Review
Praise for Stalin and the Scientists:
Longlisted for the 2016 Baillie Gifford Prize for Non-Fiction
“Ings’s research is impressive and his exposition of the science is lucid . . . Filled with priceless nuggets and a cast of frauds, crackpots and tyrants, this is a lively and interesting book, and utterly relevant today.” —Simon Sebag Montefiore, The New York Times Book Review
“[Ings] is a gifted writer . . . A good single source for anyone approaching Soviet science for the first time . . . Stalin and the Scientists deserves attention . . . It is based on an impressive amount of study, and most readers will learn a great deal.” —Loren Graham, The Wall Street Journal
“Ings’s finely crafted and informative book is a must read for understanding how the ideas of scientific knowledge and technology were distorted and subverted for decades across the Soviet Union, all in the service of the most ambitious experiment in social engineering the world has ever witnessed.” —The Washington Post
“[A] monumental chronicle . . . Ings ably tweezers the discoveries and disasters out of this political train-wreck.”—Nature
“In Stalin and the Scientists, Simon Ings, culture editor at New Scientist (UK), very effectively relates a set of stories—compelling, often horrifying, sometimes both at once—of the most singular period in the history of Russian science.” —American Scholar
“An engrossing and disturbing cautionary tale illustrating the dangers that arise when rigid state ideology collides with scientific reality.” —Booklist
“[A] lively book . . . This is a fascinating story of brilliant scientists and charlatans, of visionaries and careerists, of civic courage and moral cowardice. The author explains the scientific issues in a clear and simple way, so the reader is aware of the issues at stake.” —The Guardian
“Endlessly entertaining . . . An amusing book . . . [Ings’] storytelling skill is everywhere evident; the book . . . is lively, dramatic, intriguing, and often very funny. Ings also has a wonderful ability to explain complex notions.” —Times (UK)
“Ings tells his story with vigour . . . The bewildering array of scientists, philosophers and politicians is matched by the impressive range of topics that Ings discusses.” —New Statesman (UK)
“An artful synthesis of basic science and political infighting.” —The Daily Telegraph
“[Ings] has an eye for the interactions between the worlds of the laboratory, the print room and the corridors of power . . . Stalin and the Scientists is a fascinating read. Well researched and written in a lively and engaging style, it grips like a good novel would.” —Sunday Business Post (UK)
“A great book . . . A vast tapestry of Russian history from the mid-19th century . . . The great themes and contributions of Russian science . . . are illustrated with detailed examples, anecdotes and apt quotations.” —Scotland on Sunday
“In Stalin and the Scientists, Simon Ings has produced one of the finest, most gripping surveys of the history of Russian science in the twentieth century. Deeply researched and written with a sense of burning importance, Ings’ book ranges widely from politics to philosophy, from economics to biography to recount the monumental successes of Russian scientists and the Soviet State’s Mephistophelean embrace of the scientific community. It is a fascinating work that both inspires and terrifies.” —Douglas Smith, author of Former People: The Final Days of the Russian Aristocracy
“A dazzling, often astonishing prism through which to view the Soviet experiment” —Peter Pomerantsev, author of Nothing is True and Everything is Possible: The Surreal Heart of the New Russia
About the Author
Simon Ings, a science writer and novelist, is the author of A Natural History of Seeing: The Art and Science of Vision. He edits the culture section of New Scientist and regularly contributes to publications including the Guardian, Times, Telegraph, Independent, and Nature. He lives and works in London.
Excerpt. © Reprinted by permission. All rights reserved.
The controversies over genetics came to a head at the fourth annual session of the Lenin Academy, that vast conglomerate of all things agricultural. The organizers of the session, which ran from December 19 to 26, 1936, had never planned it to be some kind of extra-judicial venue to try genetics. Nicolai Ivanovich Muralov, the new head of the Lenin Academy, tried to maintain an even-handed debate. Muralov’s reputation was one of warmth and fairness―but he was in serious trouble. Trotsky had been his friend and champion. That sort of affiliation was by now quite enough to get a person killed.
There was another problem with Muralov―one which came to shape the Lenin Academy’s session in a way that sent a chill through Vavilov and the field of genetics: Muralov knew nothing whatsoever about genetics.
