This week’s Tuesday Book Club takes us on a fascinating journey through history with Journey For Our Time: The Journals of the Marquis de Custine. A sharp-eyed and often prophetic observer, Custine’s 19th-century travels through Russia offer a compelling—and sometimes unsettling—portrait of an empire grappling with power, control and identity.

Why Journey For Our Time?

Originally published as Letters from Russia in 1843, Custine’s account has long been regarded as one of the most astute analyses of Russian society under Tsar Nicholas I. Part travelogue, part political critique, it captures a country marked by grandeur and oppression, ambition and fear.

Unlike many Western visitors who were seduced by Russia’s splendour, Custine saw through the gilded façade. His observations about autocracy, bureaucracy and the suppression of free thought resonate eerily with modern reflections on authoritarian regimes. Though he arrived in Russia expecting to admire its people and culture, he left deeply sceptical of its political system—a shift that makes his journals all the more fascinating to read.

A book of enduring relevance

What makes Journey For Our Time so striking is how modern it feels. Custine’s reflections on power, surveillance and the role of the individual within a rigid system remain as relevant today as they were in his time. His sharp prose, often laced with irony, makes for an engrossing read—not just as a historical document, but as a work of literature.

The book also offers a rare glimpse into the emotional and intellectual struggles of a man caught between admiration and disillusionment. Custine’s journey is not just geographical but philosophical, as he wrestles with the nature of freedom, identity and the illusions that sustain empires.

Join the conversation

What do you make of Custine’s observations? Do they still hold true today? How does Journey For Our Time compare with other classic travelogues or political critiques?

We’d love to hear your thoughts! Share your reflections, favourite passages, or insights using #TuesdayBookClub and #JourneyForOurTime on X (formerly Twitter) and Bluesky.