Secret Histories

A shortage of review space in this issue demands brevity.

Past Imperfect: 318 Episodes from the Life of a Russian Artist

Grisha Bruskin (Syracuse, $34.95)

A hilarious and touching compilation of incidents, miniatures, asides and insights that are as artistically delightful and encapsulated as Bruskin’s marvelous sculptured figures (see page 44).

Lenin’s Private War

by Leslie Chamberlain (Picador, $18)

Chamberlain recounts the voyage of a luckier part of the Russian intelligentsia – in that they lived. This is the tale of their forcible exile by Lenin and Stalin in 1922, to “cleanse” Russia of “undesireables.” A valuable portrait of the intellectual community whose loss would cost Russia dearly for decades. Later cleansings were, of course, less humane.

Two recent books, one by a Russian émigré to the U.S., another by an Australian, tap into Russia‘s rich vein of fantasy and folklore archetypes – from the vodyanoy and domovoy to ravens and witches. And bears, definitely bears. Both make for good autumnal reading.

The Secret History of Moscow

Ekaterina Sedia (Prime Books, $12.95)

The Secret History is a romp through 1990s Moscow, where the underground is a world of magic and secrets that may hold the answer to a rash of mysterious disappearances. It is an offbeat, engaging story that offers a rich portrait of a grey Moscow. It suffers only for lack of a more aggressive editor’s pen – to eradicate a slew of distracting typos.

The Veil of Gold

Kim Wilkins (Tor, $25.95)

Wilkins covers a broader geographic terrain than Sedia, but taps into the same theme of a hidden, yet very powerful, world. A golden bear draws an unwitting researcher into the mysterious, thousand-year-old divide between our world (the Mir) and that of the story (Skazka). His rescue by his girlfriend requires her to confront her own magical past – with magic, there is always a cost.

In the digital realm, there is an exciting new English-only website that corrals and catalogs what is new and interesting in Russian popular music. For a look, head on over:

farfrommoscow.com

Far from Moscow

An exciting new, English-only website that corrals and catalogs what is new and interesting in Russian popular music.

September 01, 2008

Secret Histories

See Also

Far from Moscow

About Us

Latest Posts

Useful Links

Our Contacts