A Cultural History of Russia

'Natasha's Dance: A Cultural History of Russia' is an enjoyable way to get your dose of Russian history.

Natasha's Dance: A Cultural History of Russia seems like a daunting read at first, but I found it to be both enjoyable and informative. Easy-to-digest, it takes readers through Russia's culture through the perspectives of peasants and follows the history of families through Russia's cultural changes. Clearly defined are the dynamics between the class systems and what influences were taken from the peasant class by the nobility so that the upper classes could more ably participate in a collective national idenity. Orlando Figes doesn't browbeat any one topic; readers are taken seamlessly from one subject to the next, even if the literary analyses sometimes seem a bit too expansive.

If you want to know a little about many Russian cultural issues, Natasha's Dance is the perfect introduction. Learn more about Boris Godunov, Tolstoy, Pushkin, Faberge Eggs, the peasants, Kandinsky, St. Petersburg, Moscow, Ivan the Terrible, and more. It is a great jumping-off point for more in-depth study on a topic of your choice, but it also makes for a nice survey of Russian art, writing, folk culture, and life in historical Russia.