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The Murder of Nikolai Vavilov: The Story of Stalin's Persecution of One of the Great Scientists of the Twentieth Century
Documents the early years of the genetic revolution as a period marked by one of the most relevant scientific scandals of the twentieth century and the tragic murder of leading Soviet geneticist Nikolai Vavilov by the Stalin regime. 35,000 first printing.
370 pages, Hardcover
First published January 1, 2008
28 people are currently reading
518 people want to read
About the author
Peter Pringle
23 books15 followersPeter Pringle is a veteran British foreign correspondent. He is theauthor and coauthor of several nonfiction books, including th ebestselling Those Are Real Bullets, Aren't They? He lives in New York City.
Series:
* Arthur Hemmings Mystery
Series:
* Arthur Hemmings Mystery
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Displaying 1 - 22 of 22 reviews
April 25, 2022
Почему все так грустно
May 5, 2010
I never would have anticipated that a book about an obscure Russian agronomist (or any agronomist, for that matter) would be absolutely fascinating and impossible to put down, but it's true. I really enjoyed this book!
Nikolai Vavilov was a very patriotic Russian scientist who had a dream of not only ending Russia's famines forever, but of wiping out hunger worldwide for all time. He went to great lengths to achieve these ends, traveling all over the world - including into some very dangerous places - in order to gather countless samples of the world's hardiest varieties of every plant imaginable. Although not a member of the Communist party, he also strove to make a name for Soviet science in the world, to prove that the USSR could produce as great of thinkers as anywhere else.
You would think that such dedication would have been deeply appreciated. In the wider world, Vavilov was quite celebrated in his time (I personally had never heard of him before). He was even initially greatly lauded in the USSR. However, under Stalin's regime of paranoia and anti-intellectualism, Vavilov fell suddenly and swiftly from favor. He would eventually die years too soon of hunger in a gulag as the USSR fought to win World War II. With him died the dream of a world seed depository.
If you're anything like me, you will spend the first half this book in awe of everything that Vavilov achieved and the second half seething with anger at his persecution at the hands of those jealous of his achievements. This is truly a very moving book and a great tribute to a man that history has largely forgotten.
Nikolai Vavilov was a very patriotic Russian scientist who had a dream of not only ending Russia's famines forever, but of wiping out hunger worldwide for all time. He went to great lengths to achieve these ends, traveling all over the world - including into some very dangerous places - in order to gather countless samples of the world's hardiest varieties of every plant imaginable. Although not a member of the Communist party, he also strove to make a name for Soviet science in the world, to prove that the USSR could produce as great of thinkers as anywhere else.
You would think that such dedication would have been deeply appreciated. In the wider world, Vavilov was quite celebrated in his time (I personally had never heard of him before). He was even initially greatly lauded in the USSR. However, under Stalin's regime of paranoia and anti-intellectualism, Vavilov fell suddenly and swiftly from favor. He would eventually die years too soon of hunger in a gulag as the USSR fought to win World War II. With him died the dream of a world seed depository.
If you're anything like me, you will spend the first half this book in awe of everything that Vavilov achieved and the second half seething with anger at his persecution at the hands of those jealous of his achievements. This is truly a very moving book and a great tribute to a man that history has largely forgotten.
April 2, 2016
Gripping story. Great research. If you're interested in scientific history, botany, genetics, or the troubling interactions between politics and science, you gotta read this book, or at least about Vavilov's life and legacy.
July 27, 2010
I just wrote a really long review and summary of this book, and then accidentally deleted the whole thing. So I'm just gonna say i liked it and recommend it, and leave it at that.
June 5, 2025
Nikolai Vavilov was one of the greatest 20th century scientists. His work has probably contributed more to the happiness of mankind then many other better known scientists and he was along with others like Osip Mendelstam one of the great tragic figures who were destroyed by Stalin. Unlike others, such as Isaac Babel, his work was not destroyed by his arrest. Indeed while he was dying of starvation in A soviet gulag during WWII his colleagues were dying of starvation in Leningrad to preserve the seed bank Vavilov created (please read about this extraordinary story at: https://www.theguardian.com/world/202...).
