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Doubles
DOUBLES brings to light a buried historical event involving Pablo Picasso and Charles Chaplin. In turmoil as Stalin's death approaches, the Kremlin seeks a propaganda victory. The invitation to Picasso and Chaplin to visit Moscow is seductive. The suppressed work of the great artist and the world-renowned film-maker will be presented to the Soviet public for the first time. Two honey-traps tip the scales. For Picasso a beautiful Russian museum curator, Ola Lepinskaya. For Chaplin a gifted mimic and 'double',Mosfilm's Nina Bolsharova. David Caute calls the past into question in this fascinating exploration of how history is written Hilary Mantel has written of Caute's previous novel: 'I think this book is brilliant. FATIMA'S SCARF is something very rare in English letters: a dazzling political novel. It is funny and immediate, involving and surprising...' David Caute's recent historical works include ISAAC AND ISAIAH (Yale) and THE DANCER DEFECTS (Oxford).
437 pages, Paperback
Published February 25, 2016
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October 30, 2019
A fast-paced and erudite historical novel concerning a fictional(?) visit by Picasso and Chaplin to Stalin’s Russia in the early 1950s. Told by two elderly ladies whose task was to seduce and wheedle the two superstars, the novel abounds in mischievous intrigue, fantastic puppeteering of the famous personages, excellent dialogue, and a wicked splicing of fiction and fact.
Displaying 1 of 1 review