Not By Politics Alone

A collection of letters, diaries and various writings depicting the Lenin beyond political commitments

This vivid selection, compiled and introduced by Tamara Deutscher, written by Lenin and those who knew him, brings us the revolution in his everyday life – the man who lived by politics but not by politics alone.

Here, we see the Lenin of leisure as well as work, geared to his life’s purpose and yet enjoying to the full all the pleasures of a healthy human existence – neither the humourless, monolithic cult hero of Soviet mythology nor the bogeyman of official anti-communism. What did Lenin read? How did he relax? What did he think and feel? This surprising collection, covering everything from his passionate baritone singing voice to his love of hunting wild game and beyond, reveals the man beyond the myth.