Status
Available
Call number
Genres
Publication
New York : PublicAffairs, [2014]
Description
History. Politics. Sociology. Nonfiction. HTML: A journey into the glittering, surreal heart of 21st century Russia, where even dictatorship is a reality show Professional killers with the souls of artists, would-be theater directors turned Kremlin puppet-masters, suicidal supermodels, Hell's Angels who hallucinate themselves as holy warriors, and oligarch revolutionaries: welcome to the wild and bizarre heart of twenty-first-century Russia. It is a world erupting with new money and new power, changing so fast it breaks all sense of reality, home to a form of dictatorship-far subtler than twentieth-century strains-that is rapidly rising to challenge the West. When British producer Peter Pomerantsev plunges into the booming Russian TV industry, he gains access to every nook and corrupt cranny of the country. He is brought to smoky rooms for meetings with propaganda gurus running the nerve-center of the Russian media machine, and visits Siberian mafia-towns and the salons of the international super-rich in London and the US. As the Putin regime becomes more aggressive, Pomerantsev finds himself drawn further into the system. Dazzling yet piercingly insightful, Nothing Is True and Everything Is Possible is an unforgettable voyage into a country spinning from decadence into madness..… (more)
User reviews
LibraryThing member Stbalbach
Surreal, entertaining, cynical and insightful look at the world's first post-modern nation. Russia went through a jarring reset in 1990, creative destruction on a nation-scale. It was able to remake itself using the latest political technologies. They are one step ahead of everyone else having
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arrived at the state of despair and collapse before the rest. It's no accident Trump successfully channeled the Russian theme, we can all sense Russia ascending. But as this book makes clean, look beyond the smoke and mirrors and Russia has no future except for prostitutes, gangsters and TV producers. Show Less
LibraryThing member atticusfinch1048
Nothing is True and Everything is Possible - Well Informed Account of Modern Russia
Peter Pomerantsev is one of the most assiduous observers of modern Russia that there is at the moment, who always gets to the heart of the matter with his observations and comment. Nothing is True and Everything is
As someone who has a cynical view of Russia, probably because over the centuries Russia has had a large bearing on my Polish family from taking land to murder at Katyn and exile in Siberia. This book will upset a lot of apologists for Putin’s Russia but Pomerantsev takes a look at the Russia that has emerged from the failure of the Soviet Union to the oil rich new oligarchs where the richest seem to have gathered most of the riches where there are many beautiful people who live very dangerous lives. What we do see is that everything changes quickly where there is a vacuum due to a political and ethical bankruptcy.
If this were a novel you would not believe the list of characters that appear throughout this book we see performance artists, gangsters, models, prostitutes, gold – diggers and oligarchs. Being chased around by European development consultants, who seem to be chasing a fast buck.
Pomerantsev describes Moscow as a ‘city living in fast forward’ with new modernistic buildings changing the sky line of the city but also of the destruction that takes so these new buildings can take their place. One feels the changes in Moscow happening so fast that there is a constant flux around the city for change.
I was surprised to see so few mentions of Putin in the book but you can feel that he is behind everything that happens, just like big brother. That the regime that Putin leads from the Kremlin can come across as schizophrenic, with the able assistance of the TV Channels who make Putin the saviour of modern Russia the great statesman and hero. This makes it hard for the opponents of Putin to take up against him as you do not clearly see what you are up against, especially so when the organs of government can suddenly change direction and take against you.
This is a fascinating account of modern Russia, even without Putin being mentioned to often you feel his hand in many things, protecting his new empire like Caesar. The messages in this book resonate especially when considering events in eastern Ukraine and the influence of modern Russia there. We are able to see the sleight of hand through the illusions of glamour, but where money is king and there is a very dangerous core bubbling under the surface.
Nothing is True and Everything is Possible is a wonderful but terrifying account of modern Russian that if you want to know more about the country then one needs to read this book. One of the best books on post-Soviet Russia and the influences it has over certain areas of Europe through money, glamour and corruption.
Peter Pomerantsev is one of the most assiduous observers of modern Russia that there is at the moment, who always gets to the heart of the matter with his observations and comment. Nothing is True and Everything is
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Possible is yet another wonderful example of his work and one of the most important commentaries on modern Russia and Moscow of the moment. If this were a work of fiction you would think it was a dystopian fantasy, unfortunately for the world it is true.As someone who has a cynical view of Russia, probably because over the centuries Russia has had a large bearing on my Polish family from taking land to murder at Katyn and exile in Siberia. This book will upset a lot of apologists for Putin’s Russia but Pomerantsev takes a look at the Russia that has emerged from the failure of the Soviet Union to the oil rich new oligarchs where the richest seem to have gathered most of the riches where there are many beautiful people who live very dangerous lives. What we do see is that everything changes quickly where there is a vacuum due to a political and ethical bankruptcy.
