Book Launch & Reading. Eyewitness 1917: the Russian Revolution as it Happened

In the lead-up to the centenary of the Russian Revolution in 2017, a Moscow-based research team, led by the writer Mikhail Zygar, set themselves a challenge: how to make the story of one of the most extraordinary years in Russian and world history relevant to today. Their answer lay in going back to the unmediated source material – diaries, memoirs, newspaper reports – and presenting it as a digital project, a daily feed delivered through social media platforms. The reader/subscriber could eavesdrop on intimate conversations, trenchant commentary and ferocious debates on all sides of the revolutionary struggle. The response to the project was remarkable – Pushkin House produced an English-language version of the website, and in the two years since 2017, publishers Fontanka have worked with Pushkin House and Project 1917 to bring this rich source material together as a book.

Please join us for the launch of Eyewitness 1917 which will include a short reading of extracts by professional actors Jed Aukin and Sarah Breen from the book at 7pm. For this part of the evening space is limited, so please book here to reserve a seat.