In 1932-33, nearly four million Ukrainians died of starvation, having been deliberately deprived of food. Red Famine shows how this happened, who was responsible, and what the consequences were. The book draws on a mass of archival material and first-hand testimony. It includes accounts by survivors describing what human beings can do when driven mad by hunger. It shows how the Soviet state used propaganda to turn neighbours against each other in order to expunge supposedly 'anti-revolutionary' elements. It also records the actions of extraordinary individuals who did all they could to relieve the suffering. The famine was rapidly followed by an attack on Ukraine's cultural and political leadership - and then by a denial that it had ever happened. The Soviet authorities were determined not only that Ukraine should abandon its national aspirations, but that the country's true history should be buried along with its millions of victims. Red Famine, a triumph of scholarship and human sympathy, is a milestone in the recovery of those memories and that history.
Anne Applebaum
Anne Applebaum is a Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist and historian known for her insightful analysis of Eastern European history and politics. She has written extensively on the rise of authoritarianism in the region, focusing on the Soviet Union and its aftermath. Her most notable works include "Gulag: A History," which won the Pulitzer Prize for Non-Fiction in 2004, and "Iron Curtain: The Crushing of Eastern Europe, 1944-1956," which examines the Soviet takeover of Eastern Europe after World War II. Applebaum's writing style is characterized by meticulous research and engaging storytelling, making complex historical events accessible to a wide audience. Her work has had a significant impact on the study of totalitarian regimes and their lasting impact on society.
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