Распутин. Почему? Воспоминания дочери

by Матрёна Распутина

Целых 14 лет, с 1946-го по 1960 год дочь Григория Распутина Матрена, бежав из России, писала эту книгу, так и не решившись опубликовать ее.
«Весь мир отца, его поведение, манера говорить, сам ход его мыслей мало вязались с традиционными представлениями о старцах — благостных, спокойных... Он был новый тип, рожденный нашим временем. Новый — это очень важное объяснение. Однако оно нуждается в дополнении, которое никто до сих пор так и не сумел или не осмелился сделать. Мой отец действительно был старцем, но только старцем, которому не был чужд мир, старцем, помыслами живущим на земле. Он был мирской со всех точек зрения. Распутин знал секрет — как спастись в этой жизни».

Genres: Biography, History, Nonfiction, Russia, Russian Literature, Adult

Kindle Edition

First published January 1, 1977

Reviews

[حنان طبق · Rating 4 out of 5]

It’s amazing how contradicting are the stories told about Rasputin when you hear them from different people. This is the second book I read in sequence about that era in Russian history and the accounts of Rasputin told from his daughter Maria are very different from the ones told from Pierre Gilliard, the Duchesses French tutor. That’s why I consider memoirs to be the best way to know about a historical character. Much better than hearing from a historian.

[Bernie Gourley · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was an impulse buy made at my local used bookshop. How could I not pick it up? There are few historic figures with as much swagger, and who are as steeped in mystique and myth, as Grigori Rasputin. This Russian mystic has been fictionalized as a villain by Disney and in the “Hell Boy” universe. If one knows anything about this holy man, it’s that he proved exceedingly hard to kill and that he is believed to have had great sway with the Tsar and his wife (i.e. the Tsarina) in large part owing to the apparently miraculous effect his presence had on the healing of their hemophiliac son, Alexei. (Skeptics will note that it’s widely believed Rasputin did – in fact – save the boy, but probably not through communion with a deity. Instead, he did it through a combination of luck in keeping the doctors from giving the boy aspirin [its blood-thinning nature wasn’t yet recognized], old folk wisdom [i.e. stressing the kid out with a dozen poking / prodding doctors is as likely have a deleterious effect on health as a positive one] and a placebo effect arising from the holy man’s larger-than-life charisma.)

It’s always hard to know what to expect with a biography written by a family member. In this case, the lead author is one of Rasputin’s daughters, Maria. While there is the same potential for bias in an autobiography, in a relative’s biography one never knows whether the writer will deify or vilify they subject – but one strongly suspects they will do one of the two. This is made all the more difficult in this book on the life of Grigori Rasputin because the author is at once exceedingly forthcoming about the man’s drinking and womanizing but simultaneously rails against Rasputin’s enemies and always holds that he was fundamentally virtuous and pious (outside of sleeping around, sousing it up, and taking bribes [which the author claims were redistributed Robin Hood style and which it’s further suggested didn’t result in promises to intercede with the Tsar / Tsarina that he wouldn’t have agreed to on the grounds of virtue and merit alone.]) It should be noted that there was a journalist co-author who may have rounded of the coarse edges of personal bias, though – as I suggested – Maria Rasputin comes across as being at ease with her father’s less godly proclivities.

The book begins in media res with a description of the night that Rasputin left his home and daughters never to return. This intro presents his daughter’s perspective as she experienced that night at the time – i.e. without any of the insight of later investigations and research that comes later at the book’s end. It’s a skillful set up for the book, and in general this book avoids becoming bogged down in minutiae of personal interest as is common in biographies. The book then proceeds chronologically from sparse coverage of Rasputin’s youth with particular emphasis on the events and indications that he wasn’t the typical farm boy through to the aftermath of his death. In between the book charts the rise of Rasputin from peasant farmer to personal friend to the royal couple who visited them freely while abandoning all the protocol that was required of others on visits to the Tsar’s court.

