Summary

In "Natasha's Dance: A Cultural History of Russia," Orlando Figes embarks on a captivating exploration of Russian culture, art, and national identity. The book delves into the myriad elements that have shaped Russia, examining how writers, artists, and musicians grappled with the idea of Russia itself. Beginning in the eighteenth century with the building of St. Petersburg, Figes navigates through the country's spiritual essence, history, and destiny.

Figes masterfully intertwines great works by Dostoevsky, Chekhov, Stravinsky, and Chagall with folk embroidery, peasant songs, religious icons, and daily life customs. He explores the dichotomy of Russian identity, from the illiterate serf to the imperial courtier. The narrative summons elements of culture, not as mere monuments to art, but as impressions of the national consciousness, which mingle with politics and ideology, social customs and beliefs, folklore and religion, habits and conventions, and all the mental bric-a-brac that constitute a culture and a way of life.

The book examines Russia's artistic energy's quest to grasp its nationality, addressing questions such as the meaning of being Russian and the country's place in the world. It explores the war of 1812, where two worlds moved together, breaking free from foreign conventions and searching for nationhood based on 'Russian' principles. The complex interaction between the European culture of the upper classes and the Russian culture of the peasantry is a major feature, examining the diversity of Russia's cultural forms.

Figes addresses the challenges to the idea of a 'national' culture, recognizing Russia's social divisions and ill-defined geography. The work presents Russian culture as a series of encounters or creative social acts performed and understood in many different ways. The major cultural movements of the nineteenth century, such as the Slavophiles, Westernizers, and Scythians, are analyzed in terms of their myths and roles in shaping Russia's politics and identity.

Ultimately, Figes explores the tension between Russia's European aspirations and its unique national consciousness, revealing a land that is both familiar and foreign. By exploring the extraordinary power of artistic myths, Figes provides a window into the Russian soul, from Peter the Great's cultural engineering to the cultural figures of the Russian tradition.