Based on the recollections of contemporaries, archival data, and the works of historians, several areas of his interests and preferences can be identified.

Power and control as the main passion

First and foremost, Stalin loved power in its absolute, unrestricted manifestation. His desire for total control over the state, the party, and the lives of millions of people was a dominant characteristic of his character. He derived deep satisfaction from the complex game of politics, intrigues, pitting his comrades against each other, and creating a system where he was the sole source of decisions and mercy. This passion was not a means to an end, but, according to many historians, the end in itself.

Intellectual and creative pursuits

Despite his cruelty, Stalin was a well-read and educated man. He valued and loved books. His personal library contained thousands of volumes, many of which were filled with his marginalia. He read classics of Marxism, as well as Russian and foreign literature, historical works, and memoirs. He had a special fondness for pre-revolutionary Georgian poets such as Vazha-Pshavela, and for the works of Saltykov-Shchedrin, whose satire he highly valued.

cinema was not only entertainment for him but also a powerful tool of propaganda. He loved cinema, personally viewed and approved many key Soviet films of the 1930s and 1940s. His favorite actor was Mikhail Gelovani, who played him in the first screen adaptations. Also, Stalin highly valued music, especially opera. He often visited the Bolshoi Theater, and his favorite work was Glinka's opera "Ivan Susanin," whose patriotic fervor perfectly matched the spirit of the times.

Domestic habits and leisure

In his personal life, Stalin was not a ascetic, but neither did he strive for the opulence of Eastern despotism. He loved long feasts that served several functions: rest, informal discussion of affairs, and verification of the loyalty of his comrades. On these banquets, which lasted far into the night, traditional Georgian dishes and wines were served. He valued good cuisine, especially river fish and game.

Among alcoholic beverages, he often drank cognac and Crimean wines, preferring them to vodka. Another of his well-known habits was smoking a pipe. The image of the wise, thoughtfully smoking pipe leader was carefully cultivated by propaganda.

Nature and solitude

Stalin loved spending time at his dachas, especially in Kuntsevo and at the nearby dacha in Volynsky. He enjoyed working in the garden, planting lemons and ornamental plants, as well as taking long solitary walks. For a man surrounded by guards and subordinates, these moments of solitude were likely a rare opportunity to be alone with his thoughts.

Paradoxes of personality: what he disliked

When discussing his pursuits, it is important to note the other side as well. He loved to suspect others of betrayal and treason. This maniacal suspicion was the driving force behind the Great Terror. He also had a strange "love" for humiliating nicknames for his closest comrades (such as "Hammer" for Molotov), which was part of his system of psychological suppression.

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Stalin was a complex and contradictory figure. His personal pursuits — for books, music, banquets, and nature — coexisted with an obsession with power, maniacal suspicion, and cruelty without parallel in modern Russian history. He loved art, but turned it into a servant of ideology. He valued intelligent people, but destroyed them at the slightest suspicion of disloyalty. Thus, his "love" was always subordinate to the main passion — power and control.

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