Life And Death Of Leon Trotsky

Victor Serge: Victor Serge (1889-1947) is best known as a novelist – with two of his works recently republished by the New York Review of Books – and for his Memoirs of a Revolutionary. Originally a participant in the anarchist movement, Serge became a committed bolshevik upon arrival in Russia during 1919 and lent his considerable talents to the cause of spreading the revolution across Europe. An eloquent critic of tyranny no matter its form, Serge was a leading member of the Left Opposition in its struggle against Stalin, a cause which ultimately resulted in his exile from Russia.Natalia Ivanovna Sedova: Natalia Sedov was a revolutionary and wrote on cultural matters pertaining to Marxism. Following the assassination of her husband Leon Trotsky in 1940, Sedova maintained her defense of internationalism and struggle against Stalinism and Fascism until her death.Richard Greeman: Richard Greeman taught French at the University of Hartford in West Hartford, Connecticut, USA. He has translated and edited much of Victor Serge's most important work.Alexi Gusev: Alexi Gusev is a professor of History at Moscow Univ and Chair of Praxis Research and Education Center.

"The Life and Death of Leon Trotsky is a biography of Marxist revolutionary, Soviet politician, and founding leader of the Red Army Leon Trotsky (1879-1940). Although Trotsky was a major participant in Russia's 1917 Revolution, he was scapegoated during Stalin's murderous rise to power, which replaced the ideals of Communism with an iron-fist dictatorship. In 1940 Trotsky was assassinated, allegedly on Stalin's orders. Unlike other biographies, The Life and Death of Leon Trotsky is unique in that it is by two people close Trotsky: his widow Natalia Sedova Trotsky (who was also a Bolshevik) and Victor Serge, a revolutionary and novelist. An index rounds out this "must-read" for anyone studying Trotsky's life and philosophy, or major figures in modern Russian history. Highly recommended, especially for public and college library collections."—Midwest Book Review"Serge and Sedova pack a great amount of detail into less than 300 pages, especially when discussing Trotsky’s life from 1917 onward. Less comprehensive than Isaac Deutscher’s well-known "Trotsky trilogy," it is a more approachable introduction and offers a more personal touch than Deutscher can provide, especially when Sedova—whose words appear in quotations—speaks."—Jason Shulman, Democratic Left