If ever you wanted an argument against what Stalin did all you need do is quote the name of Vavilov. He set up The Institute of Plant Industry in 1921 in Leningrad and created the world's first and largest collection of plant seeds. By 1932 he had collected seeds from almost every country in the world, which by 1933 had made the institute the largest seed bank in the world, with more than 148,000 specimens. Vavilov had an international reputation and regularly travelled abroad on his collection journeys. He could have left and been welcomed at any Western university or research institute. But he believed in Russia and in building a better more just world for everyone.
Unfortunately Trofim Lysenko was eventually hired by the Plant Institute. He was a strong proponent of Lamarckism (the theory that changes to an organism's body during its life would be inherited) and rejected Mendelian hereditary genetics. This fitted Josef Stalin's world view, as it was seen as a marxist rejection of heritage in favour of the environment, but Vavilov objected to it. Consequently, Vavilov became the target of the Lysenkoist debate and was destroyed by it.
He was rehabilitated in 1955 and by the 60's recognised as a hero of Soviet science but, good as rehabilitation is, it doesn't change the fact that a genius had been squandered because of the idiocies of Stalin's system.
This brilliant biography of a great man is essential reading for anyone interested in Russian/Soviet history of the first half of the 20th century. The fate of Vavilov is a reminder of the price that truth and genius pays to bullying dictators and we should be warned that bullies come in many forms not always as easily idenfiable as Stalin and his ilk.
If ever you wanted an argument against what Stalin did all you need do is quote the name of Vavilov. He set up The Institute of Plant Industry in 1921 in Leningrad and created the world's first and largest collection of plant seeds. By 1932 he had collected seeds from almost every country in the world, which by 1933 had made the institute the largest seed bank in the world, with more than 148,000 specimens. Vavilov had an international reputation and regularly travelled abroad on his collection journeys. He could have left and been welcomed at any Western university or research institute. But he believed in Russia and in building a better more just world for everyone.
Unfortunately Trofim Lysenko was eventually hired by the Plant Institute. He was a strong proponent of Lamarckism (the theory that changes to an organism's body during its life would be inherited) and rejected Mendelian hereditary genetics. This fitted Josef Stalin's world view, as it was seen as a marxist rejection of heritage in favour of the environment, but Vavilov objected to it. Consequently, Vavilov became the target of the Lysenkoist debate and was destroyed by it.
He was rehabilitated in 1955 and by the 60's recognised as a hero of Soviet science but, good as rehabilitation is, it doesn't change the fact that a genius had been squandered because of the idiocies of Stalin's system.
This brilliant biography of a great man is essential reading for anyone interested in Russian/Soviet history of the first half of the 20th century. The fate of Vavilov is a reminder of the price that truth and genius pays to bullying dictators and we should be warned that bullies come in many forms not always as easily idenfiable as Stalin and his ilk.
July 28, 2023
Una biografia trascinante (il cui vero titolo è The murder of Nikolaj Vavilov...), 300 pagine di fatti, documenti, riferimenti storici, in un ritmo agile e incalzante. La storia del più grande attacco ideologico/demagogico alla scienza dell'intero novecento. Trent'anni di folle distruzione, di scivolamento inesorabile verso l'assurdo antiscientifico, verso la barbarie e il disumano.
Per contro, il simbolo della scienza, Nikolaj Vavilov. Lo scienziato da abbattere per poter affermare il predominio della (folle) politica sul mondo della natura. Che personalità vulcanica, Vavilov, un astro scintillante. La sua dedizione alla ricerca, la sua passione, la sua determinazione, il suo spirito di avventura nei cinque continenti, sono mitici, sono di esempio. Me lo immagino alla ricerca dei "centro di origine" delle piante coltivate... i burroni che ha valicato, le strette gole dell'Hindu-Kush che ha percorso, le Ande, gli altopiani etiopici, l'Atlante nordafricano, il medio oriente, il nord america, Cina ed estremo oriente...
Lysenko perse il suo potere solo dopo la caduta di Chruscev. Questi fu rimosso nel 1964, lui si dimise nel 1965.