If this were a novel you would not believe the list of characters that appear throughout this book we see performance artists, gangsters, models, prostitutes, gold – diggers and oligarchs. Being chased around by European development consultants, who seem to be chasing a fast buck.
Pomerantsev describes Moscow as a ‘city living in fast forward’ with new modernistic buildings changing the sky line of the city but also of the destruction that takes so these new buildings can take their place. One feels the changes in Moscow happening so fast that there is a constant flux around the city for change.
I was surprised to see so few mentions of Putin in the book but you can feel that he is behind everything that happens, just like big brother. That the regime that Putin leads from the Kremlin can come across as schizophrenic, with the able assistance of the TV Channels who make Putin the saviour of modern Russia the great statesman and hero. This makes it hard for the opponents of Putin to take up against him as you do not clearly see what you are up against, especially so when the organs of government can suddenly change direction and take against you.
This is a fascinating account of modern Russia, even without Putin being mentioned to often you feel his hand in many things, protecting his new empire like Caesar. The messages in this book resonate especially when considering events in eastern Ukraine and the influence of modern Russia there. We are able to see the sleight of hand through the illusions of glamour, but where money is king and there is a very dangerous core bubbling under the surface.
Nothing is True and Everything is Possible is a wonderful but terrifying account of modern Russian that if you want to know more about the country then one needs to read this book. One of the best books on post-Soviet Russia and the influences it has over certain areas of Europe through money, glamour and corruption.
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LibraryThing member Citizenjoyce
By exposing the inner workings of Russia's government, Pomerantsev gives a good portrait of Trump's America where the culture is both "tacky and menacing," the women are beautiful and subservient, people are diverted from investigating the total corruption of those in power by being encouraged in
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the hatred of foreigners and there is no underlying morality but greed. Objective truth doesn't exist, laws are interpreted or changed to favor the creative new schemes of those at the top, and everyone is spying on everyone. Show Less
LibraryThing member BALE
Peter Pomernpantsev shares his experiences living in Russia, from when he was first a student there, through his years as a reality TV Producer for TNT Russia. He deals with post Soviet Russia in transition. Through his eyes, we see the individuals who worked this dramatic change to their profit,
Pomerantev's stories were interesting, but in between the various narratives, the author's writing is disjointed. The reader does not move from one story to the next seamlessly. In fact, he often drops his narrative suddenly, makes incongruent observations, or tells a distracted story before he goes on to the next. Like the author, the reader gets a little distracted until Pomerantev reassembles his thoughts and proceeds more fluently.
Overall, Pomerantev has written an interesting exposé on the upper echelon of Russia after the fall of the Soviet Union. While it is not a moral group, they are influential in swaying the political and financial to their personal benefit, with little or no concern for their fellow countrymen. With regard to the problems in the narrative, I did read an advanced reader's edition. It is possible the author has repaired these sections, connected the stories or thoughts that were, otherwise, fragmented. These alterations would improve the quality and flow of his book.
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financially and/or politically, and those who were influential in building Putin's reputation and presidency. We are then re-introduced to those who fell out of Putin's favor, which is not a treasured position. What we do not read about is the poor or middle-class Russia; how they were effected by the oligarch's and other corruption. So, while it is an interesting look at contemporary Russia, it is not an all-inclusive one.Pomerantev's stories were interesting, but in between the various narratives, the author's writing is disjointed. The reader does not move from one story to the next seamlessly. In fact, he often drops his narrative suddenly, makes incongruent observations, or tells a distracted story before he goes on to the next. Like the author, the reader gets a little distracted until Pomerantev reassembles his thoughts and proceeds more fluently.
Overall, Pomerantev has written an interesting exposé on the upper echelon of Russia after the fall of the Soviet Union. While it is not a moral group, they are influential in swaying the political and financial to their personal benefit, with little or no concern for their fellow countrymen. With regard to the problems in the narrative, I did read an advanced reader's edition. It is possible the author has repaired these sections, connected the stories or thoughts that were, otherwise, fragmented. These alterations would improve the quality and flow of his book.
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LibraryThing member LouisNosko
Peter Pomerantsev was the child of Russian immigrants to the UK. Growing up in England he spoke both Russian and English. He has worked in television and as an analyst and reviewer of Russian affairs and writers. His latest work is “Nothing Is True and Everything Is Possible: the Surreal Heart of
Having worked in British TV and speaking Russian, he got a job with TNT (Your New Television) in Moscow in 2006. Pomerantsev is able to show us the workings of Russian television and its obsession with the madcap world of American reality TV. The stories and events in these programs have to emphasize the positive, the feel good, the notion that fame and riches await. The news has to be the same. As Pomerantsev shows, once Putin put the clamps on the media outlets, the news is directed to provide positive stories on people and events inside Russia and a relentless criticism of the West and the United States in particular.