I did do a bit of research out of curiosity about how biased or neutral the book was. In general, it seems to be a reasonably accurate portrayal of events. While I did find information that seems to conflict with the author’s presentation, it doesn’t appear to be a matter of an attempt to propagandize but rather a result of differences of perspective. One type of bias revolves around the belief in supernatural powers that can readily be seen in the case of Tsarevich Alexei mentioned above. Maria Rasputin was clearly a believer that her father had powers, and so she presents the healing as being divine (though she does state that keeping the doctors away probably had a role and she says that her father never claimed responsibility for cures but always said thanks should be given to God.) Another example is the belief of the authors that Rasputin was still alive when he was thrown into the river that is based on abrasions on his wrists as if he was struggling in the water, but supposedly there was no water in his lungs. (With respect to the claim of Rasputin being hard to kill, after healing up from having been disemboweled with a knife, on the night of his assassination Rasputin was [allegedly] poisoned, shot multiple times, castrated, and then dumped into a frozen river. The author suggests it was the drowning that finally got him, but the more common view is that the gunshot to the head had already done the deed – and furthermore, the assassins probably in some way fouled up the poisoning because there wasn’t any posthumous evidence of it. It should be noted that the authors, too, suggest that the assassins must have gotten it wrong with the initial attempt to poison Rasputin because of the lack of evidence of poison – i.e. they make no supernatural claims on that issue.)

Concerns about bias aside, the book is highly readable. It is fascinating throughout and it complies with Elmore Leonard’s advice to novelists to “cut out all the parts people skip over.” The author captures the political intrigue as well as Rasputin’s mix of seedy and saintly sides that combine to make his story so fascinating. We see his ups and downs as he became immensely popular (always with powerful enemies) and then how he lost influence in World War I when his pacifism conflicted with the jingoistic outlook of the day.

I would highly recommend this book to anyone who is interested in the life of Grigori Rasputin.

[Mark · Rating 1 out of 5]

This is a silly book. Full of lies, half-truths, exaggeration, hearsay and rumor. Rasputin didn't heal people (nor did God heal people through him). He likely wasn't the benevolent spirit that his daughter or followers would like to believe. He was a horny old drunk. Which is fine, except when you use your cult of personality to shield attention away from those vices. (Rasputin also wasn't in communion with demonic forces either nor was he likely evil ... just a horny old drunk, who made enemies during a tumultuous time in Russian history.)

Also interesting are all the ding dongs that reviewed this book as some sort of "real history." Anyone that reads this with any notion of the truth should look elsewhere.

[Jessica Baumgartner · Rating 5 out of 5]

I find that I learn more from personal accounts much better than material written by historians. I do believe that maria Rasputin held her father in a favored light but it was enlightening to read about such a demonized figure from a positive aspect. Many of the details offered more insight to understanding the person behind the man.

This book is a treasure. Especially for Pagans/spiritualists who are seeking various sides of stories demonizing magic and mysticism.

[Sarah Berry · Rating 4 out of 5]

Plot 4/5
Generally speaking, I feel like the plot is well structured. Maria does a good job of relaying all aspects of her Father's life from beginning to end, with a smooth natural flow. I never had to wonder how we got from Point A to Point B. Though the pacing felt a little slow in some places. Particularly whenever the author would digress upon memories in the form of a flashback or flashforward. In those moments, the story derailed a little, but would get back on track fairly quickly. There was never any moment when I debated about continued reading, because I found the story itself to be quite interesting a topic and one worth satisfying my curiosity. It was suspenseful enough that I found myself curious to know what came next.

Biography 5/5
I think Maria did a wonderful job relaying the ins and outs of her Fathers life in full detail. All my questions were answered by the end. I don't feel there was a single aspect I was left wondering what happened. Even though the author was clearly close and loved her Father—a relationship I found quite touching—I don't feel it was biased, as it explored his faults as well as good points. While emotional, it also felt very factual based as well. It didn't try to sweep the dirt under the rug. While I'm certainly not an expert on the topic, it felt both heartfelt and sincere in terms of revealing the truth. I find this aspect very admirable in a biography.

Setting 3/5
However, being a biography, this story has the habit of hyper-focusing on the people of the story that sometimes the background was neglected. I would've liked to see a little more detail in terms of scenery to really help immerse me into the story. Although rich with the emotional, mental, relationships, and spiritual aspects of Grigori's life, I would've liked a little more detail in terms of the physical surroundings, so that I could better surround myself in not just the 'whos', but the time and place of the story's setting as well. However it was at least clear in terms of the where and when. Providing us with just enough information for the sake of clarity, though I found myself wanting more sensory details.

Overall 4/5
This isn't the type of story I'd like to read over and over, but it did satisfy my curiosity about the topic. I think Maria did her Father proud. I'd recommend this to anyone who is curious to know more about Grigori as told by someone who knew him on a personal level.

[gem · Rating 4 out of 5]

SUMMARY (possible spoilers)
Rasputin The Man Behind the Myth recounts the childhood memories of Maria Rasputin, his eldest daughter, through the years living on the farms of Pokrovskoye in Siberia to the luxuries of Saint Petersburg. Set in a narrative style, Maria describes the vital events in Rasputin’s childhood and corroborates her father’s character by using these details.

