Martin Sixsmith

An original history of Russia s thousand year past tracing the forces and the myths that have shaped Putin s politics and rekindled the Cold War Vladimir Putin s invasion of Ukraine has reshaped history In the decades after the collapse of Soviet communism the West convinced itself that liberal democracy would henceforth be the dominant ultimately unique system of governance a hubris that shaped how the West would treat Russia for the next two decades But history wasn t over Putin is a paradox In the early years of his presidency he appeared to commit himself to friendship with the West suggesting that Russia could join the European Union or even NATO He said he supported free market democracy and civil rights But the Putin of those years is unrecognisable today The Putin of the 2020s is an autocratic nationalist dedicated to repression at home and anti Western militarism abroad So what happened Was he lying when he proclaimed his support for freedom democracy and friendship with the West Or was he sincere Did he change his views at some stage between then and now And if that is the case what happened to change him Putin and the Return of History examines these questions in the context of Russia s thousand year past tracing the forces and

During the darkest days of WW2 in her home country of Holland Anna Maria van der Vaart sheltered Allied pilots gave refuge to persecuted Jews and stood up to the Nazis by participating in audacious acts of resistance This is Anna Maria s remarkable story alongside those who risked their lives to save others

During the darkest days of WW2 in her home country of Holland Anna Maria van der Vaart sheltered Allied pilots gave refuge to persecuted Jews and stood up to the Nazis by participating in audacious acts of resistance This is Anna Maria s remarkable story alongside those who risked their lives to save others

New York Times BestsellerNow a major motion picture starring Judi Dench and Steve Coogan and nominated for four Academy Awards: the heartbreaking true story of an Irishwoman and the secret she kept for 50 years.When she became pregnant as a teenager in Ireland in 1952, Philomena Lee was sent to a convent to be looked after as a fallen woman. Then the nuns took her baby from her and sold him, like thousands of others, to America for adoption. Fifty years later, Philomena decided to find him.Meanwhile, on the other side of the Atlantic, Philomenas son was trying to find her. Renamed Michael Hess, he had become a leading lawyer in the first Bush administration, and he struggled to hide secrets that would jeopardize his career in the Republican Party and endanger his quest to find his mother.

Russia is a country of contradictions: a nation of cultural refinement and artistic originality and yet also a country that rules by 'the iron fist', with an ingrained eagerness to sacrifice the individual for the collectivist cause. In this riveting history, Martin Sixsmith shows how Russia's complex identity has been formed over a thousand years, and how it can help us understand its often baffling behaviour at home and abroad. Combining in-depth research with his personal experiences as BBC Moscow correspondent for many years, Sixsmith tells Russia's full and fascinating story, from its foundation in the last years of the tenth century to the first years of the twenty-first, skilfully tracing the conundrums of modern Russia to their roots in its troubled past. Covering politics, music, literature and art, he explores the myths Russians have created from their history, and explains the nation's seemingly split personality as the result of influences that have divided it for centuries. Accompanying a landmark BBC Radio 4 series, and marking the 20th anniversary of the dissolution of the USSR, Russia is essential reading for anyone who wants to understand the complex political landscape of Russia, and its unique place in the modern world.

On December 7th 2006, in a Highgate Cemetery drenched with London rain, a Russian was buried within a stones throw of the grave of Karl Marx. He was Alexander Litvinenko, Sasha to his friends, a boy from the deep Russian provinces who rose through the ranks of the worlds most feared security service. Litvinenko was the man who denounced murder and corruption in the Russian government, fled from the wrath of the Kremlin, came to London and took the shilling of Moscows avowed enemy Now he was a martyr, condemned by foes unknown to an agonised death in a hospital bed thousands of miles from home. Martin Sixsmith draws on his long experience as the BBCs Moscow correspondent, and contact with the key London-based Russians, to dissect Alexander Litvinenkos murder. Myriad theories have been put forward since he died, but the story goes back to 2000 when hostilities were declared between the Kremlin and its political opponents. This is a war that has blown hot and cold for over six years; a war that has pitted some of Russias strongest, richest men against the most powerful president Russia has had since Josef Stalin. The Litvinenko File is a gripping, powerful inside account of a shocking act of murder, when Russias war with itself spilled over onto the streets of London and made the world take notice.

