Originally published in 1989, this book presented the first study of the image of Stalin in literature. Analysing the literary presentaiton of historical character and the treatment of 20th Century tyrants in European prose fiction, the book draws a comparison between the depiction of Hitler in German literature and Stalin in Russian literature. It explores the way in which Stalin has been portrayed by Soviet, emigré Russian, and European writers including Orwell, Nabokov, Mandelstam, Pasternak and Solzhenitsyn.

1. An Approach to the Presentation of Historical Character in European Prose Fiction 2. Tyrants in Twentieth Century Literature 3. Historical Treatments of Stalin and Stalinism 4. The Image of Stalin in Soviet Literature During Stalin's Lifetime 5. The Image of Stalin in Soviet Literature of the Post-Stalin Period 6. Portraits of Stalin in Western and Dissident Literature 7. Solzhenitsyn's 'new' portrait of Stalin: Fact or Fiction? 8. Sozhenitsyn's Portrait of Stalin: The Philosophical Dimension 9. Solzhenitsyn's Portrait of Stalin: The Literary Aspect 10. Conclusion