Many scenes were very gruesome and explicitly described — her getting sexually harassed by her friend’s abusive stepfather, the orgies her father experienced while in the Khlisti and most of all, the assassination and mutilation (involving both beating and castrating) of her father by Prince Feliks Yusupov and Grand Duke Dmitri Pavlovich.

THOUGHTS
This book was extremely interesting!

Contrary to the demonized version of Rasputin in mainstream media (such can be seen in the 1997 Disney Movie “Anastasia”) and in history books, his daughter paints him in a different light in an attempt to dispel decades worth of rumours. I particularly enjoyed how Maria didn’t hide her father’s misgivings and sexual prowess, more so, she described her father’s experiences and how they led him to justify that expressing sexuality was in the favour of God. While in Saint Petersburg, these justifications had damaging effects on the reputation of the royal family. Through mentioning her father’s flaws while he was in the tough political environment of Tsarist Russia, Maria effectively portrays him as not necessarily a Saint, but rather, human.

What I did find even more interesting was the normalization of her father’s adultery, especially having a maid as a mistress and being sexually liberated with other women while still married — actions which defeat much of the Russian Orthodox Theology. Despite this, it was already obvious that Rasputin had his own interpretations of the Bible.

Unfortunately, historic accounts aren’t free of bias and I think to have a true grasp on this historical figure, one needs to read an account by the revolutionaries and the west to gain different perspectives.

[Susan · Rating 4 out of 5]

As someone who is fairly ignorant about Russian history, I found this book to be a lesson in history, not just a memoir written by Rasputin’s daughter, Maria. It was so interesting to read about Rasputin, who apparently had a religious experience and became a healer, and was called upon by the Tsar and Tsarina to heal their son, Aleksai, who was a hemophiliac and was hemorrhaging. Rasputin healed their son and thus began a close relationship with the royalty, the last of the Romanovs before the Bolshevik Revolution.
The book did have some slower parts, but overall was well written and kept my interest. Of course, much has been written of about Rasputin and this account paints him in a favorable light. That being said, Rasputin was a confidente, especially to the Tsarina, and his complicity with politics resulted in his brutal murder. An interesting read.

[Paul Mamani · Rating 4 out of 5]

Intriguing
This book was the first one I´ve read in the life of Rasputin.
Very fascinating and full of mystery and suspense. Not many people got too much power in the last years of the Czars like him.
Gregory Rasputin was and even he´s a controversial character in the last years of Russian royal family. Many believed he was Satan personified. Other said even he slept with Alexander´s wife.

His life is very mysterious and weaved with intrigue and something hidden from the darkness of Siberia to scandals of the Kremlin.
Edvard Radzinsky added more wood into fire writing this book about Gregory Rasputin.

[Diana Drakulich · Rating 5 out of 5]

Rasputin, Man Behind the Myth is the only biography that focuses on the SPIRITUAL aspect of his character. How did Rasputin save the Tsarevich Alexei from bleeding to death, not once but several times? How did Rasputin develop his charismatic personality and healing ability? This is what made him famous, yet most biographies simply ignore it. Rasputin was Tsar Nicholas most trusted advisor. He was a prophet who predicted Russia would drown in an ocean of blood and a sea of tears if the tsar entered Russia into WWI. And Rasputin was right.

[Lorraine Montgomery · Rating 4 out of 5]

Author Patte Barham, after a lot of research, and interviews with white Russians both in London and in Paris, has worked with Maria Rasputin to write a very clear picture of Maria's father, the controversial starets (a lay holy man) of the court of Tsar Nicholas II of Russia. Eighteen years old at the time of her father's death, Maria had spent the last 8 years of his life with him in Petrograd, observing the many devotees who lined up daily for the opportunity to see her father, to ask them for healing or even just a blessing, and meeting the royal family and dining with them at the palace. While still a child, and not privy to all of his appointments, she still brings a unique perspective to Rasputin as a father, and as a friend of the court. The housekeeper, Dunia, cared for her like a mother and had loved her father very much. Through Dunia's story, and the stories of others Maria -- from her grandmother, friends in the aristocracy, and in the royal palace -- Maria and Patte together have followed the story of Rasputin from his birth to his death.

The story begins on the last day in the life of Grigori Efimovich Rasputin, known to his family as Grischa. Maria recalls how ill her father was that day and how she had a great foreboding about his leaving the home at midnight with the rather strange Prince Feliks Yussupov. He was a man around whom she had always been uncomfortable; indeed, she disliked him intensely, and did not want her father to go out at that late hour with him. She was certain she would never see her Papa again alive.

