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I Love Russia: Reporting from a Lost Country
An unprecedented and intimate portrait of Russia and a fearless cri de coeur for journalism in opposition to the global authoritarian turn
To be a journalist is to tell the truth. I Love Russia is Elena Kostyuchenko's fearless and unrelenting attempt to document Putin's Russia as experienced by those whom it systematically and brutally erases: village girls recruited into sex work, queer people in the outer provinces, patients and doctors at a Ukrainian maternity ward, and reporters like herself.
The result is a singular portrait of a nation, and of a young woman who refuses to be silenced. In March 2022, as a reporter for Russia's last free press, Novaya Gazeta, Kostyuchenko crossed the border into Ukraine to cover the war. It was her mission to ensure that Russians witnessed the horrors Putin was committing in their name. She filed her pieces knowing that should she return home, she would likely be prosecuted and sentenced to 15 years in prison--yet driven by the conviction that the greatest form of love and patriotism is criticism, she continues to write, undaunted and with eyes wide open.
I Love Russiastitches together reportage from the past 15 years with personal essays, assembling a kaleidoscopic narrative that Kostyuchenko understands may be the last thing she'll publish for a long time, perhaps ever. She writes because the threat of Putin's Russia extends beyond herself, beyond Crimea, and beyond Ukraine. We fail to understand it at our own peril.
To be a journalist is to tell the truth. I Love Russia is Elena Kostyuchenko's fearless and unrelenting attempt to document Putin's Russia as experienced by those whom it systematically and brutally erases: village girls recruited into sex work, queer people in the outer provinces, patients and doctors at a Ukrainian maternity ward, and reporters like herself.
The result is a singular portrait of a nation, and of a young woman who refuses to be silenced. In March 2022, as a reporter for Russia's last free press, Novaya Gazeta, Kostyuchenko crossed the border into Ukraine to cover the war. It was her mission to ensure that Russians witnessed the horrors Putin was committing in their name. She filed her pieces knowing that should she return home, she would likely be prosecuted and sentenced to 15 years in prison--yet driven by the conviction that the greatest form of love and patriotism is criticism, she continues to write, undaunted and with eyes wide open.
I Love Russiastitches together reportage from the past 15 years with personal essays, assembling a kaleidoscopic narrative that Kostyuchenko understands may be the last thing she'll publish for a long time, perhaps ever. She writes because the threat of Putin's Russia extends beyond herself, beyond Crimea, and beyond Ukraine. We fail to understand it at our own peril.
384 pages, Hardcover
Published October 17, 2023
About the author
Elena Kostyuchenko
7 books67 followersElena Kostyuchenko was born in Yaroslavl, Russia in 1987. She began working as a journalist when she was fourteen, and spent seventeen years reporting for Novaya Gazeta, Russia’s last major independent newspaper until it was shut down in the spring of 2022 in response to her reporting from Ukraine. She is the author of two books published in Russian, Unwanted on Probation and We Have to Live Here, and the recipient of the European Press Prize, the Gerd Bucerius Award, and the Paul Klebnikov Prize. Her newest book, I Love Russia: Reporting From a Lost Country was published with Penguin Press in 2023.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 237 reviews
November 2, 2023
Clearly many of the reviewers haven't actually read this book and assume that based on the title and the author's nationality that the book is pro-Russian propaganda. This book is a fantastic collection of reports and personal essays by one of Russia's leading independent journalists. She focuses on life outside of Moscow/St. Petersburg, looking at sex work, poverty, addiction, industry. If you enjoyed Secondhand Time by Svetlana Alexievich this would be a great read. And ignore the previous reviewers and look to someone that has actually read the book.
October 13, 2023
Ah, yes. A ‘great’ book from a woman, who travelled to occupied Ukrainian territories and spread blunt lies.
Not to mention the title is wildly inappropriate, as Russia is a terroristic state. Does the publisher support terrorism? Just wondering.
Not to mention the title is wildly inappropriate, as Russia is a terroristic state. Does the publisher support terrorism? Just wondering.
September 8, 2023
A highly important piece of journalism that shines a necessary light on the reality of Russia. While I’ve seen some criticism of the journalist being Russian herself, I think that this writing is incredibly important because of that. It’s remarkable that this journalist has dedicated her work to telling the truth about the country she’s from, even when risking her own life to do so.
August 18, 2023
I am sure you have heard about “don’t judge the book by its cover”. The Autor is not just anti putin, “good Russian” or pro democracy - this overly used banality can’t describe the magnitude of Elena Kostyuchenko’s character. The Autor has been revealing and publishing numerous texts on Russian government crimes for decades, she was one of the first journalists who published proof materials in 2015 that Russian troops are present in Donbas, she also published crimes of Russian’a army crimes during the occupation or Kherson and other Ukranian cities in 2022, she found and revealed the torture prison where the Russian army held captives. She is constantly under the threat and risk to be murdered. She had to flee from Ukraine due to threats for her life. And so on. She is also an open lesbian and her girlfriend is another activist with cerebral palsy. Make me laugh that some people in this community in such plebeian manner and trivial statements denounce great authors based on their origin or book title.
