On April 12 1961, Yuri Gagarin became the first human in history to leave the Earth's atmosphere and venture into space. An icon of the 20th century, he also became a danger to himself, a threat to the Soviet state and, at the age of 34, he was killed in a plane accident. Based on KGB files, restricted documents from Russian space authorities, and interviews with his friends and colleagues, this biography of the Russian cosmonaut reveals a man in turmoil: torn apart by powerful political and emotional pressures; his private life in ruins; fighting a losing battle against alcoholism; and rebelling against the cruelties of a corrupt totalitarian regime. The authors also suggest that Gagarin's death was no accident but a deliberate "political elimination".
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Book Description
Editorial Reviews
Review
"An extraordinary and accessible examination of this enormous contribution to space exploration, supported by riveting first-hand anecdotes. Essential to any air and space collection." – Library Journal (starred) "Well-written, engaging, and brow-raising in many ways."—SpaceCoalition.com "This excellent narrative will keep you enthralled and give you new perspectives on an old name we’re all familiar with." – Astronomy Magazine online "This extraordinarily intimate account of the 1967 death of a Russian cosmonaut appears in a new book, Starman, by Jamie Doran and Piers Bizony, to be published next month. The authors base their narrative principally on revelations from a KGB officer, Venymin Ivanovich Russayev, and previous reporting by Yaroslav Golovanov in Pravda. This version — if it's true — is beyond shocking."—Robert Krulwich, in his post on NPR.org
About the Author
Piers Bizony is author of the award-winning 2001: Filming the Future a detailed account of the making of Stanley Kubrick's film, The Rivers of Mars: Searching for the Cosmic Origins of Life and Island in the Sky: Building the International Space Station. He also lectures and organizes exhibitions on space-related subjects.
Jamie Doran of Atlantic Celtic Films is an international award-winning documentary producer. After seven years at BBC Television, he went into independent production, where many of his films have concentrated on lifting the lid of secrecy within the former Soviet Union.
--This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.
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49 of 53 people found the following review helpful
Format:Hardcover
I had first heard about this book through watching the associated BBC TV program in a short series called "Reputations". It examined the myths and realities behind the personalities of some of the world's best-known figures. The book turns out to be an eye-opening account of a quite ordinary man, fated to be feted the world over for having achieved the world's first (and, indeed, shortest) orbital flight by a human being, only to find himself unable to live the life expected of him - as well as the victim of utter jealousy within the highest levels of the Kremlin in the USSR in the 1960s.
Gagarin had no pedigree whatsoever, yet the distinct lack of it made him perfect for the Communist idea that anyone, no matter how humble, had the opportunity to rise to new heights (in his case, quite literally, albeit briefly) within a so-called egalitarian society, which, as the First Cosmonaut (as he was known) found out to his cost, was nothing of the kind.
Born in 1934, Gagarin entered training as a foundry-man at the age of 16, and it was then that he discovered a new love - flying. His first flight was on board an old Yak-18 trainer, and that made quite an impact on him. In 1953, he was accepted for pilot training in the Soviet air force and he later met and married his wife, Valentina, a nurse. It was when he had been posted to Nikel, a base near the Arctic Circle, that he was asked questions by some mysterious doctors. Within a few weeks, he and a host of other fighter pilots underwent a series of utterly demanding physical tests until eventually he and 19 others were declared the Soviet Union's first cosmonauts.
Insights into the "smiling farm-boy's" personality can be gained from his colleagues, such as the man who just might have been the first in space, Gherman Titov (who has since passed away). Titov and Gagarin, like the others, came under the scrutiny of the Chief Designer, Sergei Korolev, and the general in command of training, Nikolai Kamanin. Titov claims that he himself never actually had any chance of being first because of the Politburo's insistence that an ordinary peasant's son rather than a teacher's son (as he was) be first. Hence, Gagarin being first was more a political decision, even if both were equally ready in all other respects to be first. However grudgingly, Titov admits, "You know, they were right to choose [Gagarin]. The public loved [him]. Me, they couldn't love." It would therefore appear that the powers-that-be were also looking at Gagarin beyond the space flight, namely as an ambassador for the USSR.
The historic space flight aboard what was a converted nuclear missile is described by the authors in a fairly routine way, with the flight terminating in a field fairly near where Gagarin had his Yak-18 flight years before. Even as he landed, he made an impact with his personality, assuring the locals that he was not an American spy, since Gary Powers had been shot down in his U-2 spy-plane just 11 months before, much to the delight of then President Nikita Khrushchev.