Una historia impactante llena de secretos familiares, amor y pérdida Cuando la adolescente irlandesa Philomena Lee se queda embarazada en 1952, la envían al convento de Roscrea, en el condado de Tipperary, para que se hagan cargo de ella al considerarla mujer de mala vida. Alli cuida de su bebe durante tres años, hasta que la Iglesia se lo arrebata y lo vende, como a muchos otros, para entregarlo en adopcion en Estados Unidos. Aunque la obligan a firmar un documento en el que promete no intentar volver a ver a su hijo nunca mas, pasa los siguientes cincuenta años de su vida buscandolo en secreto, sin saber que el tambien la esta buscando desde el otro lado del Atlantico. El hijo de Philomena, rebautizado con el nombre de Michael Hess, se hace mayor y se convierte en un reputado abogado de Washington y en un importante funcionario republicano durante los Gobiernos de Reagan y Bush. Pero es un hombre gay en un partido homofobo, lo que lo obliga a ocultar no solo su orientacion sexual, sino tambien el hecho de que ha contraido el sida. Consciente de que le queda poco tiempo de vida, regresa a Irlanda y al convento donde nacio. Su busqueda desesperada para encontrar a su madre antes de morir tiene consecuencias inesperadas para todas las partes involucradas. Con la misma fuerza narrativa que novelas de la talla de Las cenizas de Angela o Las hermanas de la Magdalena, Philomena relata la historia real de una madre y un hijo cuyas vidas estuvieron marcadas por las fuerzas de la hipocresia a ambos lados del Atlantico y de los secretos que fueron obligados a guardar. Esta conmovedora historia de Martin Sixsmith, en la que se basa la pelicula homonima, es una impactante narracion llena de amor y perdida, desgarradora pero a la vez claramente redentora. www.sumadeletras.com

Philomena Lee ist selbst noch fast ein Kind, als sie hochschwanger im Kloster Zuflucht sucht. Doch statt Barmherzigkeit erwartet sie dort ein unerbittliches System: Im Irland der 50er-Jahre verkaufen die Nonnen jedes uneheliche Kind, das in ihrem Konvent geboren wird, mit neuer Identitat in die USA. Wie viele andere Mutter verliert auch Philomena ihren Sohn, aus Anthony Lee wird mit drei Jahren Michael Hess. Mutter und Sohn konnen einander nicht vergessen, doch erst 50 Jahre spater erfahrt Philomena, was aus ihrem Sohn geworden ist.

It's the year 2011. The Party in power, the New Project Party is on a moral revival campaign and Selwyn Knox, the recently appointed minister for the Department for Society, is at its helm. Sonya Mair, his political adviser, is helping him call the shots - as well as helping him with some more personal matters ...Together they've selected the team - very carefully. In fact, they've got dossiers on every last member ...Sir Robert Nottridge, Permanent Secretary: Eton, Cambridge, married, no children - or so his wife thinks; Christopher Brody, director of policy: a helpless gambler with debts up to his eyeballs and two mortgages; Nigel Tonbridge, director of strategy and communications: ex-journo and keeper of some dark family secrets - as well as some disturbing political ones that might just taint Saint Selwyn...But for now, the team better do as they're told, and get down to administering morality. Meanwhile, back at Downing Street, PM Andy Sheen is suffering a few smears of his own, and his right hand man, Charlie McDonald, must quickly dispatch an official to Cambridge to "rescue data" and hunt down the man behind the allegations...

After the collapse of Soviet communism the West convinced itself that liberal democracy would be the dominant system of governance However in February 2022 Vladimir Putin proved it is unwise to make such predictions In the early years of Putin s presidency he appeared to commit himself to friendship with the West But the Putin of those years is unrecognisable today an autocratic nationalist dedicated to repression at home and anti Western militarism abroad So what happened Was he lying when he proclaimed his support for freedom democracy and friendship with the West Or was he sincere Did he change his views at some stage between then and now And if that is the case what happened to change him Putin and the Return of History examines these questions in the context of Russia s thousand year past tracing the forces and the myths that have shaped Putin s politics of aggression the enduring terror of encirclement by outsiders the subjugation of the individual to the cause of the state the collectivist values that allow the sacrifice of human lives in battle the willingness to lie and deceive the co opting of religion and the belief in Great Russia s mission to change the world

From the bestselling author of Philomena comes a beautiful and heartbreaking tale about Sergei Yesenin, one of Russias most beloved poets. It vividly captures the extraordinary life of a man navigating love, loss and loneliness in the midst of the Russian Revolution. Sergei Yesenin is a young poet, formed by childhood abandonment, set on becoming the most famous poet in Russia in a time of war, revolution and terror. A sensitive soul in a senseless time, searching for meaning through poetry, fame and passionate affairs with both women and men until a meeting with the beautiful actress Zinaida Raikh changes everything. If thou art near, Ill leave all behind, Renounce the world, the call of fame. All I need is to kiss your hand, your lips, And hear you call me by my name. His success will bring him to the Tsars family, to Rasputin, Trotsky and to the worlds most famous dancer, Isadora Duncan. He befriends other prominent poets and is revered by millions. Schoolchildren learn his verses by heart. Red Army soldiers carry them going into battle. Yuri Gagarin would later take them into space. But Yesenins obsession with fame is dangerous and destructive, for him, and for those who love him. An Unquiet Heart is a magnificent insight into history, and into the life of a tender, troubled man. This is a story about the power of poetry in turbulent times, about triumph and tragedy and about how true love never fades.

