Man Who Killed Rasputin [Paperback]

Greg King (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: January 1, 1998

On December 16, 1916, Prince Felix Youssoupov and a group of conspirators, in what was then considered to be a patriotic act, murdered Grigori Rasputin. Now, nearly 80 years later, the events surrounding the assassination continue to provoke speculation. In "The Man Who Killed Rasputin", a critically acclaimed author uncovers the truth behind the murder of one of Russia's most notorious figures of photos .

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

King (The Last Empress, LJ 6/15/94) has written a nonacademic work whose strength lies not in shocking revelations of how Felix Youssoupov killed Rasputin. Quite the contrary, after the official version is presented in chapter 15, King reports alternate versions in chapter 16. The real strength of this book lies in its portrayal of Youssoupov living without the trappings of wealth and power of prerevolution days, facing the reality of having plotted the deed that helped bring down imperial Russia. King carefully crafts a mosaic of one of the most enigmatic men of the Russian Revolution. The author does not seem to take advantage of, or has not found much information in, the recently opened Soviet archives. Recommended for public libraries.
Harry Willems, Kansas Lib. System, Iola
Copyright 1995 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

From Booklist

The butler didn't do it, the scion of one of Russia's most noble families did it--murder the confidante of the czarina, the notorious Rasputin, that is. Prince Felix Youssoupov was one of the spoiled darlings of prerevolutionary St. Petersburg society, a hedonist who stumbled from one party to another. King's popular biography makes easy, compelling reading, beginning with an account of the strange life of Gregory Rasputin, who, because of his unexplained ability to control the symptoms of the czarevitch's hemophilia, came to exert enormous influence over the czarina. Rasputin grew increasingly unpopular among the high-born in the Russian capital. Enter Prince Felix, who, in his own mind, was rising to the occasion, and, with co-conspirators, hatched an assassination scheme. The effects of the deed and Youssoupov's life after the revolution are fully explored in this book general readers of Russian history will enjoy. Brad Hooper --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

Product Details

• Paperback: 320 pages
• Publisher: Citadel (January 1, 1998)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 2280045826
• ISBN-13: 978-0806519715
• ASIN: 0806519711
• Product Dimensions: 9.3 x 6.4 x 1.7 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.1 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 3.4 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (9 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,526,317 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

12 of 14 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars a vapid book about a vapid life, March 1, 1998

By A Customer

This review is from: The Man Who Killed Rasputin: Prince Youssoupov and the Murder That Helped Bring Down the Russian Empire (Hardcover)

Felix Youssoupov is rememberd for only one thing--the murder of the mystic, Rasputin, in 1916. He accomplished little else during his long and self-indulgent life save a major lawsuit against MGM. (The next time I see "Any resemblance between the characters and persons living or dead is purely coincidental", I'll think of the Prince's fortuitious suit which left him in the financial pink for the rest of his life.) Greg King's book on THE LAST EMPRESS was a stunning, beautifully researched book on a controversial figure. King had access to all of Alexandra's correspondence and also that of her friends and relatives. The same situation did not apply when he wrote about Felix Youssoupov, and this hurts the book. We have hints of scandal and sexual misbehaviour. There are lengthy descriptions of palaces and their contents since there is so little to say about the subject of this book.His only character traits appear to be vanity and frivolousness. He may have murdered Rasputin simply to gratify a vain urge to 'be part of history.' Other 'reasons' are suggested, and never proven. Youssoupov's relatives apparently did not cooperate with King and the prince's papers were unavailable. We are left with 'suppositions' and a great deal of third-person narrative. The Prince rarely speaks in his own words A great deal of the information on Rasputin is simply repeated verbatim from LAST EMPRESS. I would refer readers to the latter book. It is immensely superior to this book in every particular.

12 of 16 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Beautiful book and well-written, January 1, 2001

By 

Mr Frank M. A. Aris (Dalkey / Co. Dublin - Ireland) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Man Who Killed Rasputin: Prince Youssoupov and the Murder That Helped Bring Down the Russian Empire (Hardcover)

An absolutely beautiful book with interesting photos. The book is so well-written, that the characters in pre-revolutionary Russia come to life and one gets a feeling of the "hardship" Felix and Irina endured when in exile. It is astounding that a "mad" monk could have such an influence over the tsarina and her imperial court. Personally, I admire Prince Felix Youssoupov for taking such a drastic action in those troubled times. After reading this book, I bought his book "Lost Splendour" which gives generally a very good impression of what life was like in pre-revolutionary Russia and there are some funny chapters in it as well. It ends with the tragic exile from Yalta sailing towards the unknown.

6 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars King cleverly details scandalous lives of murderer & victim., October 20, 1998

By A Customer

This review is from: Man Who Killed Rasputin (Paperback)

Greg King tells a great story, from the sordid affairs and intricacies of the European aristocracy to the history of that era. Rasputin's death and life reads like fiction. The details of Youssoupov's life pre and post Rasputin draw interesting parallels between the killer and his victim. On par with Massie's "Romanovs: The Final Chapter".