Due to the level of detail, maps are best viewed on a tablet.Russia today is a world in a dark limbo. The body politic is diseased, the state in collapse. Yet for all the signs of encroaching doom, Russians do not fear the future. They fear the past. Russians have long known theirs is not a land that develops and progresses. It careens, heaves, and all too often sinks.Once again, Russia stands at a crossroads getting by on little but faith, vodka and a blithe indifference to the moral and financial bankruptcy looming from all sides.Andrew Meier’s stunning debut explains a state in collapse; how millions of Russians have been displaced by the death of an ideology. It seeks to explain how the Russian government can increase defence spending by 50% whilst the poverty line cuts through a third of its households, and the people face epidemics of AIDS, TB, alcoholism and suicide.Russia’s story is told through the voices of Russians who live at the five corners of the nation. It is a dramatic portrait of Russia at a time when the old regime has given way, but the new has yet to take hold. Meier has travelled to the extremes – north to Norilsk above the Arctic Circle; east to Sakhalin, south to Vladikavkaz and west to St. Petersburg. And to Moscow.His writing is classic, poised, poignantly observant and richly human. No one has yet captured the historical, cultural and political disintegration of Russia as well as Andrew Meier.
Оглавление
Andrew Meier. Black Earth: A journey through Russia after the fall
BLACK EARTH. RUSSIA AFTER THE FALL. ANDREW MEIER
PRAISE
DEDICATION
CONTENTS
PROLOGUE
I. MOSCOW ZERO GRAVITY
ONE
TWO
THREE
FOUR
FIVE
SIX
SEVEN
EIGHT
NINE
TEN
ELEVEN
ONE
TWO
THREE
FOUR
FIVE
SIX
SEVEN
EIGHT
NINE
TEN
ELEVEN
TWELVE
THIRTEEN
FOURTEEN
FIFTEEN
SIXTEEN
III. NORTH TO THE SIXTY-NINTH PARALLEL
ONE
TWO
THREE
FOUR
FIVE
SIX
SEVEN
EIGHT
NINE
TEN
ELEVEN
IV. EAST TO THE BREAKING POINT
ONE
TWO
THREE
FOUR
FIVE
SIX
SEVEN
EIGHT
NINE
TEN
ELEVEN
TWELVE
V. WEST THE SKAZKA
ONE
TWO
THREE
FOUR
FIVE
SIX
SEVEN
EIGHT
NINE
TEN
ELEVEN
VI. MOSCOW “EVERYTHING IS NORMAL”
ONE
TWO
THREE
FOUR
FIVE
SIX
SEVEN
EIGHT
NINE
TEN
P.S. IDEAS, INTERVIEWS & FEATURES …
Interview with Andrew Meier
Life at a Glance
A Critical Eye
Afterword After Beslan
Russian Write Offby Travis Elborough
If You Loved This, You’ll Like …
To Find Out More, Andrew Meier Recommends …
BIBLIOGRAPHY
INDEX
ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
AUTHOR’S NOTE
NOTES
COPYRIGHT
ABOUT THE PUBLISHER
Отрывок из книги
‘There is depth to Andrew Meier’s portrait of Russia, but breadth as well. The treasures lie in his love for the country and the nuances that emerge from his encounters with Russian soldiers, politicians, pensioners and public servants’