Description: Vladimir Fedorovich Dzhunkovsky, the subject of this book, was a witness to his country's unfolding tragedy--the decay of the tsarist autocracy, world war, revolution, the rise of a new regime, and its descent into terror. But Dzhunkovsky was not just a passive observer, he was an active participant in the troubled and turbulent events of his time, often struggling against the tide. Overtaken by the Night paints a fascinating picture of Dzhunkovsky's incredible life that reveals much about a long and crucial period in Russian history. It is a story of Russia in revolution reminiscent of the fictional Doctor Zhivago, but even more extraordinary for being true.
Review Quotes: The principal actors in the Russian revolution and the end of the monarchy are well studied. However, high-ranking functionaries such as Vladimir Dzhunkovsky (1865-1938), eventually promoted to head of the tzar's gendarmes, often receive little notice. Robbins extensively uses Dzhunkovsky's recently published memoirs to reconstruct the turbulent revolutionary era from the point of view of a nonprincipal actor; one devoted to the tzar but navigating the era while transitioning from statesman to noncitizen (lishentsy) status under Bolshevism. Robbins explains Dzhunkovsky's possible involvement with the counterintelligence effort Operation Trust in the 1920s, which identified anti-Bolsheviks. Though there is a lack of documentary evidence, that Dzhunkovsky, serving a five-year sentence, lived until the Great Purge of the 1930s gives rise to speculation by historians that he consulted with the secret police apparatus to root out counterrevolutionary groups. Later chapters illuminate the end of Russia's fight in World War II and offer more insights into the revolutionary struggle. VERDICT This new account will interest Russian historians and those just beginning to study Russian history.-- "Library Journal"