Even if Gagarin's life is described against the backdrop of the trials and tribulations of the early Soviet space program, more is made of what made the man tick. He was very much the favorite of Khrushchev, who was seen by many, including Kamanin, as nothing more than "a pigmy" compared to Stalin. Old Stalinists still filled the ranks of the Politburo, and many within it resented Gagarin's closeness to Khrushchev. After all, Gagarin was only a 27 year old who had made one space flight - so what?
Kamanin himself lamented the fact that Gagarin's excessive drinking and partying led to a crop of embarrassing incidents, including one in the resort of Foros in the Crimea where the cosmonaut was almost caught by his wife kissing a nurse; he decided on a somewhat rash action - jump out of the window - and this resulted in serious injury. "Gagarin was just a hair's breadth away from a silly death," the general noted in his diary, a much-cited source in this book.
The clearest insight yet into Gagarin's troubled personality comes from his former KGB escort and advisor, Venyamin Russayev, who saw how it gradually broke down after Khrushchev was ousted by Brezhnev. "In Soviet society," Russayev explains, "it was not a question of who was who, but who belonged to whom. Gagarin belonged to Khrushchev, and that was enough to finish his career in his lifetime." Gagarin became especially grief-stricken after the Politburo refused to cancel the launch of the first Soyuz spacecraft even if at least 200 technical faults still plagued it. Brezhnev ordered the launch to go ahead, and this resulted in the death of its pilot. Gagarin's close friend, Vladimir Komarov, knew before the launch that he would die, yet he himself refused to refuse to fly simply because that would mean Gagarin flying - and dying - instead.
Gagarin had been due to fly in the next Soyuz, but he was then permanently banned from space flight after Komarov's death. 14 months later, Gagarin was himself dead after crashing his jet trainer after failing to pull out of a dive. Even now, the circumstances surrounding his death are shrouded in mystery, if only because nobody could be seen to cause the death of the First Cosmonaut, even if the actual evidence allegedly still exists but is locked away.
Nevertheless, in spite of dying at the age of only 34, Yuri Gagarin had made his mark in world history and he is still remembered today as a man, albeit a troubled and flawed one who made mistakes, who lived his life with decency and honor, even if he was by no means perfect. Gagarin himself once said at a press conference, "I'm a mere mortal. I've made mistakes." Nevertheless, the legend of Yuri Gagarin remains unshakable in Russia, if only because he is seen as very much a "victim" of the authoritarian Politburo, which, according to rumors which still persist, engineered his death, even if the authors reject the "conspiracy theories" which abound even to this day.
Gagarin had no pedigree whatsoever, yet the distinct lack of it made him perfect for the Communist idea that anyone, no matter how humble, had the opportunity to rise to new heights (in his case, quite literally, albeit briefly) within a so-called egalitarian society, which, as the First Cosmonaut (as he was known) found out to his cost, was nothing of the kind.
Born in 1934, Gagarin entered training as a foundry-man at the age of 16, and it was then that he discovered a new love - flying. His first flight was on board an old Yak-18 trainer, and that made quite an impact on him. In 1953, he was accepted for pilot training in the Soviet air force and he later met and married his wife, Valentina, a nurse. It was when he had been posted to Nikel, a base near the Arctic Circle, that he was asked questions by some mysterious doctors. Within a few weeks, he and a host of other fighter pilots underwent a series of utterly demanding physical tests until eventually he and 19 others were declared the Soviet Union's first cosmonauts.
Insights into the "smiling farm-boy's" personality can be gained from his colleagues, such as the man who just might have been the first in space, Gherman Titov (who has since passed away). Titov and Gagarin, like the others, came under the scrutiny of the Chief Designer, Sergei Korolev, and the general in command of training, Nikolai Kamanin. Titov claims that he himself never actually had any chance of being first because of the Politburo's insistence that an ordinary peasant's son rather than a teacher's son (as he was) be first. Hence, Gagarin being first was more a political decision, even if both were equally ready in all other respects to be first. However grudgingly, Titov admits, "You know, they were right to choose [Gagarin]. The public loved [him]. Me, they couldn't love." It would therefore appear that the powers-that-be were also looking at Gagarin beyond the space flight, namely as an ambassador for the USSR.
The historic space flight aboard what was a converted nuclear missile is described by the authors in a fairly routine way, with the flight terminating in a field fairly near where Gagarin had his Yak-18 flight years before. Even as he landed, he made an impact with his personality, assuring the locals that he was not an American spy, since Gary Powers had been shot down in his U-2 spy-plane just 11 months before, much to the delight of then President Nikita Khrushchev.