October 13, 2023
"To be a journalist is to tell the truth." - nice words but its definately NOT about Elena Kostyuchenko cause she was caught number of times lying and supporting russ*an propaganda. I recommend you not to waste your time on this bullshit
August 3, 2023
You must be fucking kidding me. This steaming pile of victimhood framing is a new low for Penguin.
November 18, 2023
To the people who are thinking about reading this book and are discouraged by a large amount of one star reviews — don’t be. Most of their authors have not even opened this book. They are either judging by the title or just being malicious for some other reason.
The title is divisive, yes. But like someone has already said, you can love you country and be horrified by what it does.
The book is a collection of stories about Russia. Things you don’t see because they are hidden away from public view by the people in power. Things that are horrifying, evil and heartbreaking. Things that in Russian news media were mostly either not mentioned at all, or mentioned in passing or just lied about.
It is also about hope. About people, who amidst all this evil, still find strength and power to fight it.
The title is divisive, yes. But like someone has already said, you can love you country and be horrified by what it does.
The book is a collection of stories about Russia. Things you don’t see because they are hidden away from public view by the people in power. Things that are horrifying, evil and heartbreaking. Things that in Russian news media were mostly either not mentioned at all, or mentioned in passing or just lied about.
It is also about hope. About people, who amidst all this evil, still find strength and power to fight it.
October 13, 2023
Classical propaganda supporting russia, nothing else. Perfectly written from a standard propaganda-manual.
It’s unfortunate that such books are still being published nowadays.
It’s unfortunate that such books are still being published nowadays.
November 21, 2023
People who rated this book 1 star and said it is Russian propaganda did not open this book.
It is a collection of stories about Russia. Stories that are not told by Russian officials. They are hidden by people of power but they are important. It was not an easy read and there are a lot of pain in these stories.
It is a collection of stories about Russia. Stories that are not told by Russian officials. They are hidden by people of power but they are important. It was not an easy read and there are a lot of pain in these stories.
August 1, 2023
Le storie raccontate in questo libro coincidono, complessivamente, con le tante storie che colleghi e conoscenti russi mi hanno raccontato negli anni. Cosa succede se al governo di un paese immenso e complicato, dotato di risorse enormi e problemi in scala, metti direttamente la mafia?
Succede che chi vive già in condizioni miserabili vede le sue condizioni diventare ogni giorno più miserabili.
Succede che un piccolo gruppo di persone accede a un potere immenso in termini di denaro ma anche di mille altre cose, con l'unica clausola della spada di Damocle della rovina improvvisa che aleggia sulla testa e che spinge continuamente ad arraffare il massimo possibile nel minor tempo possibile.
Succede che chi sta in mezzo è lasciato a una scelta tra andarsene o essere complice.
Con dei paradossi.
Che i maggiori sostenitori del regime mafiosi sono quelli che hanno perso tutto, dipendono dalla elargizione da parte del potere di salvagenti sottodimensionati e comunque di ogni cambiamento temono che potrà perderli del tutto. E' diverso da quanto succede in certe aree degradate del Sud?
Che la classe media vive benino a patto di chiudere gli occhi, di diventare impermeabili a ciò che li circonda. E' diverso da quanto succede nel nostro paese.
Che ci si abitua a vivere in un paese di privilegi invece che di diritti e molti ne sono pure contenti. Meglio sapere che le file sono infinite ma noi abbiamo un amico che ce le farà saltare piuttosto che sapere che tutti devono fare una breve fila. Siamo diversi, noi?
Solo chi è lucido capisce che questo significa che un giorno dovrai accollarti una responsabilitàè non tua (e se ne vorrai uscire dovrai corrompere un magistrato), un giorno dovrai corrompere il medico per ottenere un farmaco altrimenti introvabile, un giorno dovrai allungare una bustarella a quello dei servizi sociali per evitare che il tuo anziano genitore finisca in un ospizio maleodorante e tante altre amenità del genere.
Elena Kostjucenko racconta in che modo il sistema di potere putiniano abbia corrotto ogni angolo della società russa, trasformandola in un dolente corpo malato sul quale pasteggiano pochi ricchi oligarchi e sopravvivono coloro che scelgono di non vedere. Un paese perduto, come recita il sottotitolo e, a mio parere, che abbiamo troppo a lungo foraggiato e tollerato. Oggi, con l'invasione dell'Ucraina, abbiamo sotto gli occhi cosa significhi convivere con un vicino del genere, che non esita neanche un secondo quando si tratta di lasciare i suoi rifiuti sul tuo pianerottolo.