Per contro, il simbolo della scienza, Nikolaj Vavilov. Lo scienziato da abbattere per poter affermare il predominio della (folle) politica sul mondo della natura. Che personalità vulcanica, Vavilov, un astro scintillante. La sua dedizione alla ricerca, la sua passione, la sua determinazione, il suo spirito di avventura nei cinque continenti, sono mitici, sono di esempio. Me lo immagino alla ricerca dei "centro di origine" delle piante coltivate... i burroni che ha valicato, le strette gole dell'Hindu-Kush che ha percorso, le Ande, gli altopiani etiopici, l'Atlante nordafricano, il medio oriente, il nord america, Cina ed estremo oriente...
Lysenko perse il suo potere solo dopo la caduta di Chruscev. Questi fu rimosso nel 1964, lui si dimise nel 1965.
November 15, 2017
Great book about a great man. Reads like fiction and, really, it seems more like a work of dystopian fiction than nonfiction. I loved the way the book deeply delved into Stalin's Russia without engaging in Russophobia or mindless anti-communism propaganda but still revealing the serious mania of one of history's most violent governments. Similarly it delves into genetics, biology, and the world of agricultural science without A) alienating the reader by turning the book into a university level botany course, and B) projecting what Vavilov's beliefs would be about modern developments in agricultural science.
April 8, 2015
I first found out about Vavilov from the haunting Decemberists song "When the War Came" and had been intrigued ever since. This book presents a very capable biography of one of the great forgotten scientists of the twentieth century. It isn't a heartbreaking work of staggering genius, but it tells the life story of a man who deserves to be remembered, and manages to convey both the adventure of Vavilov's early life and the horror and claustrophobia of his later life.
August 20, 2016
An interesting look at what happens when anti-science folks have access to power and policy. A tragic tale of someone whose contributions to agronomy, food security, and science should be known more broadly.
January 24, 2019
Una historia tan inverosímil que es real.
El trágico triunfo de la ciencia políticamente correcta. A veces uno puede llegar pensar que actualmente también se está castigando al que tiene opiniones contrarias a la ideología dominante
El trágico triunfo de la ciencia políticamente correcta. A veces uno puede llegar pensar que actualmente también se está castigando al que tiene opiniones contrarias a la ideología dominante
August 7, 2023
Очень печальная история талантливого ученого, который много сделал для страны и мира и вместо благодарности попал под безумные сталинские репрессии.
Читается увлекательно, не оторваться. История потрясает до слез. Рекомендую
Читается увлекательно, не оторваться. История потрясает до слез. Рекомендую
February 21, 2020
So glad to have learned about n. Vavilov, after such an effort by Stalin's Kremlin to erase him and many other scientists from history.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
December 30, 2021
This book was a really good window into the Red Terror and how it not only affected the more famous tsar but also normal professors and students.
February 22, 2011
This book is not a murder mystery, and some will say that it is not a murder in the true sense of the word.
This true story takes place in Russia during the reign of Joseph Stalin. The Russian people were faced with numerous shortages during the Stalin regime but the shortage of food was the one most devastating.
Nikolai Vavilov was, arguably, the most prominent botantist (plant breeder) of this time. He searched the world for seeds to plant that he thought might produce larger yields in the Russian soilo and alleviate the horrific famine conditions of the day. Millions of Russians lost their lives during this time that could be directly attributed to the shortage of food.
Vavilov found himself at odds with Stalin regarding genetics. Geneticists were repressed in favor of the theories and fraudulent claims of a peasant, Trogim Lysenko. Lysenko, through manipulation, found himself in Stalin's favor and was able to bring false claims against Vavilov. Vavilov and his fellow scientists found their work, and the hope of the Russian people, being disregarded.
Vavilov was imprisoned and tortured. He boldly held on to his beliefs and was sentenced to death. Ironically, while waiting for his death sentence to be carried out, he was starved to death.
This is not an easy read and deals primarily with Vavilov and his search for seeds and his continual battle with the Soviet Government. An indication of the contents of the book is that it is filed under Biology, not True Crime or Russian History.
This true story takes place in Russia during the reign of Joseph Stalin. The Russian people were faced with numerous shortages during the Stalin regime but the shortage of food was the one most devastating.
Nikolai Vavilov was, arguably, the most prominent botantist (plant breeder) of this time. He searched the world for seeds to plant that he thought might produce larger yields in the Russian soilo and alleviate the horrific famine conditions of the day. Millions of Russians lost their lives during this time that could be directly attributed to the shortage of food.
