A Gentleman in Moscow by Amor TowlesMy rating: 5 of 5 stars
A rare 5 stars for a contemporary book.
There comes a time in a man’s life, when he sets aside the pursuit of ideologies for the finer things in life. It may be an internal impulse, as he is sickened by the desolate political landscape or the seeming hopelessness of making any progress in that realm. Or outward circumstances may foist it upon him, as they come upon “A Gentleman in Moscow.” When all the world is focused on the “Course of Human Events,” sometimes it is best to focus elsewhere.
As in the French Revolution, shortly after the revolution of 1917 the new Bolshevik party simply and surreptitiously shot most of those standing in their way. But Count Alexander Ilyich Rostov, recipient of the Order of Saint Andrew, instead they confine to one of Moscow’s premier hotels for the rest of his life. Growing up as an aristocrat, he spends the second half of his life (1922-1954) as a Former Person, watched carefully by the KGB.
The beauty of this excellent book is how it conveys the essence of being a gentleman, through some of the most brutal and ideological of times and places: just a few city blocks from the Kremlin in Soviet Russia’s Red Revolution. He remains a gentleman, not becoming calloused, embittered, or partisan. He leads a significant life, investing in people, paying attention to the finer things in life, and serving others with what he has.
I would guess there are about 10 pages out of the 450 total that discuss politics and the revolution directly. Far more ink is spilled on the finer points of cuisine, conversation, and the Count’s heavy drinking. A superficial read would criticize the Count for burying his head in the sand (or the bottle), unwilling in his cowardice to enter the political fray of his day.
But that would miss the whole point. For Sasha, as his sister and closest friends called him, pursued the greater things in life. Not power and politics, but matters of the soul. A well-set table. Music. Setting the right wine with a carefully prepared meal. Crafting a conversation with whomever Providence sets before you. And most of all, cultivating the next generation and learning from it at the same time. It isn’t that he fought a cultural or political battle with these things. He sought them as an end in themselves, regardless of the ebb and flow of cultural tides.
Which makes a political point all on its own.
Seek first the Kingdom of God, and all these things will be added unto you.
Amor Towles’ writing is exquisite, the literary allusions abundant. For the Ronald Reagan fan in me, the Cold War warrior, this was the perfect counterpoint: many Russians are cultured, refined, and virtuous, too. They know their Homer and their Montaigne. They pursue the good, the true, and the beautiful as vigorously as any patriotic American.
A true gentleman serves others first, before himself. He presents himself and does not hide in the shadows of conniving or bureaucratic anonymity. He sets others at ease, and engages them in constructive conversation and activity. He seeks to genuinely understand them, and puts that understanding to their service, rather than using them. All of this, Count Rostov shows us, can be done in the worst political conditions imaginable.
Also, the lessons aren’t just for the male species, here. The three main women in the Count’s life act like noble ladies in their own ways. They each have things to learn, just as the Count has things to learn from each of them. The book holds high the dignity of each individual as something to honor and cherish.
Now, the Count’s overriding pursuit of gentlemanliness makes those 10 pages or so of political critique all the more potent. Embedded in personal memories from before the Revolution, the Count is certainly not neutral in politics, nor resigned to the state of affairs. Towles marvelously depicts the Count’s joy hearing the village bells ringing as they sleigh ride at Christmas during the Tsar’s reign. And then the shock of seeing those bells (and the priest with them) cast down and reforged as cannons for the Revolution. His dear friend is caught up in the revolutionary fervor as a writer. His literary and love pursuits go nowhere, but the Count’s friendship stays constant. One of the funniest moments is when his friend relates in all seriousness the Revolution’s devotion to Japanese haiku. The Count simply responds: I am glad Homer was not born in Japan.
I’ve heard there is a movie made of this book. Do NOT see it. The sexual liaison implied but never explicitly described in the book is likely presented with more raw sensuality on the screen. Read the book. And just to offend everyone: do NOT listen to this book – it will not do it justice. (Listening to a book is not really reading it. But that’s an argument for another day.) Many sentences and passages need rereading for the pure enjoyment of how they are written.
A Gentleman in Moscow will make you think. It will awaken senses in your soul you had forgotten. It will turn your attention to the important things in life. Whatever is happening on the world stage today, you can become a gentleman or a lady, and act like one toward the people around you.
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