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| Category: Fiction:Historical |
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| About the Book | |
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Inspired by true historical events, The Great Game is a gripping narrative of the personal ambitions and geopolitical interests in the very first fight for oil that played out on the shores of the Caspian Sea. The struggle to control Baku’s oil pitted the richest families of the time against each other – front and center are the Nobels locked in a rivalry with the Rothschilds and the Rockefellers. Darkening the plot further were the Communist revolutionaries Vladimir Lenin and Joseph Stalin. The novel takes us on a journey where Baku is transformed into the world’s oil center by the turn of the 20th century through the technological innovations and business ingenuity of the Nobel family. It offers a glimpse into the life of that period – widening economic inequality, immense personal hardships, family separations, broken promises and hearts. Based on extensive research, The Great Game offers a captivating account of the rise of oil as the world’s top strategic commodity while simultaneously drawing us into the heart of the personal stories and rivalries of the early oil barons in Baku.
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| Reviews | |
Bagirov vividly describes how the Russian oil business became the world's biggest under the leadership of Emmanual Nobel in a historical fiction tale that resonates with reality.... Bagirov paces the story nicely, as it grows from a boyhood adventure into coming-of-age tale into ascension to manhood and responsibility. This book’s appearance at a time when climate change threatens to bring THE GREAT GAME of the global petrochemical industry toward an end invests this title with a certain significance." "Carefully researched, the novel closely follows the political and industrial landscape of Baku and the events taking place on Russian territory at that time. The narrative explores the culture of the Baku people, the devastating poverty among the working class, the upheaval surrounding the revolution, and the business rivalries that characterized the oil industry. Although the story is set in turbulent times, Bagirov maintains his focus by concentrating on the lives of Emanuel and his father Ludvig. Both are admirable characters, defying the oppressive working standards of the era by setting fair compensation and establishing better conditions for their workers. Emanuel’s ill-fated attraction to his friend’s daughter, Leyla, is realistically drawn and compelling.... In all, The Great Game: Story of the First Oil War is a satisfying work that will please fans of historical novels set in this era."
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| About the Author | |
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Dr. Togrul Bagirov – global energy security expert with the United Nations. Founder of the Baku Nobel Heritage Foundation and the Nobel Family museum. Knight of the Royal Order of the Polar Star of Sweden. Knight of the Order of the Legion of Honor of France. Visiting professor of energy security studies. |