Dispiace per i tanti russi fragili, cornuti e mazziati, vittime di un sistema che non da loro nulla di quello che promette. Dispiace per la piccola elite colta e democratica schiacciata tra la scelta di andarsene e quella di soffrire un malessere inenarrabile. Ma non ci riesce a immaginare quale catarsi della storia possa spazzar via i ricchi arroganti, restituire dignità agli umili, far ravvedere i complici.
Non stupisce che la russia putiniana abbia (avuto) successo in Italia: un paese europeo che ha sempre preferito i privilegi ai diritti.
Succede che chi vive già in condizioni miserabili vede le sue condizioni diventare ogni giorno più miserabili.
Succede che un piccolo gruppo di persone accede a un potere immenso in termini di denaro ma anche di mille altre cose, con l'unica clausola della spada di Damocle della rovina improvvisa che aleggia sulla testa e che spinge continuamente ad arraffare il massimo possibile nel minor tempo possibile.
Succede che chi sta in mezzo è lasciato a una scelta tra andarsene o essere complice.
Con dei paradossi.
Che i maggiori sostenitori del regime mafiosi sono quelli che hanno perso tutto, dipendono dalla elargizione da parte del potere di salvagenti sottodimensionati e comunque di ogni cambiamento temono che potrà perderli del tutto. E' diverso da quanto succede in certe aree degradate del Sud?
Che la classe media vive benino a patto di chiudere gli occhi, di diventare impermeabili a ciò che li circonda. E' diverso da quanto succede nel nostro paese.
Che ci si abitua a vivere in un paese di privilegi invece che di diritti e molti ne sono pure contenti. Meglio sapere che le file sono infinite ma noi abbiamo un amico che ce le farà saltare piuttosto che sapere che tutti devono fare una breve fila. Siamo diversi, noi?
Solo chi è lucido capisce che questo significa che un giorno dovrai accollarti una responsabilitàè non tua (e se ne vorrai uscire dovrai corrompere un magistrato), un giorno dovrai corrompere il medico per ottenere un farmaco altrimenti introvabile, un giorno dovrai allungare una bustarella a quello dei servizi sociali per evitare che il tuo anziano genitore finisca in un ospizio maleodorante e tante altre amenità del genere.
Elena Kostjucenko racconta in che modo il sistema di potere putiniano abbia corrotto ogni angolo della società russa, trasformandola in un dolente corpo malato sul quale pasteggiano pochi ricchi oligarchi e sopravvivono coloro che scelgono di non vedere. Un paese perduto, come recita il sottotitolo e, a mio parere, che abbiamo troppo a lungo foraggiato e tollerato. Oggi, con l'invasione dell'Ucraina, abbiamo sotto gli occhi cosa significhi convivere con un vicino del genere, che non esita neanche un secondo quando si tratta di lasciare i suoi rifiuti sul tuo pianerottolo.
Dispiace per i tanti russi fragili, cornuti e mazziati, vittime di un sistema che non da loro nulla di quello che promette. Dispiace per la piccola elite colta e democratica schiacciata tra la scelta di andarsene e quella di soffrire un malessere inenarrabile. Ma non ci riesce a immaginare quale catarsi della storia possa spazzar via i ricchi arroganti, restituire dignità agli umili, far ravvedere i complici.
Non stupisce che la russia putiniana abbia (avuto) successo in Italia: un paese europeo che ha sempre preferito i privilegi ai diritti.
November 15, 2023
Костюченко, без сомнения, невероятная журналистка. Читать её тексты это резать себя ножом. Ощущение острой физической боли, безысходности, гнева, отчаяния не отпускают. Но в тот же момент, сколько любви, нежности и уважения к "маленькому" человеку, внимания к деталям, умения увидеть чувства, разделить их с героями статей. Эти истории останутся навсегда, это невозможно забыть. Забывать нельзя, чтобы оставаться людьми.
August 4, 2023
it's a shame to publish a book about a wolf in sheep's clothing
May 24, 2023
"Le fotografie di Igor' Domnikov, Jurij Ščekočikin, Anna Politkovskaja, Stanislav Markelov, Anastasija Baburova e Natal'ja Estemirova sono appese sopra il tavolo che usiamo per le riunioni di pianificazine e per quelle più operative. Ogni volta cerchiamo di appendere l'ennesima foto in modo che non rimanga altro spazio sul muro. Quando non hai modo di difendere te stesso e i tuoi, diventi superstizioso.
Ma poi c'è sempre un nuovo omicidio, e i volti in bianco e nero devono stringersi.
Il posto per il nuovo arrivato si trova sempre."
Ma poi c'è sempre un nuovo omicidio, e i volti in bianco e nero devono stringersi.
Il posto per il nuovo arrivato si trova sempre."
March 28, 2024
если бы можно было поставить этой книге десять звезд из пяти, я бы поставила. это теперь моя любимая книга. самая-самая страшная, страшнее всех ужасов, которые я когда-либо читала (страшнее только Алексиевич, но её я не дочитала даже до второй главы, хотя теперь хочу)
я тоже люблю Россию. как Лена. отчасти поэтому читать было так сложно. какой же ад на земле происходит в нашей стране. фашисткое государство, уничтожающее (пытающееся уничтожить) соседнее, Украину, фашисткое государство, уничтожающее своих же граждан. я ненавижу всё, что происходит с моей страной, как и Лена, у нее это читается в каждой странице.
