Simon Sebag Montefiore Quotes
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There is a view of Russian exceptionalism, that they are a unique civilisation, a view right since Ivan the Terrible that Russia is a special civilisation with a special culture. Putin is pushing that now.
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The disorder, uncertainty, and strife of a revolution make citizens yearn for stable authority, or they turn to radicalism.
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I read many wonderful novels, though I now find the idea of literary fiction obsolete.
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As a youth, I was much more of a Zionist. But Israel was very different then. Israel's changed, and so have I.
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The political lives of tyrants play out human affairs with a special intensity: the death of a democratic leader long after his retirement is a private matter, but the death of a tyrant is always a political act that reflects the character of his power.
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Real stories - whether in pure fiction or historical - have a certain indefinable power; we are endlessly curious about the past and hungry for learning that we hope will illuminate the present.
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Writing about Jerusalem was very stressful; every word counts.
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Russian writers enjoy almost sacred status.