However, Pomerantsev does not stay bound to the work in TNT studios and conference rooms. He is out looking for stories, and he finds them. Vitaliy Djomochka is a gangster, pure and simple, and he wants to get into television. You could compare him to the Chazz Palminteri character in Woody Allen’s “Bullets Over Broadway”, except Vitaliy is definitely more ruthless. There are the gorgeous young models like Anastasia and Ruslana, who seem to be controlled by a scientology-like organization called The Rose of the World.
Throughout Pomerantsev points out the schizophrenic nature of Russia today. On the one hand Russians have figured out how to get rich, how to have the latest high tech gadgets, how to move in and through the world’s organizations and trendy spots, and how to make it all look splashy and Western. But they have maintained that cultural dislike of chaos and the absence of the strong ruler. They miss their pre-eminence as a military superpower, and they want to return to and maintain the Slavophile vision of a Russian civilization, between the West and the East. Pomerantsev can see the support for Putin as a holy mission to reunite the eastern Slavic family.
This a an interesting take on the development of Russia since the collapse of the Soviet Union. The country looks like a Western-style nation. It has elections. It has a parliament, the Duma. It has the trappings of capitalism, at least in the visible rise of plutocrats. But it is an illusion, a 21st century Potemkin village, writ large, nationwide. There is no legal basis for capitalism: it’s corporate raiding at its wildest and bribes trump all. The Duma is not a deliberative, legislative body. Policy still comes down from the man at the top. And the ordinary Russian knows this. He or she is used to this. As Pomerantsev says, it is only the West that has taken things at face value and believed it.
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the New Russia.” In it, Pomerantsev describes the wild and woolly world of Russian society and culture: from mobsters and call girls to the new plutocrats, ultra-right wing religious nationalists and glitzy, American-style news and reality shows, and all of it seemingly directed by Putin and the Kremlin.Having worked in British TV and speaking Russian, he got a job with TNT (Your New Television) in Moscow in 2006. Pomerantsev is able to show us the workings of Russian television and its obsession with the madcap world of American reality TV. The stories and events in these programs have to emphasize the positive, the feel good, the notion that fame and riches await. The news has to be the same. As Pomerantsev shows, once Putin put the clamps on the media outlets, the news is directed to provide positive stories on people and events inside Russia and a relentless criticism of the West and the United States in particular.
However, Pomerantsev does not stay bound to the work in TNT studios and conference rooms. He is out looking for stories, and he finds them. Vitaliy Djomochka is a gangster, pure and simple, and he wants to get into television. You could compare him to the Chazz Palminteri character in Woody Allen’s “Bullets Over Broadway”, except Vitaliy is definitely more ruthless. There are the gorgeous young models like Anastasia and Ruslana, who seem to be controlled by a scientology-like organization called The Rose of the World.
Throughout Pomerantsev points out the schizophrenic nature of Russia today. On the one hand Russians have figured out how to get rich, how to have the latest high tech gadgets, how to move in and through the world’s organizations and trendy spots, and how to make it all look splashy and Western. But they have maintained that cultural dislike of chaos and the absence of the strong ruler. They miss their pre-eminence as a military superpower, and they want to return to and maintain the Slavophile vision of a Russian civilization, between the West and the East. Pomerantsev can see the support for Putin as a holy mission to reunite the eastern Slavic family.
This a an interesting take on the development of Russia since the collapse of the Soviet Union. The country looks like a Western-style nation. It has elections. It has a parliament, the Duma. It has the trappings of capitalism, at least in the visible rise of plutocrats. But it is an illusion, a 21st century Potemkin village, writ large, nationwide. There is no legal basis for capitalism: it’s corporate raiding at its wildest and bribes trump all. The Duma is not a deliberative, legislative body. Policy still comes down from the man at the top. And the ordinary Russian knows this. He or she is used to this. As Pomerantsev says, it is only the West that has taken things at face value and believed it.
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LibraryThing member DJ_Cliffe
Nothing Is True and Everything Is Possible is a very interesting book. I recommend it to anyone with an interest in current Russian history and affairs. This is non-fiction, but Pomerantsev has some very nice lines. "So history is rewritten to suit the present." "Are the only real Russians left the
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Soviet dissidents and nonconformists?" Show Less
LibraryThing member Eesil
got this book for free from Netgalley. When I first started, I was a bit sceptical. The depiction of the characters seemed a bit thin. But a few chapters in, I realized that I was having trouble putting it down and the book seemed to grow in depth. I got really engrossed in the story and the
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author's depiction of the Bloomsbury Group through a fictitious Vanessa Bell's eyes. The writing is beautiful and Parmar gives Bell a strong, humorous, smart and very human voice. She also does a great job depicting Bell's loving but conflicted relationship with her sister, her crumbling marriage, and her friendship with Litton Strachey and others. She weaves in what I assume are real letters written by various people at the time. This serves to make the language of Bell's first person narrative ring true and gives more life to all the historical figures in her book. Unusually good historical finish Show Less
LibraryThing member Sambelini
In his book Nothing is True and Everything is Possible, Peter Pomerantsev explores the new, "modern" Russia in intimate and astonishing detail. It is a brilliantly woven collection of genuine encounters, sometimes heartbreaking, sometimes thrilling.