Лена дала мне надежду. я посмотрела оба ее интервью (Гордеевой и Дудю) и я восхитилась тем, какая она светлая. как она сумела сохранить человека после того как стала свидетельницей этого кошмара. этого… даже слова такого нет, не могу подобрать. я люблю ее очень и надеюсь, что все её мечты сбудутся, цели станут реальностью.
это потрясающая книга. она очень реалистичная. она очень пронзительная. я много плакала. дышала через рот, кусала пальцы, закрывала и снова открывала. дозировала главы, хотя могла бы прочитать ее за один день, настолько он�� хороша с точки зрения языка, слога. читала лениным вкрадчивым голосом. очень современная, очень живая, очень ранящая.
я тоже люблю Россию. как Лена. отчасти поэтому читать было так сложно. какой же ад на земле происходит в нашей стране. фашисткое государство, уничтожающее (пытающееся уничтожить) соседнее, Украину, фашисткое государство, уничтожающее своих же граждан. я ненавижу всё, что происходит с моей страной, как и Лена, у нее это читается в каждой странице.
Лена дала мне надежду. я посмотрела оба ее интервью (Гордеевой и Дудю) и я восхитилась тем, какая она светлая. как она сумела сохранить человека после того как стала свидетельницей этого кошмара. этого… даже слова такого нет, не могу подобрать. я люблю ее очень и надеюсь, что все её мечты сбудутся, цели станут реальностью.
это потрясающая книга. она очень реалистичная. она очень пронзительная. я много плакала. дышала через рот, кусала пальцы, закрывала и снова открывала. дозировала главы, хотя могла бы прочитать ее за один день, настолько он�� хороша с точки зрения языка, слога. читала лениным вкрадчивым голосом. очень современная, очень живая, очень ранящая.
October 25, 2023
This was a bit uneven, but mostly a very interesting look at average Russian life, and the desperation that seems to play into the plans of autocrats like Putin.
January 11, 2024
I am still processing and will write a more full review later, but I wanted to say something after reading some of the other reviews…
This book was written by a journalist who worked for the last independent newspaper in Russia before it was shut down. She has had multiple colleagues murdered by the Putin regime. In this book she goes into detail about how the Russian state is destroying its citizens and covering up war crimes.
Anyone who says this is a piece of Russian propaganda has either not read the book or is a proxy of the Russian state. Read the book and see for yourself.
This book was written by a journalist who worked for the last independent newspaper in Russia before it was shut down. She has had multiple colleagues murdered by the Putin regime. In this book she goes into detail about how the Russian state is destroying its citizens and covering up war crimes.
Anyone who says this is a piece of Russian propaganda has either not read the book or is a proxy of the Russian state. Read the book and see for yourself.
April 5, 2024
«А на что тратится любовь? Она горит и горит, пока не погаснет. Иногда ей удается осветить кусочек жизни — например, ветку сирени, и жизнь выходит из темноты, оказывается цветной. Но потом темнота возвращается».
«Я так люблю свою страну. И ненавижу государство» — эта цитата из песни Lumen —Государство идеально описывает мое отношение к России сегодня, вчера, год назад, три, пять, десять лет... Мне так больно за нее. За моих близких. За россиян. За граждан других стран. За нас за всех — за людей.
Очень трудно подбирать слова. Думаю, что не буду даже пытаться. Эту книгу важно прочитать россиянам. Прочитать и подумать. Когда, если не сейчас?
Скажу еще только одно: мы обязательно его переживем.
«Я так люблю свою страну. И ненавижу государство» — эта цитата из песни Lumen —Государство идеально описывает мое отношение к России сегодня, вчера, год назад, три, пять, десять лет... Мне так больно за нее. За моих близких. За россиян. За граждан других стран. За нас за всех — за людей.
Очень трудно подбирать слова. Думаю, что не буду даже пытаться. Эту книгу важно прочитать россиянам. Прочитать и подумать. Когда, если не сейчас?
Скажу еще только одно: мы обязательно его переживем.
November 11, 2023
Unfortunate naming, but overall brilliant journalist work.
