hubristic schemes [makes] the tale tragic. But the book is brilliant, illuminating and rich.”
THE LITERARY REVIEW
“Westerman completes a portrait at once engaging and devastating. As such, it comes closer than any conventional literary
history to defining the elusive Socialist Realism.”
THE INDEPENDENT