January 04, 2026

An Author by Any Other Name...


An Author by Any Other Name...
Yes, there can be too many. The Russian Life files.

A recent report by the BBC's Russian service revealed that Russian publishing giant AST has been using ghostwriters to churn out books for years – to ill effects.

Ghostwriters who produce for AST write prodigiously: some write as many as 20 books a year. But while ghostwriting is widespread around the world, and while AST claims that it meticulously checks the facts contained in its books, readers have begun to notice a spate of errors.

Notably, AST publishes a series called "The Complete History of a Country," where ghostwriter Sergei Nachaev covers the history of different countries. The authors are purported to be residents and scholars of these countries, with names like Azadi Hussein (author of the Iran entry) and Lehman Herschel (Israel). In reality, Nachaev has written them all.

As a result the Russian perspective has shone through via obscure conspiracies. The book on India, for example, mentions "a highly developed civilization [that] existed on the country's territory, which perished in a clash with extraterrestrial aliens" from "nuclear weapons."

We're going to need to see the sources on that one.

Perhaps most interesting is the book on the United States, written by one Sage Tippot (a name about as plausible to American ears as Art Vandelay). According to the BBC, the portrayal of the U.S. in the book is not explicitly erroneous, and, once the book gets to the twentieth century, it glosses over any Soviet aggression during the Cold War, painting the United States as an single-minded aggressor plotting for world domination. This is closely in line with the popular Russian telling of the period. In addition, of the two epigraphs at the start of the book, one appears to be sourced from Wikipedia.

The BBC speculated that the rise in low-quality books is caused by non-bibliophiles getting editorial jobs and clamoring for high levels of production. For our part, we book-lovers at Russian Life only endorse history books written by non-ghostwriters.

You Might Also Like

A Whole New World (of Nuclear Weapons)
  • February 07, 2019

A Whole New World (of Nuclear Weapons)

Whether you think INF stands for Instant New Fear or Internationalism Never Falters, this week’s got you covered with both politics and otherworldly events.
A Memory Battle for Lubyanka Square
  • March 14, 2021

A Memory Battle for Lubyanka Square

The hoopla surrounding a new monument at a controversial location in central Moscow highlights the importance of history for Russia – and ourselves.
Like this post? Get a weekly email digest + member-only deals

Some of our Books

Davai! The Russians and Their Vodka
November 01, 2012

Davai! The Russians and Their Vodka

In this comprehensive, quixotic and addictive book, Edwin Trommelen explores all facets of the Russian obsession with vodka. Peering chiefly through the lenses of history and literature, Trommelen offers up an appropriately complex, rich and bittersweet portrait, based on great respect for Russian culture.

Steppe
July 15, 2022

Steppe

This is the work that made Chekhov, launching his career as a writer and playwright of national and international renown. Retranslated and updated, this new bilingual edition is a super way to improve your Russian.

Little Golden Calf
February 01, 2010

Little Golden Calf

Our edition of The Little Golden Calf, one of the greatest Russian satires ever, is the first new translation of this classic novel in nearly fifty years. It is also the first unabridged, uncensored English translation ever, and is 100% true to the original 1931 serial publication in the Russian journal 30 Dnei. Anne O. Fisher’s translation is copiously annotated, and includes an introduction by Alexandra Ilf, the daughter of one of the book’s two co-authors.

How Russia Got That Way
September 20, 2025

How Russia Got That Way

A fast-paced crash course in Russian history, from Norsemen to Navalny, that explores the ways the Kremlin uses history to achieve its ends.

White Magic
June 01, 2021

White Magic

The thirteen tales in this volume – all written by Russian émigrés, writers who fled their native country in the early twentieth century – contain a fair dose of magic and mysticism, of terror and the supernatural. There are Petersburg revenants, grief-stricken avengers, Lithuanian vampires, flying skeletons, murders and duels, and even a ghostly Edgar Allen Poe.

At the Circus
January 01, 2013

At the Circus

This wonderful novella by Alexander Kuprin tells the story of the wrestler Arbuzov and his battle against a renowned American wrestler. Rich in detail and characterization, At the Circus brims with excitement and life. You can smell the sawdust in the big top, see the vivid and colorful characters, sense the tension build as Arbuzov readies to face off against the American.

Stargorod: A Novel in Many Voices
May 01, 2013

Stargorod: A Novel in Many Voices

Stargorod is a mid-sized provincial city that exists only in Russian metaphorical space. It has its roots in Gogol, and Ilf and Petrov, and is a place far from Moscow, but close to Russian hearts. It is a place of mystery and normality, of provincial innocence and Black Earth wisdom. Strange, inexplicable things happen in Stargorod. So do good things. And bad things. A lot like life everywhere, one might say. Only with a heavy dose of vodka, longing and mystery.

Murder at the Dacha
July 01, 2013

Murder at the Dacha

Senior Lieutenant Pavel Matyushkin has a problem. Several, actually. Not the least of them is the fact that a powerful Soviet boss has been murdered, and Matyushkin's surly commander has given him an unreasonably short time frame to close the case.

The Little Humpbacked Horse
November 03, 2014

The Little Humpbacked Horse

A beloved Russian classic about a resourceful Russian peasant, Vanya, and his miracle-working horse, who together undergo various trials, exploits and adventures at the whim of a laughable tsar, told in rich, narrative poetry.

Bears in the Caviar
May 01, 2015

Bears in the Caviar

Bears in the Caviar is a hilarious and insightful memoir by a diplomat who was “present at the creation” of US-Soviet relations. Charles Thayer headed off to Russia in 1933, calculating that if he could just learn Russian and be on the spot when the US and USSR established relations, he could make himself indispensable and start a career in the foreign service. Remarkably, he pulled it of.

About Us

Russian Life is a publication of a 30-year-young, award-winning publishing house that creates a bimonthly magazine, books, maps, and other products for Russophiles the world over.

Latest Posts

Our Contacts

Russian Life
73 Main Street, Suite 402
Montpelier VT 05602

802-223-4955