Kalashnikov, Mikhail; The Gun That Changed the World

M426

vor 4 Jahren

The Russian word that is most frequently spoken throughout the world isn’t Lenin, Gulag or Perestroika, it’s Kalashnikov.

The reason for this is simple: there are 80 million Kalashnikovs in circulation on five continents. Once invented, the AK-47 assault rifle became the most widely used weapon in the world. From Vietnam to Palestine, from Cuba to Iraq, the AK-47 was at the heart of conflicts and struggles everywhere. It is the only firearm that has ever been depicted on a national flag – that of Mozambique, where it symbolizes liberation.

* This is the autobiography of Mikhail Kalashnikov, the inventor of the world’s most famous gun, the AK-47. * Offers a fascinating history of the weapon’s development and spread throughout the world, as well as a window into the turbulent history of Russian in the twentieth century. * Contains over 30 halftones.

Elena Joly listened to Kalashnikov as he told his story and has been careful to respect his spoken style. Born in the Soviet Union, she now lives in Paris. She was in charge of the ‘Soviet section’ of the French publishing house Actes Sud, and has written “La Troisieme Mort de Staline” (1988), a series of interviews with intellectuals of the Gorbachev period.