Born to Eva Figes a feminist writer sixty two years ago, Orlando Figes comes from a family of writers seeing that his sister too Kate Figes is a writer. He was schooled in the William Ellis School based in the Northern side of London and completed his learning in Cambridge at the Trinity College graduating with a double starred first. He lectured history here for fifteen years from 1984. He is a family man married to a senior law lecturer at Cambridge University and Blackstone Chambers in London, Stephanie Palmer. She is a mother of two daughters and a human-rights lawyer.
Orlando Figes works is renowned for the mastery of history of Russia. Currently he is attached at the Birkbeck College as the history professor in the University of London. He has authored many books especially on Russian history. Some of them include:
l A People’s Tragedy: The Russian Revolution, 1891-1924
l Natasha’s Dance: A Cultural History of Russia
l The Whisperers: Private Life in Stalin’s Russia
These books have drawn him a lot of recognition and credit by winning various awards and prizes. A People’s Tragedy, which prides itself for being translated over twenty times, encapsulates social together with political history and biographical information through a historical narration to present the Russian revolution has won the following:
l Wolfson History Prize
l WH Smith Literary Award
l NCR Book Award
l Los Angeles Time Book Prize
Most of the languages that the book has been translated to are the ones spoken by the natives of the European Union nations. He has promised to write a book with a love story theme. He holds history close to heart and has at one time criticized Vladimir Putin’s government due to his attempt to change Joseph Stallin in order to bull doze his intended agenda on the way history should be taught in the Russian schools.
Crimea: The Last Crusade is his latest book, which has been reviewed by: The Telegraph, The Observer, the Guardian and BBC History among others. It has been commended as being the only book in any language to shed light on the geopolitical factors as well as cultural and religious too that shaped the championing of every power in the strife. It has been lauded for remodeling the experience lived at the war across the board, from the regular British soldier in the snowy channel dug in the earth to the bedeviled, forlorn Tsar Nicholas.