I would encourage anyone with any interest in
I found the writing began quite detachedly, offering the author's personal accounts in fairly neutral tones. But, as the book continues, the writing became more emotional, more personal, and perhaps more unreliable on account of that. Still, I found the book very interesting and recommend it readily.
I would encourage anyone with any interest in
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Russia, or in understanding other cultures, to read this book. I felt I could not stop reading, that it was capturing my heart and yet gently shocking me with every turn of the page. Nothing is True and Everything is Possible is an honest account of a very dishonest system, and is certainly eye-opening for anyone born and raised in the West. That being said, it is the account of one man. It is written first-hand by Pomerantsev, who's work in television often gets him glimpses behind the political curtain and offers us insight into many people's personal stories, but this work is not by any means analytical.I found the writing began quite detachedly, offering the author's personal accounts in fairly neutral tones. But, as the book continues, the writing became more emotional, more personal, and perhaps more unreliable on account of that. Still, I found the book very interesting and recommend it readily.
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LibraryThing member Kunikov
"Nothing Is True and Everything Is Possible" reads very close to the title. In many ways the author's accounts are interesting and thought provoking but they are, in the end, part of his limited, narrow views of what he himself witnessed and experienced, rather than a detailed monograph/study of
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the evolution of Russia in the past decade. In many ways what he experienced is reflective of the position Russia has been put in to by the Putin administration. With the crumbling of the Soviet Union and the chaos of the 1990s, many 'new-age' ideas were attempted by politicians and TV networks (all too often taking relics from the west and transporting them, after some cosmetic changes, to Russia to rake in as much cash as possible). While "Nothing Is True and Everything Is Possible" reads easily enough, tackles a lot of relevant and interesting issues (politics, the military, television, etc.), it's still a bit too cynical for my liking and attempts to make a study of a few anecdotal stories. It's a great read for someone familiar with Russia and Moscow today, showcasing a variety of people and events, but definitely not something to base your ideas on what all of Russia is like today. Show Less
LibraryThing member kellie.herson
In Nothing Is True and Everything is Possible, Peter Pomerantsev shares a sprawling, panoramic look at his experiences working as a reality TV producer in Russia, introducing us to a diverse cast of characters who help to illuminate the inner workings of the culture, economy, and politics of
I appreciated Pomerantsev's openness about his experiences working in television, and the clarity with which he presented TV as an explicit site of cultural production linked to national politics/ideology - it is obvious here that entertainment is produced not just for the sake of entertainment. However, I felt that that the linkage between culture and politics was sometimes lost in the book's sprawling narrative structure; sometimes it was not clear to me how one story related to the next, and the three sections of the book felt more disparate than I would have liked.
My reservations about the book's wandering structure is probably personal; because I spend so much of my professional life reading about globalization, neoliberalism, and the political economy, I wanted a clearer set of takeaways that I could easily situate within that theoretical framework. So much work on those subjects assumes popular culture as entirely outside them, and I wanted this book to more clearly disrupt that assumption rather than just gesturing toward it here and there. (But, of course, I also understand that the primary audience for this book is not necessarily an academic one.)
Despite these reservations, I would definitely recommend this book if you are looking for a deeper understanding of how Russia looks to situate itself within economic/cultural globalization and global politics. It is both fun and informative in its comprehensive depiction of the various institutions in which the Russian state tells particular stories about itself.
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contemporary Russia. While some of these characters offer stories that are more gripping than others, the book held my attention well, and Pomerantsev's narration led me to both emphasize with and interrogate the motivations of these people. I appreciated Pomerantsev's openness about his experiences working in television, and the clarity with which he presented TV as an explicit site of cultural production linked to national politics/ideology - it is obvious here that entertainment is produced not just for the sake of entertainment. However, I felt that that the linkage between culture and politics was sometimes lost in the book's sprawling narrative structure; sometimes it was not clear to me how one story related to the next, and the three sections of the book felt more disparate than I would have liked.
My reservations about the book's wandering structure is probably personal; because I spend so much of my professional life reading about globalization, neoliberalism, and the political economy, I wanted a clearer set of takeaways that I could easily situate within that theoretical framework. So much work on those subjects assumes popular culture as entirely outside them, and I wanted this book to more clearly disrupt that assumption rather than just gesturing toward it here and there. (But, of course, I also understand that the primary audience for this book is not necessarily an academic one.)
