Stepan Razin

Stepan Razin is one of the most mysterious figures in Russian history; very little is reliably known about him, no line written by him has survived, although he was presumably literate and spoke eight languages; his entire life, from birth to death, is a continuous myth and enigma. What was his nationality? Did he throw the Persian princess into the Volga, and Prince Prozorovsky from the bell tower? Who was he - a daring pirate, a compassionate protector of the oppressed, or an ambitious politician? What was the purpose of all that he did which brought him fame and ended so tragically? The author invites the reader to engage in a fascinating detective work - relying on documents, untangling the knots of myths, both ancient and modern, and trying to understand the mysterious man who lived so long before us.