Even if Gagarin's life is described against the backdrop of the trials and tribulations of the early Soviet space program, more is made of what made the man tick. He was very much the favorite of Khrushchev, who was seen by many, including Kamanin, as nothing more than "a pigmy" compared to Stalin. Old Stalinists still filled the ranks of the Politburo, and many within it resented Gagarin's closeness to Khrushchev. After all, Gagarin was only a 27 year old who had made one space flight - so what?
Kamanin himself lamented the fact that Gagarin's excessive drinking and partying led to a crop of embarrassing incidents, including one in the resort of Foros in the Crimea where the cosmonaut was almost caught by his wife kissing a nurse; he decided on a somewhat rash action - jump out of the window - and this resulted in serious injury. "Gagarin was just a hair's breadth away from a silly death," the general noted in his diary, a much-cited source in this book.
The clearest insight yet into Gagarin's troubled personality comes from his former KGB escort and advisor, Venyamin Russayev, who saw how it gradually broke down after Khrushchev was ousted by Brezhnev. "In Soviet society," Russayev explains, "it was not a question of who was who, but who belonged to whom. Gagarin belonged to Khrushchev, and that was enough to finish his career in his lifetime." Gagarin became especially grief-stricken after the Politburo refused to cancel the launch of the first Soyuz spacecraft even if at least 200 technical faults still plagued it. Brezhnev ordered the launch to go ahead, and this resulted in the death of its pilot. Gagarin's close friend, Vladimir Komarov, knew before the launch that he would die, yet he himself refused to refuse to fly simply because that would mean Gagarin flying - and dying - instead.
Gagarin had been due to fly in the next Soyuz, but he was then permanently banned from space flight after Komarov's death. 14 months later, Gagarin was himself dead after crashing his jet trainer after failing to pull out of a dive. Even now, the circumstances surrounding his death are shrouded in mystery, if only because nobody could be seen to cause the death of the First Cosmonaut, even if the actual evidence allegedly still exists but is locked away.
Nevertheless, in spite of dying at the age of only 34, Yuri Gagarin had made his mark in world history and he is still remembered today as a man, albeit a troubled and flawed one who made mistakes, who lived his life with decency and honor, even if he was by no means perfect. Gagarin himself once said at a press conference, "I'm a mere mortal. I've made mistakes." Nevertheless, the legend of Yuri Gagarin remains unshakable in Russia, if only because he is seen as very much a "victim" of the authoritarian Politburo, which, according to rumors which still persist, engineered his death, even if the authors reject the "conspiracy theories" which abound even to this day.
9 of 10 people found the following review helpful
Format:Hardcover
An American edition has been released, on the occasion of the 50th anniversary of Gagarin's flight, and some sections of the book have ignited a media firestorm that has even upset the Russians as they prepare to honor Gagarin.
But the flap is peripheral to the book itself, which I found to be a well researched and well written treatment of one human being who was the focal point of humanity's breakout into space. I wholeheartedly recommend it for yourself or family members with even only a vague interest in the subject.
The authors bring up some new material from recently published memoirs from people who have yet to be accepted by space historians [including myself], and perhaps that reluctance is prudent -- time will tell, since there are still deep secrets in Moscow archives that we are not allowed to see, that could knock our socks off. This controversial material of profoundly uncertain reliability is treated fairly by the authors and cautious readers will not be misled.
For telling an old story in a grand new way, for taking advantage of the hindsight that several decades now allows, and for integrating material only recently reaching the public, this book has earned respect.
But the flap is peripheral to the book itself, which I found to be a well researched and well written treatment of one human being who was the focal point of humanity's breakout into space. I wholeheartedly recommend it for yourself or family members with even only a vague interest in the subject.
The authors bring up some new material from recently published memoirs from people who have yet to be accepted by space historians [including myself], and perhaps that reluctance is prudent -- time will tell, since there are still deep secrets in Moscow archives that we are not allowed to see, that could knock our socks off. This controversial material of profoundly uncertain reliability is treated fairly by the authors and cautious readers will not be misled.
For telling an old story in a grand new way, for taking advantage of the hindsight that several decades now allows, and for integrating material only recently reaching the public, this book has earned respect.