Despite these reservations, I would definitely recommend this book if you are looking for a deeper understanding of how Russia looks to situate itself within economic/cultural globalization and global politics. It is both fun and informative in its comprehensive depiction of the various institutions in which the Russian state tells particular stories about itself.
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LibraryThing member mmoj
I saw this book on LibraryThing and was intrigued by the description. I haven't read anything contemporary about Russia so requested and won an ARC. The book did not disappoint. I very much enjoyed Peter Pomerantsev's story about his life as a TV journalist in Russia. I felt caught up in this
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Russia that Pomerantsev writes about. As I read I felt myself being taken on a trip to Russia coming away with, perhaps, a better understanding - or rather a better appreciation for life in Russia. I am now more intrigued not just about Russia but about how the media impacts here in the US. Show Less
LibraryThing member HannahJo
Pomerantsev writes a surprisingly fresh and modern take on modern Russia. Working in Russia's media sector, he knows that even if he does honest work, it will be used to give credibility to a network that acts as a government mouthpiece. That sense of cynicism carries through the rest of the
The characters were all interesting, and I enjoyed reading about the lives of the ultra-rich, beautiful women looking for sugar daddies, cults and terrorists. The pace is fast, and I found it hard to put the book down. Certainly not a dry Russian history!
This book does a good job of capturing the zeitgeist of a Russia that can only be described as soul-destroying.
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stories in the book- characters doing their best to get ahead knowing full well that they will likely be crushed by corruption, lies and the tyrrany of the rich and powerful.The characters were all interesting, and I enjoyed reading about the lives of the ultra-rich, beautiful women looking for sugar daddies, cults and terrorists. The pace is fast, and I found it hard to put the book down. Certainly not a dry Russian history!
This book does a good job of capturing the zeitgeist of a Russia that can only be described as soul-destroying.
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LibraryThing member loosha
I found this surreal chilling based-on-truth story of contemporary Moscow society frightening, for a very personal reason. I have a nephew who has just recently left for a job in Moscow, teaching English as a second language, with no post-secondary education himself. He is young and impressionable,
Of course I read the book with my jaw hanging open, trying to remember that this is only one man's experience, and that Moscow life could be quite different for others. Fingers crossed.
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a musician, and handsome. I hope he has the strength of character that he will no doubt need to survive the politics and people he meets, especially if they are like those described in this book. Of course I read the book with my jaw hanging open, trying to remember that this is only one man's experience, and that Moscow life could be quite different for others. Fingers crossed.
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LibraryThing member judysh
Other reviewers have used words like terrifying, frightening, fascinating, electrifying to describe this new Russia - all true. From the most unreal reality TV shows to Siberian gangsters, to murderous religious fanatics, corrupt officials, call girls and the men who pay them, to the young women
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models who commit suicide, the new messianic cults and hypnotic life-style gurus - all part of this new Russia, and all truly terrifying. The tendrils of this new class of wealthy Russians grow out into the West, London in particular, from Moscow and other Russian power centres. What is important? Money and influence and planting fear in the rest of us. A good book to read. Show Less
LibraryThing member Lady_Lazarus
Like it was written on the inner sleeve, this book can be read also as a grotesque comedy - the only terrifying thing is that it is real. Sometimes I doubted its reliability and truthfulness though and I think this was due to the lack of description. The description of events and circumstances was
The author appeared to be deeply involved in the Russian society and to observe it with curious mind and open eyes. The book was also well written and enjoyable to read. I particularly enjoyed that the author let his personality to show and, while both the Russians and Britons were trying to push him to describe his surroundings positively and with happy endings, he horribly failed and found only tragic endings to his stories.
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quite minimal, making the book an easy and enjoyable read, but consequently also reducing its impact. It might well be that with more description I would not have finished this book, so this is not necessarily a flaw. The author appeared to be deeply involved in the Russian society and to observe it with curious mind and open eyes. The book was also well written and enjoyable to read. I particularly enjoyed that the author let his personality to show and, while both the Russians and Britons were trying to push him to describe his surroundings positively and with happy endings, he horribly failed and found only tragic endings to his stories.
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LibraryThing member LynnB
Peter Pomerantsev is living in Russia; his parents were emigrants to London and he has returned to Russia to work. In this book, Mr. Pomerantsev shares the stories of modern Russia and the people he met while working as a television producer. We learn about gold-diggers, models, performance
I struggled, though, to really believe all this was going on. I guess as a TV producer, Mr. Pomerantsev would see slices of life beyond the ordinary, but this book was written as if this was the "real" Russia. I would be interested in hearing the views of people more familiar with Russia than I am.
