Some of this British historian’s major themes include the Russian Revolution, the history of the Soviet Union, and European cultural history since 1700. Orlando Figes, who also has German nationality, has won various awards for his work, and books such as A People’s Tragedy. The Russian Revolution. 1891-1924; Natasha’s Dance: A Cultural History of Russia; and The Whisperers. Private Life in Stalin’s Russia have been translated into fifteen languages. The latest book by this scholar, educated at Cambridge and a fellow of Trinity College between 1984 and 1999, is The Europeans. The work looks at a key moment for European culture: the mid-19th century, when advances in communications enabled great artistic achievements, encouraged people to begin to look beyond nationalism, and the rise of a European canon in art, music and literature. Figes is a member of the Royal Society of Literature.

He will talk to Guillermo Altares, an El País journalist and author of books such as Esto es un infierno. Los personajes del cine bélico and Una lección olvidada.