Additional information
by Greg King (Author), Penny Wilson (Author)
The truth of the enduring mystery of Anastasia's fate-and the life of her most convincing impostor. The passage of more than ninety years and the publication of hundreds of books in dozens of languages has not extinguished an enduring interest in the mysteries surrounding the 1918 execution of the last Russian Tsar Nicholas II and his family.
The Resurrection of the Romanovs draws on a wealth of new information from previously unpublished materials and unexplored sources to probe the most enduring Romanov mystery of all: the fate of the Tsar's youngest daughter, Anastasia, whose remains were not buried with those of her family, and her identification with Anna Anderson, the woman who claimed to be the missing Grand Duchess.
Front Jacket
On the bitter-cold night of February 17, 1920, a distraught, physically battered, and psycologically damaged young woman stepped off of Berlin's Bedler Bridge and plunged into the icy waters of the Landwehr Canal. For nearly two years, this unknown girl, who carried no identification, refused to give her name to the doctors and nurses who cared for her after her failed suicide. When, finally, she broke her silence, she declared herself Grand Duchess Anastasia, daughter of Nicholas II of Russia. Thus began a cause celebre for thousands of displaced Russian aristocrats yearning for a past that would never return--and the most enduring mystery of the twentieth century.
In "The Resurrection fo the Romanovs, " the celebrated authors of "The Fate of the Romanovs" come together once again in order to reveal the truth behind the violent end of the Romanov Dynasty and the woman whose name is now forever linked to it.
Drawing on thirty years of research and thousands of pages of previously undiscovered or unpublished documents, Greg King and Penny Wilson penetrate the intriguing mythology that long surrounded the execution of Tsar Nicholas and his family to reveal the true fate of his youngest daughter. They mine interviews, investigations, and court proceeding to uncover the evidence for and against the claim of the woman who became known as Anna Anderson; to understand why so many people, including members of the imperial family, believed and endorsed her claim with such passion; and to find out who Anna Anderson really was and what motives lay behind her fraudulent claim. The answers they provide are frequently surprising and sometimes shocking.
For the first time, the authors document the extent of Anna Anderson's scars and other injuries, explain how she received them, and reveal the absence of wounds that several doctors claimed, under oath, to have seen. They also reveal the limitations of Anna's often-touted linguistic abilities and provide a critical analysis of the posthumous DNA tests that proved her an imposter. Adding to the drama is a disturbing account of the appalling confrontation between Anna Anderson, whose real name was Franziska Schanzkowska, and her birth family.
They offer a cogent analysis of the all-too-familiar role of the press in transforming the desperate claims of an emotionally disturbed woman into an international controversy and compelling insights into why so many people around the world wanted to believe that she was indeed Anastasia. Complete with eighty-five photographs, many never before published, "The Resurrection of the Romanovs" paints a startling and unforgettable psychological portrait of history's most memorable imposter.
Back Jacket
The Truth about the Twentieth Century's Most Controversial Mystery
"Covers the subject so thoroughly and so honestly that this is almost certainly the last book that needs to be written."
--Robert K. Massie, author of "Nicholas and Alexandra."
The passage of more than ninety years and the publication of hundreds of books have not extinguished an enduring intetesrt in the mysteries surrounding the 1918 execution of the last Russain tsar, Nicholas II; the long uncertain fate of his youngest daughter, Anastasia; and the woman known as Anna Anderson, whose claim to be the missing grand duchess perplexed and captivated the world for decades. Refuting long-accepted evidence in the Anderson case and including dozens of previously unpublished photographs, "The Resurrection of the Romanovs" finally explodes the greatest royal mystery of the twentieth century.Documents, for the firsty time, Anna Anderson's scars and how she received them, and uncovers the surprising limtiation of her lingusitic abilities.Offers dramatic new information about Anna Anderson's childhood.Reveals why Anna Anderson made her claim and how she convinced so many people that she was Anastasia.Exposes those who lied in the historical record.Recounts shocking confrontation between Anna Anderson and her birth family.Paints a startling psychological portrait of Anna Anderson.Explores rumors of Anastasia's survival as a cultural phenomenon and explains why people needed to believe that Anna Anderson was Anastasia.Draws on more than a decade of international research and presents unpublished letters, statements, legal documents and reports, including those from the Hessian and British royal families.Includes the results of an important new DNA test conducted on Anna Anderson.
Author Biography
GREG KING is the author of "The Court of the Last Tsar; Twilight of Splendor: The Court of Queen Victoria during Her Diamond Jubilee Year;" and "A Season of Splendor: The Court of Mrs. Astor in Gilded Age New York."
PENNY WILSON is a Russian historian and Romanov scholar. She coauthored "The Fate of the Romanovs" with Greg King.
