First published 2001
A British academic embarks on a quest to retrace the 18th-century philosopher Denis Diderot's famous journey to St. Petersburg. The narrator finds himself caught between two historical moments as he navigates modern Russia while pursuing the footsteps of the French Enlightenment thinker who once traveled to advise Catherine the Great. His research trip becomes a meditation on the nature of intellectual pilgrimage and cultural exchange across centuries. The academic's own story mirrors Diderot's as both men venture into unfamiliar territory seeking wisdom and understanding. Through parallel narratives spanning two centuries, the book explores how ideas travel across time and borders, and what happens when scholars leave their comfortable studies to engage with the wider world.
Genres: historical-fiction, 20th-century, adventure, 21st-century, cultural, academic
Vibes: atmospheric, intimate, thought-provoking
Tropes: fish-out-of-water, parallel-narratives
Setting: St. Petersburg, Russia
Period: 18th Century, Modern
Paperback · Pan Macmillan