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artists, bikers and members of the Rose of the World sect. Underlying it all is a web of corruption and political spin. The stories are interesting, sometimes sad, and always showing a perspective on life very different from the life we have in Canada. I struggled, though, to really believe all this was going on. I guess as a TV producer, Mr. Pomerantsev would see slices of life beyond the ordinary, but this book was written as if this was the "real" Russia. I would be interested in hearing the views of people more familiar with Russia than I am.
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LibraryThing member Gwendydd
This is a pretty fascinating look at what life is like in Russia these days, as Russians deal with their continually surreal life, especially the fabulous wealth that is accessible to some now. Pomerantsev recounts his experiences as a television producer in Russia. He talks about how the media is
As interesting as all of this is - and it is really interesting! - it is mostly anecdotal. I had hoped for more analysis, or more big-picture views of trends in Russian culture.
All in all, an interesting read.
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used for propaganda, and how everything is under the control of Putin and his thugs in one way or another. He describes his encounters with rampant corruption and its effects. As interesting as all of this is - and it is really interesting! - it is mostly anecdotal. I had hoped for more analysis, or more big-picture views of trends in Russian culture.
All in all, an interesting read.
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LibraryThing member sparemethecensor
Disorganized when read as a cogent book, but highly engaging and interesting read as separate essays.
LibraryThing member emed0s
The title, "Nothing is true and everything is possible", is probably the shortest and more accurate review one could give.
Forget all of your western civilization preconceptions, all those values you hold as holy as just as ethereal and ascribed to that civilization in particular as those of any
The chapters of the book walk the reader through a real case of Kafka's "The Trial", academies for gold-diggers, cults long banned in the US, and the more quotidian Moscow traffic jams and corrupt policemen.
As for the authenticity of everything the author claims, I would recommend to plan reading some other stuff on modern Russia to see for yourself if everything, or something, checks out.
Forget all of your western civilization preconceptions, all those values you hold as holy as just as ethereal and ascribed to that civilization in particular as those of any
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religion. Life in modern Russia is as much evidence of this as is life in Afghanistan.The chapters of the book walk the reader through a real case of Kafka's "The Trial", academies for gold-diggers, cults long banned in the US, and the more quotidian Moscow traffic jams and corrupt policemen.
As for the authenticity of everything the author claims, I would recommend to plan reading some other stuff on modern Russia to see for yourself if everything, or something, checks out.
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LibraryThing member PDCRead
Russia is an enigma. For the last over a century it has been under some form of autocratic control, first with the Tsars, then the communists and after a brief dabble with democracy, now has an elective dictatorship under Putin. Each time a new Russian doll is revealed, it is a more intense form of
The Russian TV industry is booming, having removed the shackles of communist propaganda, they now have more freedom to experiment with new shows to entertain and captivate the masses. But there is still control; the Russian media machine has tentacles running deep into the TV industry, as he discovers when he attends meeting in smoky rooms where he is told exactly what he can and cannot show and always to have positive stories.
As he travels through this new surreal Russia he meets all manner of bizarre people. There are the oligarchs, as you would expect, professional mistresses, stunning supermodels driven to suicide by the latest self help cults, hell angels who think they are holy warriors and hoodlums who now make hit TV series with real guns and blood in the action scenes. These changes reflect the country now; the ebb and flow of ideologies are refracted from the splinters left after communism, perestroika, the financial shock therapy, the rise of the oligarchs to the present virtual democracy that they have now. There are tales of the way that the Kremlin asserts its control of the public too; Yana Yakovleva was a business woman who had been importing cleaning chemicals for years, until one day her life is turned upside down after her arrest as the authorities deem these to be narcotics now. She fought back , but many languishing in the prisons have very little chance against the false charges and corrupt officials.
Like a shot of neat vodka, it’s a powerful book, and chilling too; Pomerantsev has brushed aside some of the mysticism surrounding modern Russia and has shown us what is going on. The way reality can be blurred and distorted by the autocrats in charge is quite shocking as well. This fragmentation is not just Putin’s doing, but a result of the instability of the Russian state post communism. There reach is huge too; with London now home to a number of the Russian ultra rich, they are not afraid to dispense their own form of justice in the UK, including murder.
Well worth reading for anyone with an interest in modern Russia.
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what they have always had. It is into this new Russia that Pomerantsev, a British TV producer with Russia parents, steps.The Russian TV industry is booming, having removed the shackles of communist propaganda, they now have more freedom to experiment with new shows to entertain and captivate the masses. But there is still control; the Russian media machine has tentacles running deep into the TV industry, as he discovers when he attends meeting in smoky rooms where he is told exactly what he can and cannot show and always to have positive stories.