June 16, 2024
Novaya Gazeta foi um jornal independente pró-democracia criado na Rússia em 1993, reconhecido internacionalmente pelas suas reportagens de investigação com o prémio Nobel da Paz em 2021 atribuído ao fundador e chefe de redação Dmitry Muratov, com a menção: "pelos seus esforços para salvaguardar a liberdade de expressão, que é uma condição prévia para a democracia e para uma paz duradoura". Desde 2000, este jornal perdeu 6 jornalistas, entre os quais Anna Politkovskaya, todos assassinados enquanto realizavam os seus trabalhos de investigação. Elena Kostyuchenko, descobriu a sua paixão pelo jornalismo quando tinha 14 anos, por volta de 2000, ao ler os textos de Anna Politkovskaya. Com apenas 17 anos, entrou para a equipa do jornal. Em 2014, foi quem demonstrou, através da sua investigação, que existiam tropas russas no Donbass. Com a invasão da Ucrânia em Fevereiro 2022, Kostyuchenko passou 4 semanas na linha da frente a reportar as atrocidades das tropas russas. Em setembro 2022, a licença da Novaya Gazeta seria totalmente revogada. Em outubro 2022, Elena Kostyuchenko sofria uma tentativa de assassinato por envenenamento no comboio a caminho de Munique. "I Love Russia" (2023), dá-nos acesso ao mundo vivido por Elena Kostyuchenko junto de muitas das pessoas que entrevistou, num registo a fazer lembrar a excelência do trabalho da nobel Svetlana Aleksievitch. O título, provocativo, diz-nos que a Rússia é, sempre foi, muito mais do que os seus líderes.
Texto completo com links no Narrativa X:
https://narrativax.blogspot.com/2024/...
Texto completo com links no Narrativa X:
https://narrativax.blogspot.com/2024/...
December 26, 2023
Normally I do not write out reviews on here. But the amount of negative reviews coming from people who are triggered by the title and do not bother opening the book made me write this out. I have just finished this book and had to take several deep breaths. Clearly the title is sarcastic. This book is written by a queer woman who, like me, only wishes for a better world, a better life for people. There are no words to describe how brave, intelligent and empathetic Elena Kostyuchenko is. This book is filled with so much tragedy, so much honesty, it made me cry several times. This book is an essential read for anyone who wishes to understand ruzzia’s descent into fascism. Like one of the chapter’s names says, It Has Been Fascist For A Long Time (Open Your Eyes). Some chapters made me think about my own childhood growing up in Moscow and in deep russian countryside, how dreadful life is out there. From now on, when people would ask me “how was it growing up in russia?” I will tell them to read this book. Elena is truly a talented writer, because I thought it impossible to hate putin more than I already do, but this book made the hate for the fascist regime so much stronger. All I want now (more than ever) is for Ukraine to win the war (and for russia to be free, whatever that may look like), so now I will go and donate money to Ukrainian army (you should do the same).
December 20, 2023
Книга представляет собой набор статей и репортажей за авторством Елены Костюченко, выходивших в Новой газете, перемежающийся автобиографическими зарисовками (взросление в Ярославле, вхождение в профессию, ЛГБТ-активизм и т.д).
Для тех, кто читал Новую Газету и смотрел интервью Елены, которые она давала Гордеевой и Дудю, ничего принципиально нового в этой книге не будет.
Но, собранные воедино, эти материалы призваны показать нам, как страна на протяжении последних десятилетий катится, а затем и стремительно летит в пропасть. Как хтонь, притаившаяся по богом забытым провинциальным углам и деревням, постепенно расползается и поглощает всё вокруг.
Конечно, выборка материалов тут односторонняя, но ведь автор и не претендует на объективность. Эта книга исключительно личная, но этим она и ценна.
Костюченко тут на 100% следует заветам Герцена: "мы не лекарство, мы - боль".
Чтение не самое приятное, но, безусловно, необходимое.
Для тех, кто читал Новую Газету и смотрел интервью Елены, которые она давала Гордеевой и Дудю, ничего принципиально нового в этой книге не будет.
Но, собранные воедино, эти материалы призваны показать нам, как страна на протяжении последних десятилетий катится, а затем и стремительно летит в пропасть. Как хтонь, притаившаяся по богом забытым провинциальным углам и деревням, постепенно расползается и поглощает всё вокруг.
Конечно, выборка материалов тут односторонняя, но ведь автор и не претендует на объективность. Эта книга исключительно личная, но этим она и ценна.
Костюченко тут на 100% следует заветам Герцена: "мы не лекарство, мы - боль".
Чтение не самое приятное, но, безусловно, необходимое.
January 17, 2024
« When human connection is lost, all this is left is the State. »
This collection of previously published journalistic pieces and personal essays spans over a decade and is deeply fucking harrowing. Kotsyuchenko, a Russian lesbian working for [what was] Russia’s last independent journal, writes long, detailed pieces of critical journalism that illuminate the ravages of Putin’s Russia. Her interest lies in the lives of ordinary people living in rural areas, queer and disenfranchised people, and the way the state has failed them entirely. Justice does not prevail in Kotsyuchenko’s portrayal, and yet justice is achieved in the way she writes: to give dignity back to these people that have been so immensely failed by their country. This book is not a hopeful one, nor is it a happy one, but it is one that is meant to expand one’s horizon, I think. I think it is a particularly important book to publish in english at this time and frankly, I’m surprised PRH had the balls to do it.
