A vivid collection of texts, gathered and introduced by Tamara Deutscher, by Lenin and those who knew him, that shows the Lenin of everyday reality, the man who lived by politics but not by politics alone. Here, we see the Lenin of work and leisure, geared to his life's purpose and yet enjoying to the full all the pleasures of a healthy human existence; neither the humourless monolithic cult-hero of Soviet mythology, nor the bogeyman of official anti-communism. What did Lenin read? How did he relax? What did he think and feel? This surprising collection, covering everything from his passionate Baritone singing voice to his love of hunting wild game and beyond, reveals the man beyond the myth.