The Last Day Of The Soviet Union

Moscow, December 25, 1991

A fascinating, dramatic account of the last day of the Soviet Union and the intense rivalry between Gorbachev and Yeltsin

Conor O'Clery's book is a tour de force. It tells the story of one of the most momentous days of recent history with insight, passion and precision. Full of new material and fascinating stories, it is a must read for anyone interested in the fate of democracy in the modern world

Elegantly written... a superb storyteller

A clear and exciting account of these momentous times, written by... one of the great reporters of our age

A riveting read... rich in humour and humanity and replete with assured judgments

Journalist Conor O'Clery holds a unique perspective on the last years of the Soviet Union, having opened the first foreign bureau in Moscow for The Irish Times in 1987. He was subsequently foreign correspondent in Washington, Beijing and New York (witnessing first hand the 9/11 attacks). One of the most respected journalists in Ireland, he twice won Irish Journalist of the Year. He has written eight previous books, including Melting Snow: An Irishman in Moscow; The Greening of the White House, about the Clinton presidency; The Billionaire Who Wasn't, a biography of philanthropist Chuck Feeney; and May You Live in Interesting Times: Journals of an Accidental Correspondent.

History always comes down to the details. And when it comes to the fall of the Soviet Union, the details are crucial, especially when such an era-defining event hinged on the bitter personal relationship between two powerful men, Mikhail Gorbachev and Boris Yeltsin. 
 
On the twentieth anniversary of the end of the Cold War, Conor O'Clery has built his compelling and brilliantly constructed narrative of the fall of the Soviet Union around one day, December 25, 1991, the date Gorbachev resigned and the USSR was effectively consigned to history. From there, O'Clery looks back over the events of the previous six years: Gorbachev's reform policies of glasnost and perestroika; Yeltsin's ignominious fall and then rise to the top; the defiance of the once docile Soviet republics; the failed August coup by the hardliners; and the events that swiftly followed until a secret meeting in a central European forest sealed the fate of the communist monolith and the clock ticked down to the last day. 
 
The result is an intricately detailed, thoroughly researched book, based on interviews with many of the key figures in a drama of Shakespearean intensity as well as contemporary reportage, the memoirs and diaries of key political figures and official documents. The book is written at a breathtaking, dramatic pace, drawing the reader in as it focuses equally on the personal and historical stories. 
 
Moscow, December 25, 1991 is set to become a defining book on the fall of the Soviet Union.

Conor O'Clery

Conor O'Clery is a legend among foreign correspondents. Over four decades - in Russia, the Middle East, Africa and Asia - he has established himself as a voice of wit, close observation, and sane good sense. His new book will be welcomed by everyone who cares about good writing, and about the human stories that enable us to understand the great movements of world history.

Richard Lloyd Parry, author of Ghosts of the Tsunami

Conor O'Clery's latest book is a tour de force - a sweeping account of the turbulent decades of the Soviet Union and the new Russia, told through the prism of a Russian-Armenian family. The story features love, politics, murder, wars, and the fracturing of ties, personal and ethnic, brought about by Stalin and his Kremlin successors. O'Clery is a gifted writer. His subject is one he knows well: his wife's father, mother and relatives, as they make their own sure-footed journey through a treacherous twentieth century.

Luke Harding, #1 New York Times bestselling author of Collusion: How Russia Helped Trump Win the White House

Highly readable, deeply informed telling of an ordinary, extraordinary story.

Takes us into the hidden heart of Soviet Russia... an illuminating combination of history, politics, geography and humanity that's personal and close... An arresting and evocative story, brought alive through a host of characters, not least, the vast, hostile, secretive Russia herself.

Transcends the confines of a mere family history... With his easy humour, engaging style and innate sympathy for the little guy, O'Clery shows how events and decisions in Moscow affected millions of Russians in myriad life-changing ways.

