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Catherine Anne Merridale

キャサリン・アン・メリデール

Catherine Anne Merridale

Profile

Gender
Female
Born
1959-10-12
Nationality
United Kingdom
Languages
English
Residence History
Andover, United Kingdom → London, United Kingdom → Moscow, Russia

Career

Occupations
Historian, Writer, Researcher, Professor
Active Years
1987-
Affiliations
Queen Mary University of London (University of London) - Professor of Contemporary History (2004–2014), Institute of Historical Research, University of London - Senior Research Fellow
Memberships
British Academy (Fellow)
Influenced By
R. W. Davies

Education

King's College, Cambridge
History
Degree: 学士（BA）
Period: 1979–1982
Year of Graduation: 1982
Country: United Kingdom
Graduated with First Class Honours (BA)
University of Birmingham (Centre for Russian and East European Studies)
Contemporary History / Russian Studies
Degree: 博士（PhD）
Period: 1983–1987
Year of Graduation: 1987
Country: United Kingdom
PhD thesis: 'The Communist Party in Moscow 1925–1932'

Awards

Heinemann Award
Work: Night of Stone
Result: 受賞
Arthur Goodzeit Prize
Work: Ivan's War
Organization: New York Military Affairs Symposium
Result: 受賞
Pushkin House Book Prize
2014
Work: Red Fortress
Organization: Pushkin House
Result: 受賞
Wolfson History Prize
2014
Work: Red Fortress
Organization: Wolfson Foundation
Result: 受賞
Fellow of the British Academy (FBA)
2016
Organization: British Academy
Result: 選出

Awards & Nominations

Works

Major Works

Moscow Politics and the Rise of Stalin: The Communist Party in the Capital, 1925–32

1990 History (Non-fiction)

An academic study of Communist Party politics in Moscow during 1925–1932, examining party infighting and urban political dynamics during Stalin's rise.

StalinismParty politicsUrban history

Night of Stone: Death and Memory in Twentieth-Century Russia

2001 History (Social history)

Explores death culture and forms of memory in twentieth-century Russia, investigating how individuals and societies commemorate loss.

MemoryDeathRitual

Culture and Combat Motivation

2006 History / Military history

A study/edited volume on cultural aspects of combat motivation and soldier morale.

Military cultureMorale

Ivan's War: Life and Death in the Red Army, 1939–1945

2006 History (Military history / Oral history)

Reconstructs Red Army soldiers' experiences through oral testimony and primary sources, depicting life and death on the Eastern Front.

World War IIRed ArmyOral history

Red Fortress: History and Illusion in the Kremlin

2013 History (Political & Cultural history)

A public-oriented history that examines the Kremlin as an architectural space and the memories and myths surrounding it, exploring symbolism of power in Russian history.

KremlinSymbolism of powerMemory and myth

Lenin on the Train

2016 History (Biographical non-fiction)

Uses the episode of Lenin's train journey in 1917 as a lens to explore Lenin and pivotal moments of the revolution.

Revolutionary historyBiographyMovement and politics

Moscow Underground

2025 Historical fiction (Novel)

Merridale's debut long-form fiction incorporating historical background; published in 2025 and named among The Sunday Times' best historical fiction of 2025.

Interplay of history and fictionUrban history of Moscow

Bibliography

  • Moscow Politics and the Rise of Stalin: The Communist Party in the Capital, 1925–32 (1990)
  • Night of Stone: Death and Memory in Twentieth-Century Russia (2001)
  • Culture and Combat Motivation (2006)
  • Ivan's War: Life and Death in the Red Army, 1939–1945 (2006)
  • Red Fortress: History and Illusion in the Kremlin (2013)
  • Lenin on the Train (2016)
  • Moscow Underground (Novel, 2025)

Style & Themes

Literary Style
Narrative, accessible prose grounded in primary and oral sourcesCombines scholarly rigor with clarity for general readers
Recurring Motifs
Memory and lossWar and personal experienceSpaces of power (e.g., the Kremlin)

Legacy

Catherine Merridale is an internationally recognized historian of modern Russia, acclaimed for both scholarly research and narrative histories aimed at general readers. She has won prizes for works such as Red Fortress and was elected a Fellow of the British Academy.

Academic Societies

  • British Academy

Archives

  • British Library (PhD thesis deposit)
  • Queen Mary University archives (lectures and research materials)
  • Institute of Historical Research archives

Quotes

  • Going from the then ghastly Soviet airport, everything in Moscow was grey and cold and hard. Suddenly in the middle of the city were these golden cupolas and enormous redbrick walls with peculiar swallowtail battlement pattern that didn’t look Russian, but did at the same time.
    Source: Interview in The Independent (2014)
  • My message is that we have to take each generation of Russian leaders as they are and not keep assuming that Russia is fated to follow a special path and will always be the same. That there is a Russian destiny.
    Source: Interview on Waterstones.com (2014)

Trivia

  • Retired from full-time academia in 2014 and became a freelance writer.
  • Elected Fellow of the British Academy (FBA) in 2016.
  • Won the Pushkin House Book Prize and the Wolfson History Prize for Red Fortress.
  • Published debut novel Moscow Underground in 2025; named among The Sunday Times' best historical fiction of 2025.
  • Has contributed to London Review of Books, New Statesman, The Independent, The Guardian and Literary Review.
  • Has appeared on BBC Radio.