The Memoirs of Alexander Herzen, Parts I and II

by Aleksandr Herzen

"The Memoirs of Alexander Herzen, Parts I and II" by Aleksandr Herzen is an extensive autobiography started in the early 1850s. Herzen chronicles his life from childhood through imprisonment, exile, and eventual emigration from Russia. The work offers a sweeping portrait of Russian society and European revolutionary movements in the mid-nineteenth century. Through vivid impressions of family, Moscow intellectuals, and political leaders, Herzen creates what one critic called "a complex combination of memoirs, historical chronicle novel, diary, letters and biography"—a deeply personal yet panoramic view of a tumultuous era.