通往权力之路 – Catherine the Great by Robert K. Massie

《通往权力之路：叶卡捷琳娜大帝》是普利策奖获奖者罗伯特·K·迈锡耗时八年写就的一部传记，通过研究此前不为人知或难以获取的资料，阐述了叶卡捷琳娜女皇异彩纷呈的一生。从一个外邦落魄贵族的女儿，因一次联姻来到俄罗斯成为大公夫人；历经18年的忍辱负重，她成功把自己打扮成俄罗斯的化身，通过一场宫廷政变夺取了皇位；在极富魅力的34年期间，她发动战争、囤积艺术、集纳思想、成功的是扩充版图，将俄国带入了一个辉煌而鼎盛的时期。

Robert K. Massie returns with another masterpiece of narrative biography, the extraordinary story of an obscure German princess who became Catherine the Great. Born into a minor noble family, Catherine transformed herself into empress of Russia by sheer determination. For thirty-four years, the government, foreign policy, cultural development, and welfare of the Russian people were in her hands. She dealt with domestic rebellion, foreign wars, and the tidal wave of political change and violence churned up by the French Revolution. Catherine’s family, friends, ministers, generals, lovers, and enemies—all are here, vividly brought to life. History offers few stories richer than that of Catherine the Great. In this book, an eternally fascinating woman is returned to life.