2 of 2 people found the following review helpful
By Brian Teeter
Format:Kindle Edition|Amazon Verified Purchase
As a boy, I was shocked by the news that the Soviets put a man in space first. It took a generation to understand the brave audacity of what Yuri Gagarin accomplished not just for his mother Russia, but for the whole world. What I found fascinating about Starman was how a young peasant boy from rural Russia could become a hero to people around the world. Gagarin's optimism allowed him to triumph over any fears or shortcomings that he might have had, and win over the world with his smile.
What was so amazing and sad was how Yuri Gagarin was treated in the years following his epic first flight into space. Too much of a national treasure to be risked for further flights, he became a toy of Soviet propaganda. Yet Gagarin risked all that he had gained to confront Leonid Brezhnev and the Soviet Politburo leaders with the dangers they put other Russian cosmonauts under to fulfill impossible obligations, one that cost the life of fellow cosmonaut Vladimir Komarov with the launch of Soyuz 1, all in the name of a Soviet space spectacular to coincide with Lenin's birthday.
Even the cause of Gagarin's death may have been covered up to suit Soviet politics. He died doing what he loved best - flying - and now, more than ever is a legend.
Starman brought me insight not only to what it was like to be a space pioneer, but illuminated me about life in the Soviet Union during the height of the Cold War. It's an excellent book, one that tells a larger story than the larger-than-life central figure of Yuri Gagarin. I highly recommend it.
What was so amazing and sad was how Yuri Gagarin was treated in the years following his epic first flight into space. Too much of a national treasure to be risked for further flights, he became a toy of Soviet propaganda. Yet Gagarin risked all that he had gained to confront Leonid Brezhnev and the Soviet Politburo leaders with the dangers they put other Russian cosmonauts under to fulfill impossible obligations, one that cost the life of fellow cosmonaut Vladimir Komarov with the launch of Soyuz 1, all in the name of a Soviet space spectacular to coincide with Lenin's birthday.
Even the cause of Gagarin's death may have been covered up to suit Soviet politics. He died doing what he loved best - flying - and now, more than ever is a legend.
Starman brought me insight not only to what it was like to be a space pioneer, but illuminated me about life in the Soviet Union during the height of the Cold War. It's an excellent book, one that tells a larger story than the larger-than-life central figure of Yuri Gagarin. I highly recommend it.
Most Recent Customer Reviews
4.0 out of 5 stars
The life of Yuri Gagarin
This book tells of the life of the first man into space. You get a look at what life was like for a Russian Astronaut during the early days of the space race. Read more
Published 14 days ago by R. W. Razvillas
4.0 out of 5 stars
Gagarin
This book is informative and well written. The pace is quick and it is a fast read. If you want to know what happened and not get bogged down in technical details get this book. Read more
Published 1 month ago by Bruce E. Howard
2.0 out of 5 stars
The work of an amateur
It is clear from reading this book that the author is in way over his head. He is not a historian; neither does he possess a technical background, nor any particular expertise... Read more
Published 3 months ago by Marvin W. Luse
5.0 out of 5 stars
Wow
It humanizes Yuri Gagarin.
The amazing thing is that this guy persisted even knowing the absolute
criminal incompetents running the show over there, and the... Read more
The amazing thing is that this guy persisted even knowing the absolute
criminal incompetents running the show over there, and the... Read more
Published 3 months ago by Myrna B. Tagayun
5.0 out of 5 stars
good read
This is a good book for the space enthusiast. It give more background information than most books about early space pioneers.
Published 4 months ago by CJ
4.0 out of 5 stars
Good read
Less about space and more about how rough life was under Soviet rule. Still fascinating slice of the space age.
Published 4 months ago by Edward M. Melendez
4.0 out of 5 stars
Totally absorbing , totally enjoyable history of the Soviet side of...
I had been meaning to pick up this book since I first heard about it on NPR a few years ago.
I grew up a child of the seventies living in the United States, where the... Read more
I grew up a child of the seventies living in the United States, where the... Read more
Published 8 months ago by Mark L. Blei
4.0 out of 5 stars
Glimpse into the virtually unknown early Soviet space flight program
Any review should take into account not only the content but also the format and price of a book. And this one, if you are interested in the first steps of the early Soviet space... Read more
Published 11 months ago by Flying Photographer
5.0 out of 5 stars
the beginning of the space race
I enjoyed the book, it gave some good information about the Russian space program, I've read a lot on NASA and its history but this book was very interesting and gives the reader a... Read more
Published 12 months ago by W. L. Gant
5.0 out of 5 stars
A perfect example of excellend documentary journalism
There is no need to be interested in the space-world in order to understand the undoubtful value of this great book. Read more
Published 12 months ago by Milda
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