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Lara: The Untold Love Story and the Inspiration for Doctor Zhivago Audiobook
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The heartbreaking story of the love affair between Boris Pasternak, the author of Doctor Zhivago, and Olga Ivinskaya—the true tragedy behind the timeless classic.
When Stalin came into power in 1924, the Communist government began persecuting dissident writers. Though Stalin spared the life of Boris Pasternak—whose novel-in-progress, Doctor Zhivago, was suspected of being anti-Soviet—he persecuted Boris’s mistress, typist, and literary muse, Olga Ivinskaya. Boris’s affair with Olga devastated the straitlaced Pasternaks, and they were keen to disavow Olga’s role in Boris’s writing process. Twice Olga was sentenced to work in Siberian labor camps, where she was interrogated about the book Boris was writing, but she refused to betray the man she loved. When Olga was released from the gulags, she assumed that Boris would leave his wife for her but, trapped by his family’s expectations and his own weak will, he never did.
Drawing on previously neglected family sources and original interviews, Anna Pasternak explores this hidden act of moral compromise by her great-uncle, and restores to history the passionate affair that inspired and animated Doctor Zhivago. Devastated that Olga suffered on his behalf and frustrated that he could not match her loyalty to him, Boris instead channeled his thwarted passion for Olga into the love story in Doctor Zhivago.
Filled with the rich detail of Boris’s secret life, Lara unearths a moving love story of courage, loyalty, suffering, drama, and loss, and casts a new light on the legacy of Doctor Zhivago.
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“Anna Pasternak does not spare an ounce of drama nor detail from the story of her great-uncle’s love affair…The result is a profoundly moving meditation on love, loyalty, and, ultimately, forgiveness.”
— Amanda Foreman, New York Times bestselling author
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“Narrator Antonia Beamish’s British accent and pleasant alto voice move steadily through the story…Beamish’s pace allows one to take in all the information and…keeps listeners engaged.”
— AudioFile -
“An irresistible account of joy, suffering, and passion.”
— Financial Times (London) -
“A sympathetic portrait of a woman who saw her lover in the same ‘heroic light’ as he saw himself.”
— Kirkus Reviews -
“Anna details his two marriages, the Russian people’s love of Boris’ poetry, and the love affair that not only dominated his life but also allowed him, she posits, to write Doctor Zhivago.”
— Booklist -
“This accessible history sketches the stories of a literary love affair and a great novel whose cultural and political impact may now seem almost unimaginable to a modern audience.”
— Publishers Weekly -
“An enchanting love story, wonderfully told.”
— Sir Ronald Harwood, screenwriter of The Pianist
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About Anna Pasternak
Anna Pasternak is an author, columnist, and journalist. Her work has appeared in Vanity Fair, Vogue, Harper’s Bazaar, Town and Country, Tatler, and every major British newspaper. She is the author of four previous books and lives in England.
About Antonia Beamish
Antonia Beamish is a voice-over artist and AudioFile Earphones Award–winning narrator. She is also a professional actress best known for performances in films such as The Last Horror Movie, Dead Creatures, and Chemical Wedding.