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Mud and Stars

By Sara Wheeler

Mud and Stars

By Sara Wheeler

0 - Default Title
Description
ONE OF SMITHSONIAN'S BEST TRAVEL BOOKS OF THE YEAR Searching for a Russia not in the news, author Sara Wheeler embarks on an adventure inspired by the country's great literary legacy. Bypassing major cities as much as possible, Wheeler travels from rinsed northwestern beet fields and the Far Eastern Arctic tundra to the cauldron of nation­alities, religions, and languages in the Caucasus. With her, we see the fabled Trigorskoye ("three hills") estate that Pushkin frequented during his exile, now preserved in his honor. We look for Dostoevsky along the waters of Lake Ilmen, site of the only house the restless writer ever owned. We pay tribute to the single stone that remains of Tol­stoy's birthplace. Wheeler weaves these writers' lives and works around their historical homes, giving us rich portraits of the many diverse Russias from which these writers spoke. As she travels, Wheeler follows local guides, boards with families in modest homestays, eats roe and pelmeni and cabbage soup, invokes recipes from Mastering the Art of Soviet Cooking, learns the language, and observes the pattern of outcry and silence that characterizes life under Vladimir Putin. Illustrated with both historical images and contemporary snapshots of the peo­ple and places that shaped her journey, Mud and Stars gives us timely, witty, and deeply personal insights into Russia, then and now.
Product details
Binding:
Paperback
Number of Pages:
306
Release Date:
2020-10-20
Publication Date:
2020-10-20
Publisher:
Random House
Languages:
Original: English
ISBN10:
052556540X
ISBN13:
9780525565406
GPSR Manufacturer Reference:
[email protected]
Weight:
355 g
Height:
132 cm
Width:
202 cm
Thickness:
21 cm
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