Women in the Lives of Great Men

Behind the success of almost every man stands an extraordinary woman — this obvious truth is illustrated by our book, which encompasses the stories of muses, friends, lovers, wives, and mothers who inspired the greatest creators and shapers of human history: poets, artists, musicians, emperors, and kings.

These women were diverse, and so were their fates. Some became famous during their lifetime, while others were unjustly forgotten… Everyone knows the role that Beatrice played in Dante's life, but how many remember Gemma, who became the poet's support in his later years? How many of Goethe's great friends contributed their traits to Margarete in “Faust”? To whom did Shakespeare write passionate sonnets, and whose face is depicted on Raphael's immortal canvases? You will also learn about the wives of Ivan the Terrible, the eternal favorite of Emperor Paul I, the lovers of Pushkin, and the mysterious love of Turgenev…

This book, which became one of the bestsellers of the early 20th century, is the most famous work of Russian journalist and writer Mikhail Dubinsky. Nearly lost to readers for almost a century, it now returns with a new, unique illustrative series of works from Russian and foreign painting.