As he travels through this new surreal Russia he meets all manner of bizarre people. There are the oligarchs, as you would expect, professional mistresses, stunning supermodels driven to suicide by the latest self help cults, hell angels who think they are holy warriors and hoodlums who now make hit TV series with real guns and blood in the action scenes. These changes reflect the country now; the ebb and flow of ideologies are refracted from the splinters left after communism, perestroika, the financial shock therapy, the rise of the oligarchs to the present virtual democracy that they have now. There are tales of the way that the Kremlin asserts its control of the public too; Yana Yakovleva was a business woman who had been importing cleaning chemicals for years, until one day her life is turned upside down after her arrest as the authorities deem these to be narcotics now. She fought back , but many languishing in the prisons have very little chance against the false charges and corrupt officials.
Like a shot of neat vodka, it’s a powerful book, and chilling too; Pomerantsev has brushed aside some of the mysticism surrounding modern Russia and has shown us what is going on. The way reality can be blurred and distorted by the autocrats in charge is quite shocking as well. This fragmentation is not just Putin’s doing, but a result of the instability of the Russian state post communism. There reach is huge too; with London now home to a number of the Russian ultra rich, they are not afraid to dispense their own form of justice in the UK, including murder.
Well worth reading for anyone with an interest in modern Russia.
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LibraryThing member doomjesse
This book is amazing.
It doesn't break new ground. It won't change the way the world works. However, Pomerantsev has clearly illustrated the Potemkin nature of living in Russia. All the brilliant Russian literature in the world has failed to illuminate that peculiar mindset for me, but this little
Case in point: Peter talks about driving in Moscow. (Don't.) Most will hire a driver; drivers get their licenses through pay-offs or contacts, if they bother getting a license at all. They still have to take a test, but the test is passed no matter what their answers.
In recent news stories, Russia 'is tightening medical controls for drivers because Russia has too many road accidents.' In practical terms, this means that Russia has banned people from getting a license if they have personality disorders as defined by the government. Like to gamble? Ever stolen something? Do you fall somewhere in the QUILTBAG? You aren't allowed to drive.
Will this make the roads safer? Not in the slightest. It only serves as another way for an autocratic ruler to retain complete control over the country. And to drive an already desperate, depressed populace further away from seeking medical or therapeutic help.
I couldn't put the book down once I delved into it. Once done, I had a fierce desire to both follow current events in Russia and to re-visit Tolstoy, Trotsky and other greats who shared that peculiar subversion to oppression that life under such a mindset can breed.
Strongly recommended.
It doesn't break new ground. It won't change the way the world works. However, Pomerantsev has clearly illustrated the Potemkin nature of living in Russia. All the brilliant Russian literature in the world has failed to illuminate that peculiar mindset for me, but this little
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tome made it stand out in stark relief.Case in point: Peter talks about driving in Moscow. (Don't.) Most will hire a driver; drivers get their licenses through pay-offs or contacts, if they bother getting a license at all. They still have to take a test, but the test is passed no matter what their answers.
In recent news stories, Russia 'is tightening medical controls for drivers because Russia has too many road accidents.' In practical terms, this means that Russia has banned people from getting a license if they have personality disorders as defined by the government. Like to gamble? Ever stolen something? Do you fall somewhere in the QUILTBAG? You aren't allowed to drive.
Will this make the roads safer? Not in the slightest. It only serves as another way for an autocratic ruler to retain complete control over the country. And to drive an already desperate, depressed populace further away from seeking medical or therapeutic help.
I couldn't put the book down once I delved into it. Once done, I had a fierce desire to both follow current events in Russia and to re-visit Tolstoy, Trotsky and other greats who shared that peculiar subversion to oppression that life under such a mindset can breed.
Strongly recommended.
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LibraryThing member akblanchard
After the collapse of the Soviet Union, Peter Pomerantev, a Ukrainian-born Londoner, moved to Moscow to work as a reality-show producer for TNT, Russia's youth-oriented television station. His career there was none too successful, but his work-related encounters with Russia's elite gave him enough
This book probably won't appeal to the general reader. It doesn't tell a cohesive story, and it comes across more like a collection of magazine articles than a well-thought-out narrative. The author annoyed me by waiting to the last chapter to suddenly introduce his wife and daughter, who are not mentioned (or even hinted at) in the rest of the text. Nonetheless, I hope this book finds an audience among Russia-watchers.
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material to fill a book. Nothing Is True and Everything Is Possible offers a kaleidoscopic view of Russian society, including politicians, billionaires (and the gold-diggers who chase them), gangsters, supermodels and white-collar prison inmates. As the title suggests, Pomerantev depicts post-Soviet Russia as a place where people are desperate to find meaning. They try everything from conspicuous consumption to dubious "self-improvement" courses to find a basis on which to live, but ultimately nothing satisfies.This book probably won't appeal to the general reader. It doesn't tell a cohesive story, and it comes across more like a collection of magazine articles than a well-thought-out narrative. The author annoyed me by waiting to the last chapter to suddenly introduce his wife and daughter, who are not mentioned (or even hinted at) in the rest of the text. Nonetheless, I hope this book finds an audience among Russia-watchers.
