And so, Boris Akunin’s nine-volume History of the Russian State has come to an end—a project that took him nearly ten years to complete. Beginning from the very origins, he concluded his narrative with the reign of Nicholas II and the year 1917. Of course, Russia’s history did not end there, but from that point on, it largely became a completely different country, transforming into the USSR for the next 70 years. One could argue that even in its earlier stages, it wasn’t quite Russia as we understand it today—after all, Kievan Rus’ was the cradle of several nations. Unfortunately, at the time I am writing these lines, even this topic is being used to justify war. That’s why I viewed this series as a history of the Eastern Slavs, with a focus on the people of modern-day Russia.
The closer the author got to modern history, the more eagerly I anticipated his take on events that we studied in detail at school—albeit in a rather one-sided way. From Boris Akunin, I expected a more impartial perspective on these events, delivered in his distinctive style.
The final stage of the Russian Empire’s life is the reign of its last emperor, Nicholas II, a figure who evokes highly polarized opinions—either as a completely inept autocrat or as a near-saint. Above all, he was a man placed in circumstances for which he was, evidently, not well suited.
This time, focusing on a period of history well known to many, Boris Akunin chose a new approach to his storytelling. He divided the book into two parts. In the first, titled “A Bouquet of Illnesses,” he examines the condition of the empire during this era, portraying the vast country as a sick patient suffering from numerous chronic diseases. He identifies many of the same issues he has repeatedly highlighted in earlier volumes: the conflict between the sacralized autocratic power and an increasingly self-aware society, the imperial obsession with expansion and the inability to manage it, national tensions (Jews, Poles, Finns, and others), and more. He also lays out how all these problems—along with the personality of the emperor himself—became entangled in a knot from which there was almost no way out.
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