Highly engaging . . . The creeping escalation of oppression and rebellion is often thrillingly told . . . A powerful story of a history that remains far from settled Daily Telegraph In the darkest days of the Nazi occupation of the Netherlands, Anna-Maria van der Vaart sheltered Allied pilots, gave refuge to persecuted Jews and participated in audacious acts of sabotage. She survived when others did not, a witness to their courage and to the terrible treachery that betrayed so many of them to the Nazis. Tens of thousands of Dutchmen elected to fight with the Germans, while many civilians turned over their Jewish neighbours to an almost certain death. Hollands Jewish leaders prevaricated, hoping to save their people and their own skins. But the exploits of the Dutch Resistance produced unimaginable heroism and unparalleled self-sacrifice. A chance meeting with Martin Sixsmith in 2019 led to Anna-Maria telling him her story. In Dutch and German archives, interviews with survivors, personal diaries and contentious memoirs by those with things to hide, Sixsmith came across a drama on a scale he could never have imagined. My Sins Go with Me is a story of remarkable bravery, and of cowardice and betrayal in the hardest of times.

**FROM THE AUTHOR OF THE BESTSELLING PHILOMENA, MADE INTO THE AWARD-WINNING FILM STARRING STEVEN COOGAN AND JUDI DENCH**Ayeshas Gift is the true story of a young woman, born in Pakistan, living in Britain, whose life is thrown into desperate turmoil by the violent death of her father. The Pakistani authorities talk of suicide, but why would Ayeshas happy, gentle father kill himself? Ayeshas quest to find the truth takes her away from her safe English existence and into Pakistan, where she is met with threats, violence and smiling perjurers. She is warned that her life is in danger; powerful, ruthless men have reasons to want her silenced. But there are things she needs to know, that compel her to press on with her search for the truth.Was her father an innocent victim? Can she continue to revere the image of him she grew up with, that of a good, loving parent? Or will she be forced to accept that her father was not the person she thought he was? As the two countries she had considered home reveal themselves as foreign and inimical, Ayesha is forced to confront the tormented issues of identity and belonging. When she travels to Pakistan, Martin Sixsmith goes with her. A shared tragedy and an unlikely friendship lead them both to question the things that give meaning to their lives, and ultimately to find solace in the common human values of kindess and respect. Written at thriller pace TelegraphWonderful . . . What I find so striking about Ayeshas Gift is that its a book in which the writer is changed by the writing of the book Andrew Marr

The Lost Child of Philomena Lee is the tale of a mother and a son whose lives were scarred by the forces of hypocrisy on both sides of the Atlantic and of the secrets they were forced to keep. A compelling narrative of human love and loss, Martin Sixsmiths moving account is both heartbreaking yet ultimately redemptive.When she fell pregnant as a teenager in Ireland in 1952, Philomena Lee was sent to the convent at Roscrea in Co. Tipperary to be looked after as a fallen woman. She cared for her baby for three years until the Church took him from her and sold him, like countless others, to America for adoption. Coerced into signing a document promising never to attempt to see her child again, she nonetheless spent the next fifty years secretly searching for him, unaware that he was searching for her from across the Atlantic. Philomenas son, renamed Michael Hess, grew up to be a top Washington lawyer and a leading Republican official in the Reagan and Bush administrations. But he was a gay man in a homophobic party where he had to conceal not only his sexuality but, eventually, the fact that he had AIDs. With little time left, he returned to Ireland and the convent where he was born: his desperate quest to find his mother before he died left a legacy that was to unfold with unexpected consequences for all involved.Inspired the film Philomena starring Judi Dench and Steve Coogan.

