On Saturday, March 19th this talk by Helen Rappaport was presented as a part of our Second Saturday online lecture series.
This Zoom program examined figures like Princess Olga Paley and her husband Grand Duke Paul Alexandrovich, the Yusupovs, and stars from Ballets Russes productions. While these societal members and their experiences were explored, Rappaport also provided a glimpse into the everyday lives of other groups affected by displacement. She spoke about the roles they inhabited in Paris, focusing on the communities and stories which grouped them together.
The lecture also detailed the biographies of emigres that chose to return to Russia, those who stayed in Paris, and the many others who made their way to America. Rappaport’s talk concluded with an audience-driven question and answer session.
The Second Saturday lecture series is supported in part with federal American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) funds allocated to the New York State Library by the Institute of Museum and Library Services (IMLS).
About the Speaker
Dr. Helen Rappaport is a historian and writer specializing in Victorian Britain and Late Imperial and Revolutionary Russia. After completing a degree in Russian Special Studies she worked as a non-fiction and history editor for various UK publishers before turning to full time history writing. Since 1998 she has published 16 books including three on the Romanovs: The Last Days of the Romanovs(2009), The Romanov Sisters (2014) – which was a New York Times best-seller – and The Race to Save the Romanovs (2018). Helen has appeared as a historical consultant/interviewee in numerous radio broadcasts, podcasts and TV documentaries, talking about the Imperial Family and Queen Victoria. She is a member of the Society of Authors, the Genealogical Society, the Victorian Society, and a Fellow of the Royal Historical Society. She is currently researching a biography of Juliane of Saxe-Coburg who became Grand Duchess Anna Feodorovna of Russia.
These works, including After the Romanovs: Russian Exiles in Paris from the Belle Époque Through Revolution and War, are available for purchase.