About the book: 2019 / Rasputin’s life is amazing. He was one of the most amazing phenomena in modern history. His life resembles a dark fairy tale. A dark, uneducated peasant from the Siberian hinterland heard the voice of the Lord and, in search of true faith, set out on a journey that for many years led him across the vast expanses of Russia and ended in the royal palace. Miraculously, he managed to save the life of the heir to the throne, but his colossal influence on the king and queen angered the rich and powerful. They lured him into a trap and killed him. Many believed that the saint foresaw his death and predicted that if something happened to him, the king would lose his throne. American historian Douglas Smith, based on data from the archives of seven countries - journals, letters and diaries - created a mysterious old man for the centenary of his death his most complete biography. Everything, from official documents to the most ridiculous gossip, becomes the material for a large-scale and fascinating historical research.