This collection of previously published journalistic pieces and personal essays spans over a decade and is deeply fucking harrowing. Kotsyuchenko, a Russian lesbian working for [what was] Russia’s last independent journal, writes long, detailed pieces of critical journalism that illuminate the ravages of Putin’s Russia. Her interest lies in the lives of ordinary people living in rural areas, queer and disenfranchised people, and the way the state has failed them entirely. Justice does not prevail in Kotsyuchenko’s portrayal, and yet justice is achieved in the way she writes: to give dignity back to these people that have been so immensely failed by their country. This book is not a hopeful one, nor is it a happy one, but it is one that is meant to expand one’s horizon, I think. I think it is a particularly important book to publish in english at this time and frankly, I’m surprised PRH had the balls to do it.
December 15, 2023
It was very interesting to read her complex perspective on her own country and the view from a person who went to Ukraine documenting the war and being from Russia. She comes across in these pieces as someone critical of her country but who still loves the people within it. I think this is best read in conjunction with A Small Corner of Hell: Dispatches from Chechnya by Anna Politkovskaya, who was an inspiration for the author and allows one to get a wider scope of critical journalism in Russia from the perspective of Russians (that is available in English). I also think Secondhand Time by Svetlana Alexievich illuminates the Soviet nostalgia present in many of the people that Kostyuchenko interviews, and its a good book in its own right.
November 21, 2023
I'm not sure what I expected going into this, but I really liked the style of this as completely different vignettes on different areas and cultures in Russia. It doesn't necessarily even attempt to expand each of those to other parts of Russia or Russian society-- an almost feral subculture in abandoned hospital, a remote settlement of indigenous Russians, a mental hospital, a community attempting to survive and heal after a massacre at a school.... all are just presented as snapshots of Russia.
November 22, 2023
Elena Kostyuchenko worked for Novaya Gazetta, an independent newspaper in Russia, for 17 years. She alternates short personal stories with long form articles/essays about life in Russia. Almost all of them are unrelentingly bleak as she shows how Russia fails its people over and over again. She takes us to Norilsk where the town company pollutes with immunity. We visit Beslan where Russian authorities killed over a hundred Russians (many of them children) in order to teach terrorists a lesson. Orphanages. Homes for the “mentally unstable”. The final chapter takes us to Ukraine where she sees the crimes of Russia first hand.
Ukrainians have a legitimate reason for hating Russia, but I guarantee that Elena Kostyuchenko would agree. After all she has been fighting Putin’s regime her entire adult life. A more apt name for the collection would be “I Hate Russia”.
This isn’t an easy or enjoyable read, but I think it is important for people to know where facism leads.
Ukrainians have a legitimate reason for hating Russia, but I guarantee that Elena Kostyuchenko would agree. After all she has been fighting Putin’s regime her entire adult life. A more apt name for the collection would be “I Hate Russia”.
This isn’t an easy or enjoyable read, but I think it is important for people to know where facism leads.
November 18, 2023
I feel like a lot of people read the title and "reviewed"/rated it based on that...I don't think you can really read this book and come away with the impression that the author is advocating for what she describes is/was happening in Russia.
December 13, 2023
I’m really inspired by Elena Kostyuchenko and the work of Novaya Gazeta, but this book was heavy and it took me a while to get through. Having visited (and enjoyed) Russia, I was constantly aware of the dark political backdrop and this book covered how that works in real time, and affects all Russians. I was particularly taken by the chapter on the train lines, and the final chapter on the Ukrainian war. This book also highlights to me the importance of a free press, and I hope in a post-Putin lifetime Novaya Gazeta will resume printing. As an aside, I also noticed the high amount of Russian bots (?) shitting on this book here on Goodreads, and if I’d read the reviews before buying the book I definitely wouldn’t have bothered - so that’s something I’ll be aware of when selecting political books in the future.
December 12, 2023
Kostyuchenko is everything a journalist should be. This book is a perfect intersection of engaging reportage and memoir. A critical look at Russia, because love means putting the time and effort into harsh criticism. Her prose is poetry. She excels at interview. She is candid and unimaginably empathetic, aware that you can only change something by understanding it, and that Putin does not represent the people of Russia, whose voices deserve to be heard. Her vulnerable yet confident voice leads the reader through the horrors of a contemporary Russia, and uplifts us with a reminder that amidst the tragedy live people who are trying to salvage their fallen country and right its wrongs from inside.
January 8, 2024
Jag hade förlorat tron på hjältar, men har nu återfått den. Den modiga Jelena Kostiutjenko (f 1984) är kanske ingen belletrist men däremot en skjutstjärnsjournalist av rang. Jag ser på Goodreads att hon anklagas för att sprida rysk propaganda, hon lyckas provocera redan med titeln.
