Kutuzov: A Life in War and Peace

Alexander Mikaberidze

May 2023 · Tantor Media Inc · Narrated by Daniel Henning

About this audiobook

He was the general who triumphed over Napoleon's Grande Armee during the Patriotic War of 1812, not merely restoring national pride but securing national identity. Many Russians consider Field Marshal Mikhail Illarionovich Golenischev-Kutuzov the greatest figure of the 19th century, ahead of Pushkin, Tchaikovsky, even Tolstoy himself. As award-winning author Alexander Mikaberidze shows in this fascinating, often startling, and wholly humanizing new biography, Kutuzov's story is far more compelling and complex than the myths that have encased him. An unabashed imperialist who rose in the ranks through his victories over the Turks and the Poles, Kutuzov was also a realist and a skeptic about military power. Over his long career-marked equally by victory and defeat, embrace and ostracism-he grew to despise those whose concept of war had devolved to mindless attack. Here, at last, is Kutuzov as he really was-a master and survivor of intrigue, moving in and out of royal favor, committed to the welfare of those under his command, and an innovative strategist. Across the generations, portraits of Kutuzov have ranged from hagiography to dismissal, with Tolstoy's portrait of him in War and Peace perhaps the most indelible of all. This immersive biography returns a touchstone figure in Russian history to human scale.

About the author

Alexander Mikaberidze is professor of history and Ruth Herrin Noel Endowed Chair at Louisiana State University-Shreveport. He has written and edited over two dozen books, including multi-volume series on Russian eyewitness accounts of the Napoleonic Wars and a trilogy on the Russian Campaign of 1812.

Daniel Henning is a director, producer, actor, and writer. His work has been seen on HBO, CBS, NBC, ABC, FOX, MTV, Comedy Central, and on stages throughout Southern California. He won a 2017 Telly Award for "Best Writer" for the film version of his play The Tragedy of JFK (as Told by Wm. Shakespeare).