This is not a book about heroic dissidents or murderous fanatics, but  about everyday people trying to navigate a system that frustrates them  yet provides them with priceless opportunities...Enchantingly written,  thoughtfully structured and a model for all the other journalists who  pass through Moscow.

An unusual chronicle of the end of the Soviet Union, seen through the eyes of an extended family... O'Clery tells their story with tender clarity.

An often brilliant exploration of nearly a century of Soviet and post-Soviet history ... highly readable, deeply informed telling of an ordinary, extraordinary story.

[A] superb, illuminating book ... A memoir of great power and poignancy.

[O'Clery] is an elegant and scrupulous writer. His consistently excellent reportage is further enriched by Zhanna’s memories.

A fascinating way to illuminate a century of Russian history. Conor O'Clery uses the story of his Russian-Armenian in-laws to explore the reality of life in Russia and the Soviet Union.

A moving testament to these decent people whose ordinary lives coincided with extraordinary times and testing circumstances.

Brilliant! Conor O'Clery shows more about how people really live in the former Soviet Union than any foreign writer before him. This book is essential reading for anyone who wants to know about today's Russia.

Fred Coleman, author of The Decline and Fall of the Soviet Empire

An absolutely terrific book - moving, informative, an extraordinary story beautifully written.

Martin Fletcher, former foreign correspondent and foreign editor of The Times

'O'Clery takes us into the hidden heart of Soviet Russia... An arresting and evocative story.' Keggie Carew, author of Dadland 
 
'A tour de force ... Love, politics, murder, wars, and the fracturing of ties, personal and ethnic. O'Clery is a gifted writer.' Luke Harding, bestselling author of Collusion 
 
The Soviet Union, 1962. Gifted shoemaker Stanislav Suvorov is imprisoned for five years. His crime? Selling his car for a profit. On his release, social shame drives him and his family into voluntary exile in Siberia, 5,000 kilometres from home. In a climate that's unfriendly both geographically and politically, it's their chance to start again. 
 
The Shoemaker and His Daughter is an epic story spanning the Second World War to the fall of the Soviet Union, taking in eighty years of Soviet and Russian history, from Stalin to Putin. Following the footsteps of a remarkable family Conor O'Clery knows well - he is married to the shoemaker's daughter - it's both a compelling insight into life in a secretive world at a siesmic moment in time and a powerful tale of ordinary lives shaped by extraordinary times.

Conor O'Clery

Praise for The Shoemaker and his Daughter

Conor O'Clery is a legend among foreign correspondents. Over four decades - in Russia, the Middle East, Africa and Asia - he has established himself as a voice of wit, close observation, and sane good sense. His new ...

Conor O'Clery's latest book is a tour de force - a sweeping account of the turbulent decades of the Soviet Union and the new Russia, told through the prism of a Russian-Armenian family. The story features love, poli ...

Highly readable, deeply informed telling of an ordinary, extraordinary story.

Conor O'Clery is a legend among foreign correspondents. Over four decades - in Russia, the Middle East, Africa and Asia - he has established himself as a voice of wit, close observation, and sane good sense. His new ...

Conor O'Clery's latest book is a tour de force - a sweeping account of the turbulent decades of the Soviet Union and the new Russia, told through the prism of a Russian-Armenian family. The story features love, poli ...

Highly readable, deeply informed telling of an ordinary, extraordinary story.

Conor O'Clery is a legend among foreign correspondents. Over four decades - in Russia, the Middle East, Africa and Asia - he has established himself as a voice of wit, close observation, and sane good sense. His new ...

Conor O'Clery's latest book is a tour de force - a sweeping account of the turbulent decades of the Soviet Union and the new Russia, told through the prism of a Russian-Armenian family. The story features love, poli ...

Highly readable, deeply informed telling of an ordinary, extraordinary story.

Books by Conor O'Clery

Follow penguin

Follow ladybird

Follow puffin

Sign up to the Penguin newsletter