On 7 December 2006, in a Highgate Cemetery drenched with London rain, a Russian was buried within a stones throw of the grave of Karl Marx. He was Alexander Litvinenko, Sasha to his friends, a boy from the deep Russian provinces who rose through the ranks of the worlds most feared security service. Litvinenko was the man who denounced murder and corruption in the Russian government, fled from the wrath of the Kremlin, came to London and took the shilling of Moscows avowed enemy Now he was a martyr, condemned by foes unknown to an agonised death in a hospital bed thousands of miles from home. Martin Sixsmith draws on his long experience as the BBCs Moscow correspondent, and contact with key London-based Russians, to dissect Alexander Litvinenkos murder. Myriad theories have been put forward since he died, but the story goes back to 2000 when hostilities were declared between the Kremlin and its political opponents. This is a war that has blown hot and cold for over seven years; a war that has pitted some of Russias strongest, richest men against the most powerful president Russia has had since Josef Stalin.The Litvinenko File is a gripping, powerful inside account of a shocking act of murder, when Russias war with itself spilled over onto the streets of London and made the world take notice.

When she fell pregnant as a teenager in Ireland in 1952, Philomena Lee was sent to the convent at Roscrea in Co. Tipperary to be looked after as a fallen woman. She cared for her baby for three years until the Church took him from her and sold him, like countless others, to America for adoption. Coerced into signing a document promising never to attempt to see her child again, she nonetheless spent the next fifty years secretly searching for him, unaware that he was searching for her from across the Atlantic.Philomenas son, renamed Michael Hess, grew up to be a top Washington lawyer and a leading Republican official in the Reagan and Bush administrations. But he was a gay man in a homophobic party where he had to conceal not only his sexuality but, eventually, the fact that he had AIDS. With little time left, he returned to Ireland and the convent where he was born: his desperate quest to find his mother before he died left a legacy that was to unfold with unexpected consequences for all involved.The Lost Child is the tale of a mother and a son whose lives were scarred by the forces of hypocrisy on both sides of the Atlantic and of the secrets they were forced to keep. With a foreword by Judi Dench, Martin Sixsmiths book is a compelling and deeply moving narrative of human love and loss, both heartbreaking yet ultimately redemptive.

The extraordinary true story that inspired an acclaimed film starring Steve Coogan and Judi Dench, Philomena, by Martin Sixsmith, is a gripping tale of heartache, hypocrisy and ultimately, redemption. It follows the lives of Philomena Lee, who, after falling pregnant in 1952, was treated as a fallen woman by Irish Catholic society, and her son, torn from her by the Church and swept across the Atlantic as one among many forced adoptions.Philomena, shamed and coerced into signing a document promising never to attempt to see her son again, wages a secret, decades-long battle to reconnect with her lost, beloved son. Unbeknownst to her, her son has been renamed Michael Hess, and grew up to become a high-powered lawyer in the homophobic climate of the Reagan and Bush administrations. But he was a gay man in a homophobic party where he had to conceal not only his sexuality but, eventually, the fact that he had AIDS. With little time left, he returned to Ireland and the convent where he was born: his desperate quest to find his mother before he died left a legacy that was to unfold with unexpected consequences for all involved.In this searing narrative, Sixsmith exposes a clandestine world of love, loss, secrets, and the unbroken bond of a mother and child.

Russia is a country of contradictions: a nation of cultural refinement and artistic originality and yet also a country that rules by the iron fist. In this riveting history, Martin Sixsmith shows how Russias complex identity has been formed over a thousand years, and how it can help us understand its often baffling behaviour at home and abroad.Combining in-depth research and interviews with his personal experiences as a former BBC Moscow correspondent, Sixsmith skilfully traces the conundrums of modern Russia to their roots in its troubled past, and explains the nations seemingly split personality as the result of influences that have divided it for centuries.A Sunday Times bestseller, Russia is essential reading for anyone who wants to understand the complex political landscape of this country, and its unique place in the modern world.

Vladimir Putin came to power by destroying the Russian oligarchs, the entrepreneurs who grew rich during Russias chaotic transition from communism and exercised unseemly influence over the government of Boris Yeltsin. Putin confiscated their companies and used the profits to build the Kremlins war chest for the invasion of Ukraine. He and his cronies siphoned off billions for themselves.Drawing on exclusive interviews and explosive new material, in Suing the Kremlin Martin Sixsmith tells the astonishing story of what happened to the men Putin dispossessed. Some were sent to labour camps, forced into exile or murdered. Some attempted to fight back, but with no success.Yet for the past twenty years, a small, determined team of legal experts based in London has been pursuing Putin and his rogue state through courts across the globe. Acting on behalf of Group Menatep the holding company founded by Mikhail Khodorkovsky, once Russias wealthiest oligarch they have set out to reclaim this vast stolen fortune and to prove that even the most powerful men in the world are not beyond the reach of international law.

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