| Kirjeldus | … evokes the complex world of czarist Russian society at the turn of the century. The character of Professor Martens is based on all actual official of the czarist reign, a distinguished Estonian jurist …Faced with a dire financial crisis in Russia, Professor Martens orchestrates a major loan from the French government to stave off famine; as time passes, however, he realizes that he has managed to perpetuate a brutal regime that keeps its political prisoners in chains. This fictional memoir, written at the end of Martens’ life, finds him reliving his past and questioning the degree to which he has sacrificed himself to maintain a corrupt regime, one that ultimately disdains both him and his people… — Alibris |