”Jag gick till regionsbiblioteket och bad om fler nummer av Novaja Gazeta. Jag letade efter hennes [Anna Politkovskaja] artiklar. Jag läste dem. Det kändes som om jag hade feber, jag lade handen över pannan, men den var kall, fuktig, död. Jag insåg att jag inte visste någonting om mitt land. Att teven hade lurat mig. Jag gick runt med den här insikten i några veckor. Jag läste, gick runt i parken, gick runt och läste igen. Jag ville prata med någon vuxen, men det fanns inga vuxna – alla trodde på teven.”
Novaja Gazeta var en mångfaldigt prisad, oberoende, oppositionell nyhetstidning som startades 1993 av bland annat Dmitrij Muratov (som fick Nobels fredspris 2021). Dess grävande journalister arbetade med människorättsbrott och korruption, flera av dem mördades. Kostiutjenko arbetade på tidningen fram till 2022 då den lades ner till följd av invasionen av Ukraina och ökad statlig censur. Hon lever nu i exil.
Mitt älskade land är en reportagebok med Kostiutjenkos texter om dels personliga upplevelser av att växa upp i ett älskat Sovjetunionen och leva som lesbisk kvinna i Ryssland. Det är drabbande att läsa om hur den unga kvinnans ögon plötsligt öppnas inför den ryska regimens förtryck. Här finns reportage om tågtrafiken och hur den utanför Moskva går lite som den vill, om korrupta poliser som röker gräs istället för att arbeta, om bordellens misär där kvinnans pengar inte sällan går till killen som är internerad i straffkoloni.
Att leva som ryss är för somliga underbart, för andra helt okej, för många att leva i vanmakt och för en del ett rent helvete. Kostiutjenko intervjuar människor från olika delar av befolkningen och stöter på fattigdom, utsatthet, brottslighet, vapen, våld, missbruk, hög dödlighet. Många ryssar heter Nina. En Nina är sjuttiofyra år: ”Hon har haft två makar – båda är döda. Sex barn. Alla är döda. Fyra av dem dog som spädbarn. När barnen är så små syr man fast gåsvingar på dem och begraver dem i träden. Döda barn förvandlas till fåglar.” En annan Nina säger: ”En del klarar sig, andra inte. Varför? Nu tror jag på moirerna, de blinda grekiska ödesgudinnorna. De väver människors öden av vad som helst och klipper av tråden när de vill. Det är enda sättet jag kan förstå nåt här.”
Det handlar om terrordådet i Beslan då 155 barn dödades när ryska säkerhetsstyrkor stormade skolan och gruvbolaget Nornickels utsläpp i Norilsk.
”Nepotism är vanligt, den är hemsk och faktiskt ett av de största problemen, både i Kombinatet [Nornickel] och i allt som över huvud taget pågår här. Det är därför folk ofta har befattningar som inte motsvarar deras kompetens. De har helt enkelt köpt sin examen och fått ett jobb någonstans.”
För mig som ibland blir trött på ”journalistiken” efter sociala mediers intåg, klickbeten och metoo-haveriet är det otroligt livgivande att läsa om hur Kostiutjenko gör skillnad när hon avslöjar maktelitens brott. Men Mitt älskade land är en fragmentarisk och lite stum läsupplevelse. Språket är korthugget och inte alls målande, namnen är många och jag har lite svårt att få någon riktig känsla för verkligheten som beskrivs. Kanske hade kompletterande bilder gjort reportagen mer begripliga. Mot slutet skildrar hon livet på ett barnhem och ett hem för funktionsnedsatta (PNI – psykoneurologiskt internat) och det hon då upplever engagerar mig enormt.
”För mig är PNI den ryska staten. Inte vaccinet Sputnik-V, inte OS, inte rymdraketerna. För mig är det här man finner staten, det är här jag ser dess anlete.”
Avslutningsvis berättar hon om hur hon får sin romantiserade bild av krig utbytt mot verklighetens lera och utvakade människor. Hon hamnar under beskjutning och upptäcker överraskad att hon kan springa på alla fyra. Ännu mer överraskad blir hon över att inse att ryssarna är fascisterna.
Mitt älskade land är motsatsen till rysk propaganda, vilket de som påstår det skulle upptäckt om de läst boken. För mig är det en lärorik läsupplevelse bland annat informeras jag om att 88 är ett kodord för Hitler (h är åttonde bokstaven i alfabetet). Tänk på det i sommar när ni längtar efter vanilj- och chokladglass täckt med nötkrokant!
”Jag gick till regionsbiblioteket och bad om fler nummer av Novaja Gazeta. Jag letade efter hennes [Anna Politkovskaja] artiklar. Jag läste dem. Det kändes som om jag hade feber, jag lade handen över pannan, men den var kall, fuktig, död. Jag insåg att jag inte visste någonting om mitt land. Att teven hade lurat mig. Jag gick runt med den här insikten i några veckor. Jag läste, gick runt i parken, gick runt och läste igen. Jag ville prata med någon vuxen, men det fanns inga vuxna – alla trodde på teven.”
