4 October 1917. Thomas Mann

Non-fiction

Project 1917 is a series of events that took place a hundred years ago as described by those involved. It is composed only of diaries, letters, memoirs, newspapers and other documents

is reading "War and Peace"

1, Poshingerstrasse, Munich, German Empire

What a powerful book! I know nothing like it. And how I love everything Russian! And how funny I find Tolstoy's disdain towards everything French.

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Nikolai Berdyaev

Bol'shoy Vlasyevskiy Lane, 4, Moscow, Russian Republic

It must be loudly proclaimed that in revolutionary Russia the freedoms of speech, thought and the press are non-existent – that they exist to an even lesser degree than in the old autocratic Russia. The revolutionary democratic societal order demands a greater conformity of thought than the pre-revolutionary reactionary powers, which were too indifferent to every nuance of societal thought and incapable of making sense of it. See more

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Francis Scott Fitzgerald

Princeton, USA

There never was a good biography of a good novelist. There couldn’t be. He is too many people if he’s any good.

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Pierre Gilliard

10, pr. Mira, second floor of the governor's house, Tobolsk, Russian Republic

When it began to get very cold, and the large hall became impossible, we took refuge in the adjoining room, which was Their Maj esties' drawing-room, the only really comfortable apartment in the house. The Czar would often read aloud while the Grand-Duchesses did needlework or played with us. The Czarina regularly played one or two games of beziqueBezique is a French intellectual card game for two. with General Tatichtchef and then took up her work or reclined in her armchair.

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Vladimir Purishkevich

Petrograd, Russian Republic

Having no leaders, the Russian revolution must exhaust itself, smother itself to death, for it exhibits no consistent direction of development and has no idea behind it.

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Grand Duke Michael Alexandrovich

Gatchina, Russian Republic

Dr Westfallen arrived at 10.30 and allowed me to have coffee and eat bread and butter. He was not happy with my state: I’ve been feeling pain again for the last three days.

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