Elena Palmer
| Elena Palmer | |
|---|---|
| Occupation | Journalist, Author |
| Nationality | German |
| Period | 1990s to present |
| Genres | Biography, Romance |
| Notable works | Peter III - The Prince of Holstein |
Elena Palmer is a German journalist and author with Russian origins.
Biography
Elena Palmer is the author of the biography „Peter III - The Prince of Holstein“ (Sutton Publishing, Germany, 2005),[1] herein she is expressing reasonable doubt towards the common portrayal of Russian emperor Peter III. In her work Palmer is referencing and questioning Peter III's wife Catherine the Great's memoirs. According to Palmer's research Catherine initiated Peter's murder and illegally succeeded his throne, while later characterizing him as an “idiot”, “drunkard of Holstein”, “good-for-nothing” in order to improve her own bad reputation among the people of Russia. Elena Palmer says: "Peter III was neither a drunkard nor a moron. His plans for the dramatic transformation of society reveal a young Emperor's vision that was far ahead of his contemporaries. Peter took a position of “enlightened absolutism”, which was very new and progressive for this period in Russian history. With his democratic approaches, Peter was in a position to lead Russia out of the impasse of feudalism and was able to create a new social order without bloodshed. He proved his fortitude with ambitious reforms and gave the country hope for economic and social advancements. There were no political reasons for Peter’s overthrow, as the people loved their Emperor and his supporters idolized him. Rather, the fate of Peter III was a family tragedy the likes of a Shakespeare drama. The queen’s lover killed her husband while she silently supported him in this treacherous act" [2]
Thanks to her knowledge of both old German and old Russian languages and after having spent months in Russian and German historical archives Palmer has found out a different truth about Peter III: a cultivated, open-minded emperor who tried to introduce various courageous, even democratic reforms in the 18th century Russia. Her work is considered unique in its unbiased and scientifically correct historical information.[3][4] In her book she called upon the German people to revise the account and to build a monument for Peter III.[5] As a result, a fundraiser association has been established, and the monument is now being built in Kiel by A. Taratynov.[6] Since 2005 Palmer has traveled all over the world with lectures on the subject of Russian-German history.
Literary works
„Peter III - Der Prinz von Holstein“ (Sutton Publishing, Germany, 2005)[7]
Personal life
Elena Palmer graduated with a Master degree in Music science from Moscow Conservatory. She is an active freelancer with different media networks, while continuing to write novels and hold University lectures in Germany, Russia and the US. She currently resides in Berlin, Germany.
Political involvement
On October 3, 1993 Elena Palmer was one of the few Russian journalists to film the Parliament Revolution in Moscow. The events of that night are publicly considered the "second October Revolution" and resulted in hundreds of deaths.[8] Her documentary received a Russian TV award and aired in many countries.
2007 she took part in the international program „Reporters in danger“ and held numerous lectures in American Universities in memory of reporters killed while doing their job. Her lecture in Eastern Illinois University was honored by the Illinois State Board of Education.
References
- ↑ "Peter III - The Prince of Holstein (German) on Amazon". Elena Palmer. Retrieved March 2010. Check date values in:
|access-date=(help) - ↑ "Причастен ли "главный режиссёр" императрицы Екатерины II к убийству её мужа Петра III?".
- ↑ J.von Dube. Der Zar, der ein Kieler war. Kieler Nachrichten. 12.13.2003
- ↑ Slovo pravdy. Moscow, Nauka, 2006
- ↑ "Wie alles began".
- ↑ "Denkmal fuer Zar Peter iii kommt heute nach Kiel".
- ↑ "Peter III Der Prinz von Holstein (Sutton Verlag GmbH)". Elena Palmer. Retrieved April 2005. Check date values in:
|access-date=(help) - ↑ The whole text of the declaration in Russian, part of the video broadcast