Novaja Gazeta var en mångfaldigt prisad, oberoende, oppositionell nyhetstidning som startades 1993 av bland annat Dmitrij Muratov (som fick Nobels fredspris 2021). Dess grävande journalister arbetade med människorättsbrott och korruption, flera av dem mördades. Kostiutjenko arbetade på tidningen fram till 2022 då den lades ner till följd av invasionen av Ukraina och ökad statlig censur. Hon lever nu i exil.
Mitt älskade land är en reportagebok med Kostiutjenkos texter om dels personliga upplevelser av att växa upp i ett älskat Sovjetunionen och leva som lesbisk kvinna i Ryssland. Det är drabbande att läsa om hur den unga kvinnans ögon plötsligt öppnas inför den ryska regimens förtryck. Här finns reportage om tågtrafiken och hur den utanför Moskva går lite som den vill, om korrupta poliser som röker gräs istället för att arbeta, om bordellens misär där kvinnans pengar inte sällan går till killen som är internerad i straffkoloni.
Att leva som ryss är för somliga underbart, för andra helt okej, för många att leva i vanmakt och för en del ett rent helvete. Kostiutjenko intervjuar människor från olika delar av befolkningen och stöter på fattigdom, utsatthet, brottslighet, vapen, våld, missbruk, hög dödlighet. Många ryssar heter Nina. En Nina är sjuttiofyra år: ”Hon har haft två makar – båda är döda. Sex barn. Alla är döda. Fyra av dem dog som spädbarn. När barnen är så små syr man fast gåsvingar på dem och begraver dem i träden. Döda barn förvandlas till fåglar.” En annan Nina säger: ”En del klarar sig, andra inte. Varför? Nu tror jag på moirerna, de blinda grekiska ödesgudinnorna. De väver människors öden av vad som helst och klipper av tråden när de vill. Det är enda sättet jag kan förstå nåt här.”
Det handlar om terrordådet i Beslan då 155 barn dödades när ryska säkerhetsstyrkor stormade skolan och gruvbolaget Nornickels utsläpp i Norilsk.
”Nepotism är vanligt, den är hemsk och faktiskt ett av de största problemen, både i Kombinatet [Nornickel] och i allt som över huvud taget pågår här. Det är därför folk ofta har befattningar som inte motsvarar deras kompetens. De har helt enkelt köpt sin examen och fått ett jobb någonstans.”
För mig som ibland blir trött på ”journalistiken” efter sociala mediers intåg, klickbeten och metoo-haveriet är det otroligt livgivande att läsa om hur Kostiutjenko gör skillnad när hon avslöjar maktelitens brott. Men Mitt älskade land är en fragmentarisk och lite stum läsupplevelse. Språket är korthugget och inte alls målande, namnen är många och jag har lite svårt att få någon riktig känsla för verkligheten som beskrivs. Kanske hade kompletterande bilder gjort reportagen mer begripliga. Mot slutet skildrar hon livet på ett barnhem och ett hem för funktionsnedsatta (PNI – psykoneurologiskt internat) och det hon då upplever engagerar mig enormt.
”För mig är PNI den ryska staten. Inte vaccinet Sputnik-V, inte OS, inte rymdraketerna. För mig är det här man finner staten, det är här jag ser dess anlete.”
Avslutningsvis berättar hon om hur hon får sin romantiserade bild av krig utbytt mot verklighetens lera och utvakade människor. Hon hamnar under beskjutning och upptäcker överraskad att hon kan springa på alla fyra. Ännu mer överraskad blir hon över att inse att ryssarna är fascisterna.
Mitt älskade land är motsatsen till rysk propaganda, vilket de som påstår det skulle upptäckt om de läst boken. För mig är det en lärorik läsupplevelse bland annat informeras jag om att 88 är ett kodord för Hitler (h är åttonde bokstaven i alfabetet). Tänk på det i sommar när ni längtar efter vanilj- och chokladglass täckt med nötkrokant!
July 4, 2023
uno sguardo arrabbiato, sconsolato, atterrito, all'erta. Uno guardo che racconta la Russia da tanti anni, nelle sue contraddizioni e storture, dalle periferie delle città alle zone di guerra. E poi racconti personali di Kostjučenko e del suo rapporto col suo Paese.
La lacerazione profonda che questo ultimo conflitto ha inflitto a tanti è palpabile. Come è palpabile il male che un governo corrotto, non democratico e autoritario ha fatto nel tempo. Goccia dopo goccia. E sono proprio quelle gocce che ci racconta la giornalista in questo libro che è in parte racconto personale e in parte raccolta di scritti.
La lacerazione profonda che questo ultimo conflitto ha inflitto a tanti è palpabile. Come è palpabile il male che un governo corrotto, non democratico e autoritario ha fatto nel tempo. Goccia dopo goccia. E sono proprio quelle gocce che ci racconta la giornalista in questo libro che è in parte racconto personale e in parte raccolta di scritti.
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