The Black Sea area over the Crimean flag
While the whole world is waiting for Putin’s next move in Ukraine, I’m contemplating about his motivations.
After enjoying the diplomatic success and outplaying the White House in Syria and triumphantly hosting the Winter Olympics in Sochi, Putin was at the height of his popularity in Russia and probably outside Russia too.… Read the rest
Forget the Death. (the central motto in the new Russian scifi novel “Future” by Dmitry Glukhovsky).
Dystopian and post-apocalyptic science fiction has been popular from the very birth day of the genre. Many recent novels of this kind focus on intricate plots, yet an occasional gem goes a notch above and explores some deep themes and ideas and things that may actually happen in the near future.… Read the rest
Living in the UK, I realised how many people outside Russia are interested in the modern Russian history, GULAG, Stalin’s rule and the life of Soviet people. The immense worldwide popularity of novels like Doctor Zhivago and Life and Fate is undeniable.… Read the rest
Обращение в слух by Антон Понизовский
My rating: 4 of 5 stars
Обращение в слух, which can be translated as Turning into a Listening Ear, is an important work marking the return of the so-called ‘novel of ideas’. The book won the biggest Russian literary prize this year – The Big Book.… Read the rest
D. Bruhl as Daniel Berg and B. Camberbatch as Julian Assange in the Fifth Estate motion picture
What is freedom?
Is this an ability to act according to one’s wishes without fear of being punished? Can you call something freedom when it takes freedom from the others?… Read the rest
Tatiana Tolstaya (photo credit – Водник, Wikimedia Commons)
Tatiana Tolstaya is one of the most prominent media figures in the modern Russian society, she’s also a publicist and a writer of short stories and novellas, some of which could be found in English.… Read the rest
Andrei Rubanov presenting his book Chlorophilia
Many writers create amazing things they’ve never lived through just out their imagination. Still I find writers who experienced terrifying shortcomings of life are able to create truly vibrant prose. Andrei Rubanov is a modern Russian author who has both a very adventurous personal history and a vivid imagination.… Read the rest