Revolution in the Third Rome is a story of conflict between the
liberated mind and the oppressive state in one of the darkest times
and places in modern history. It examines the experience of Russian
intellectuals before and after the creation of the Soviet Union
with a specific focus - their engagement with the classics. Delving
into the work of the poet Osip Mandelstam and the historian Michael
Ivanovitch Rostovtzeff among others, the book demonstrates how the
history and literature of antiquity inspired Russian authors as
they sought to challenge political tyranny in a nation gripped by
revolution. With its study of the impact of the classics upon the
political philosophies of the tsars as well as both Lenin and
Stalin, the book demonstrates how the classics were a battleground
between the state and intellectuals in the search for a Russian
national identity. This book is one of the first to study the
classics in the Russian context, offering a unique perspective on
Russian political and intellectual history in a time of national
transformation.
John Riley studied history and the classics at Harvard University, earning the 2009 Landon memorial prize for excellence in the classics and the 2010 Francis H. Burr scholarship as student-athlete of the year. Originally from Lake Forest, Illinois, he now lives in Boston, where he is applying to medical school to become a trauma surgeon.