Vavilov found himself at odds with Stalin regarding genetics. Geneticists were repressed in favor of the theories and fraudulent claims of a peasant, Trogim Lysenko. Lysenko, through manipulation, found himself in Stalin's favor and was able to bring false claims against Vavilov. Vavilov and his fellow scientists found their work, and the hope of the Russian people, being disregarded.
Vavilov was imprisoned and tortured. He boldly held on to his beliefs and was sentenced to death. Ironically, while waiting for his death sentence to be carried out, he was starved to death.
This is not an easy read and deals primarily with Vavilov and his search for seeds and his continual battle with the Soviet Government. An indication of the contents of the book is that it is filed under Biology, not True Crime or Russian History.
April 7, 2015
A Russian scientist, brilliantly maintains a single of desire: to breed different varieties of plants from around the world that might help end starvation. He found plants in different parts of the world with characteristics that fit the area and created the world's largest seed bank and began trying to help Russia feed itself with the best strains of plant breeds while hoping someday to feed the world.
Sadly, his story does not end well. Another scientist (and political opportunist) arose who was able to discredit him with a competing view of the way plants grow and change over time. While this competing view had significant scientific problems it was politically palatable and became the official view of the Russian government. Ending with Nikolai Vavilov being sent to prison where he was ultimately starved to death in jail in 1943. Ironic that the man who spent his whole adult life only caring about plants and trying to feed the world was killed by his government by starvation in a prison cell.
His massive seed banks were in many cases preserved. Even to the point of several parts of it lasting thru the siege of Leningrad. Some of scientists starved to death and afterwards the seeds they preserved were found. Rice and other grains they refused to eat even though they starved.
Another bloody blot on the history of communism.
Sadly, his story does not end well. Another scientist (and political opportunist) arose who was able to discredit him with a competing view of the way plants grow and change over time. While this competing view had significant scientific problems it was politically palatable and became the official view of the Russian government. Ending with Nikolai Vavilov being sent to prison where he was ultimately starved to death in jail in 1943. Ironic that the man who spent his whole adult life only caring about plants and trying to feed the world was killed by his government by starvation in a prison cell.
His massive seed banks were in many cases preserved. Even to the point of several parts of it lasting thru the siege of Leningrad. Some of scientists starved to death and afterwards the seeds they preserved were found. Rice and other grains they refused to eat even though they starved.
Another bloody blot on the history of communism.
December 31, 2008
An interesting read without being overwhelming. It sort of fell between the poles of my real interest, which is Stalinist political manuevering, and a more hard-headed look at the science, which I think I could have grooved on in a more geeky way. But it's hard to know if that failing is because of the book or its subject-- maybe there's just not either of those stories to really tell about Vavilov, who wanted to save the Soviet Union by collecting seeds but fell victim to more interesting personalites, like Lysenko.
September 13, 2011
Well researched and well written. The battle with Lysenko definitely handled well. Still a little to much hero worship by the author considering let his staff get devoured, cheated on his wife and sent two of his men to their deaths to avoid future torture. Still an important book especially today with so much anti science, creationism, no global warming etc., parading as fact.
March 16, 2012
Wow. This is a fantastic book. It kept me from my studies quite a few hours. Most of us understand the nature of Stalin's purges, but think of them in terms of military leadership. This book illustrates just how paranoid, and short sighted that man was capable of being. Interestingly, this stands in stark contrast to his occasional political brilliance, as seen at Yalta.
January 28, 2011
I really enjoyed this book. A name I never heard of turns out to be "one of the greatest scientists of his century"
will be enjoyed by history buffs and gardeners alike as he was a great plant hunter.
Led me to read more about Russian history.
will be enjoyed by history buffs and gardeners alike as he was a great plant hunter.
Led me to read more about Russian history.
June 21, 2014
Murder of Nikolai Vavilov by Peter Pringle narrates anti-science Soviet genetics pitting Vavilov v Lysenko. A generation lost to ideology. A lesson for today's climate debate?
Want to read
June 17, 2009As selected by the Baltimore Alumni (of the U of C) book club.
Displaying 1 - 22 of 22 reviews