True stories of heroism, endurance & survival

Stalin's Mountaineers

by Cédric Gras

Description

The unpublished story of the Abalakov brothers, two mountaineers working for the glory of the Soviet regime. Vitali and Evgeni were Siberian orphans who enjoyed rock climbing before becoming expert mountaineers. They carried out many expeditions between Caucasus and Central Asia, culminating in the 1930s with their ascents of the impressive “Stalin Peak” and “Lenin Peak” in the name of power. In a culture where mountaineering was dictated by the ideology of a new world, by conquering new territories and war, Vitali Abalakov would still become a victim of the Great Terror and the purges in 1938. He was eventually released. Despite having lost several fingers to a high-altitude snowstorm, he returned to mountaineering and achieved elite status again, heading up Spartak. His brother Evgeni meanwhile was found dead in 1948 when he was preparing to climb Everest.

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Marketing Information

Rights sold to Poland (Kobiece)

Author Biography

Born in 1982, Cédric Gras studied geography all over the world. Bewitched by the vast Eurasian expanses, he travelled the former Soviet Union for ten years. He is one of the rising voices in French travel writing, producing books as well as documentaries. His well-received book L’hiver aux trousses was published by Stock.

Editions Stock (subsidiary of Hachette Livre SA)

Editions Stock (subsidiary of Hachette Livre SA)

Founded in 1708, Stock is one of the oldest publishing houses in France and has been part of the Hachette Group since 1961. In the prestigious series LA BLEUE, Stock publishes the finest multi-award winning writers from Françoise Sagan to Philippe Claudel, and new voices such as Adrien Bosc.  Recently, it has expanded to include high-end women’s literary fiction. Its foreign fiction list (LA COSMOPOLITE series) includes great authors from Carson McCullers to Paolo Cognetti, from many languages.  On the non-fiction side, the list is quite eclectic from philosophy (Louis Althusser) to thought-provoking investigation (Garance Le Caisne), and health with our best-selling author, Michel Cymes.

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Bibliographic Information

  • Publisher Editions Stock
  • Publication Date May 2020
  • Orginal LanguageFrench
  • ISBN/Identifier 9782234086135
  • Publication Country or regionFrance
  • FormatHardback
  • Pages342
  • ReadershipGeneral
  • Publish StatusPublished
  • Original Language TitleLes alpinistes de Staline
  • Copyright Year2020

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