With this beginning, Maria goes back in time to retell her father's birth and childhood as it was told to her by her grandmother. She tells of his baptism, of how he was different from the other boys in the village, had great physical strength, and had a devotion to God, an ability to see into the future, and a healing touch with injured animals and people. After hearing a particular sermon about how God dwelt within a temple in each person, he went to the woods to meditate, and a light came to him, but in his fear, it withdrew, and he repented his fear of it, and only sought thereafter to have it back again.

Maria relates her Papa's early struggles with the village boys, among whom he had few friends, and his early temptations with his strong sensual urges. She traces his marriage to her mother and the children that followed, her being the 2nd of 3 who survived. She tells what a great time they had together, walking in the woods and playing games, and how he felt God's call to join a monastery and to find a teacher to guide him to the union with God that he sought. His experiences in the monastery resulted in him becoming a strannik, or pilgrim, traveling through his province of Siberia, and learning of the Khlisti, who indulged their sexual desires in order to free their minds to focus on meditation. After trying this lifestyle for a while, he came to a village where the ceremony was conducted in a completely different way, disgusting him, and turning him away from the sect. On his arrival home, he settled back contentedly into family life, although he makes an enemy of the priest of the village when his friends and neighbours prefer his preaching and his healing and he inadvertently becomes a competitor. And then, he believed God called him to go to Petrograd.

Maria also tells of the politics of the time, the greed of the politicians, bishops, and aristocracy, and the unrest of the working class. While Rasputin had a large following of the ordinary people, some politicians, and some of the aristocracy, he also made many enemies, especially after he became a favourite of the royal family due to his ability to heal Alexei, the tsarevitch, who suffered greatly from hemophilia. There were many rumors, some of which were based on a dislike of the English/German tsarina, Alexandra, as much as an attempt to discredit Rasputin. His followers were devoted to him and in the Afterword, Patte tells of having a clandestine meeting with an elderly lady in Paris whose home was even in 1968, a shrine to Rasputin.

This personal memoir, I felt, clarified who Rasputin was and the reasons his demise came about. Although there can be many flaws in memory, especially that of a doting daughter, I believe the book to have been well-researched and not wholly reliant on Maria's memories. (You can read more about Maria Rasputin at this link; use Google translator to supply English for the Romanian.) The stories about her father told to her by Dunia after Rasputin's death were recorded at the time and the conspirators to his murder have told their story. The book was credible and informative about life about the court of Nicholas II, their family life, and their interactions with Rasputin and his family. The account of the aftermath, too, was well told, well organized. I thoroughly enjoyed this book and now, when I go back and watch some of the documentaries done earlier (available on YouTube), I see them in a new light and, I think, am more able to separate the sensational, undocumented comments from those that are more thoughtfully presented with research backing them up. A thoroughly engaging book with a glossary of Russian terms at the back. (Yes!!)

[Julia · Rating 5 out of 5]

Say what you will about all of the possibly-partially-true accounts surrounding Rasputin and the Romanov family -- boy, is it cool to hear the perspective of someone as first-hand as Rasputin's daughter. Fascinating stuff here.

[Diana · Rating 3 out of 5]

Read for a paper on Rasputin for a Russian history class. Much of this book is pure propaganda. Rasputin's daughter wanted to continue his legend and tried to make her father seem more mystical than he really was. It's entertaining but sad due to how much he brainwashed his own children.

[Nick Schuessler · Rating 4 out of 5]

From the perspective of his daughter, accurate or not, still very interesting

[Eugene Pustoshkin · Rating 5 out of 5]

Страшно удивлён уникальностью издания. Я думал это те изданные в 1970-х годах воспоминания Матрёны, на которые ссылается Э. Радзинский в своей книге о Григории Распутине. Оказалось, нет: издатель Захаров выкупил в 1999 году полные рукописи у пожелавшей остаться инкогнито женщины (как рукопись попала к этой женщине поясняется в предисловии издателя). Более и нечего говорить, ведь те, кто интересуется многогранным феноменом Распутина, приобретут книгу и так. Уже с первых строк книги видна её значимость для понимания психологии и мистицизма легендарного старца. Он приобретает человеческий облик.

[Dan Harvey · Rating 3 out of 5]

A surprisingly engaging book about the life of Rasputin through the eyes of his daughter, Maria. It is told in a simple style, but the man's remarkable life more than makes up for it in substance. It clearly comes across that Maria adores her father and sees his motivations as primarily good ones, and tends to gloss his less reputable actions and is uncritical of his supposed spiritual powers. If you are looking for a balanced historical document, this isn't it, but it is an interesting perspective. Rah - rah - Rasputin!