The Amber Rooms

Acknowledgements

Phew. That was a long book. I’m knackered just thinking about it. Knights Templar, eh? Cheeky monkeys.

As you can probably tell, I had my nose in a few books before and during the writing of The Amber Rooms. It would not be cricket if I were to forget all about them.

Young Stalin by Simon Sebag Montefiore provided background on the early days of the dictator. The wonderful film Russian Ark gave me a sense of the enigma of Russia—not enough to solve, but enough to fascinate. Parts of Count Nakhimov’s house on the Moika are borrowed from the Petersburg residence of the Family Yusupov, described by Prince Felix Yusupov, together with episodes in which he—wait for it: dragged up—and sang in jazz clubs, in his book Lost Splendour. (This book is hosted by alexanderpalace.org, itself a fantastic multimedia resource on Imperial Russian history.) Other eyewitness accounts include Thirteen Years at the Russian Court by Pierre Gilliard, which includes the death of the Tsar and his family, and The Real Tsaritsa, written by a close friend of the Tsar’s wife called Julia Dehn. I have also drawn upon the top-notch Fire and Sword in the Caucasus. This book was published in 1906 by the Italian historian and diplomat Luigi Villari and describes his travels around Russia, most particularly the Caucasus. He enjoyed himself alright. Mustn’t forget the books Five Sisters: Women Against the Tsar (edited by Barbara Engel and Clifford Rosenthal) and A Life’s Music by Andreï Makine.

I discovered the quote from Albert Camus while listening to the audiobook of Clive James’s Cultural Amnesia. Thanks, Clive. Nobody says “Margarita Pracatan” like you.

I want to thank my Russian teacher, Наталья Тарнягина, for her understanding and patience, even when I came late to classes and shouted the Russian, ‘Goodbye!’ at everybody as I walked in. They might have been laughing then—but they weren’t laughing later as they waited for me to finish reading Russian sentences letter by letter. Neighbours Janet and Michael Berridge, plus friend Viktor, helped polish some of my translations herein and generally give the impression that I understood a modicum of Russian. Lies! My friends Ed Genochio and Aliya Whiteley gave me feedback on the final draft. Ed even used Google Docs, which was brave. Olivia Wood, my editor, kept me entertained with mots bon even as she tidied up and generally prettified my English.

And, for the cups of tea, optimism and faith, and for putting up with my absences: my partner, Britta.

Finally, thanks for reading, Comrades.