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Gr 9 Up—A historical novel based on the life of British author and journalist Arthur Ransome that is told in three distinct styles, each of which reflects an aspect of Ransome's career. It opens in the style of a fairy tale, brilliantly setting the scene in Saint Petersburg in 1913, when the bright, impetuous young writer leaves his wife and daughter in England, teaches himself Russian, and sets about collecting the stories that appear in his first book, Old Peter's Russian Tales, published in 1916. But by then, everything had changed. "The time for princes and tsars and grand duchesses...Log In or Sign Up to Read More

Arthur Ransome was not just the real-life author of the classic Swallows and Amazons novels; he was also a collector of Russian fairy tales and a journalist -- avocations that led to his position with Britain's Daily News as Russian correspondent, from 1913 throughout the Revolution. In 2005, Britain's National Archives released files showing that Ransome was suspected to be a Bolshevik sympathizer and double agent. Bravely ...Log In or Sign Up to Read More

Author Arthur Ransome was also a British Russian correspondent throughout the Revolution and a suspected Bolshevik sympathizer and double agent. Se...Log In or Sign Up to Read More