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LibraryThing member john257hopper
This is a simultaneously fascinating, in places horrifying and overall quite depressing account of Post-Soviet Russia, especially under Putin since 2000. One of the key takeaways is the immense and overwhelming sense of dislocation brought about by the fall of the Soviet Union in a comparatively
In the context of the current (as I write) unfolding Russian invasion of Ukraine , the role of Russia Today in broadcasting Putin's views, but often in a subtle way, is laid bare here: "This is a new type of Kremlin propaganda, less about arguing against the West with a counter-model as in the Cold War, more about slipping inside its language to play and taunt it from inside". So, for example, "the Kremlin switches messages at will to its advantage, climbing inside everything: European right-nationalists are seduced with an anti-EU message; the far left is co-opted with tales of fighting US hegemony; US religious conservatives are convinced by the Kremlin’s fight against homosexuality. And the result is an array of voices, working away at global audiences from different angles, producing a cumulative echo chamber of Kremlin support all broadcast on Russia Today". By the same token, through its "political technologists" it neutralises internal opposition, and "climb[s] inside all ideologies and movements, exploiting and rendering them absurd", so that the "Kremlin.... own[s] all forms of political discourse, to not let any independent movements develop outside of its walls".
Some other particularly awful things stuck out in my mind, for example the mass arrests and imprisonment of perfectly legitimate business people, including small kiosk holders, because overnight the authorities had reclassified harmless substances such as food additives as narcotics, in a battle between power brokers in the "law enforcement" apparatus. But how can you enforce law or obtain true justice when crime is owned by the state?: "when the President ascended to the Kremlin the era of the gangster ended. The secret services took over organised crime themselves; there was no way hoodlums could compete". Another shocking aspect was the deaths and exploitation of Russian models at the hands of a supposed self help movement that had more features of a suicide pact than anything else.
I could cite many other examples, but this is a grim subject, perhaps the only positive reflection now being that more people across the world are now aware of the new Russia's methods since the invasion of Ukraine on 24 February 2022. This is a very important book for understanding the post-Soviet Russian reality; the chaos and economic trauma of the 1990s seem almost benign compared to what has come afterwards.
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short period of time, almost an existential trauma for most Soviet people, leading to multiple reinventions, with people (sometimes the same people) adopting guises variously as liberal reformers, Soviet nostalgics, Russian nationalists, establishment oligarchs or anti-Kremlin dissidents. The structure of the book is rather rambling and jumps about in time, perhaps self-consciously ironically echoing the nature of Russia during these decades. In the context of the current (as I write) unfolding Russian invasion of Ukraine , the role of Russia Today in broadcasting Putin's views, but often in a subtle way, is laid bare here: "This is a new type of Kremlin propaganda, less about arguing against the West with a counter-model as in the Cold War, more about slipping inside its language to play and taunt it from inside". So, for example, "the Kremlin switches messages at will to its advantage, climbing inside everything: European right-nationalists are seduced with an anti-EU message; the far left is co-opted with tales of fighting US hegemony; US religious conservatives are convinced by the Kremlin’s fight against homosexuality. And the result is an array of voices, working away at global audiences from different angles, producing a cumulative echo chamber of Kremlin support all broadcast on Russia Today". By the same token, through its "political technologists" it neutralises internal opposition, and "climb[s] inside all ideologies and movements, exploiting and rendering them absurd", so that the "Kremlin.... own[s] all forms of political discourse, to not let any independent movements develop outside of its walls".
Some other particularly awful things stuck out in my mind, for example the mass arrests and imprisonment of perfectly legitimate business people, including small kiosk holders, because overnight the authorities had reclassified harmless substances such as food additives as narcotics, in a battle between power brokers in the "law enforcement" apparatus. But how can you enforce law or obtain true justice when crime is owned by the state?: "when the President ascended to the Kremlin the era of the gangster ended. The secret services took over organised crime themselves; there was no way hoodlums could compete". Another shocking aspect was the deaths and exploitation of Russian models at the hands of a supposed self help movement that had more features of a suicide pact than anything else.
I could cite many other examples, but this is a grim subject, perhaps the only positive reflection now being that more people across the world are now aware of the new Russia's methods since the invasion of Ukraine on 24 February 2022. This is a very important book for understanding the post-Soviet Russian reality; the chaos and economic trauma of the 1990s seem almost benign compared to what has come afterwards.
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Subjects
Awards
Baillie Gifford Prize for Non-Fiction (Longlist — 2015)
Guardian First Book Award (Shortlist — 2015)
Gordon Burn Prize (Shortlist — 2015)
Pushkin House Russian Book Prize (Shortlist — 2015)
Ondaatje Prize (Winner — 2016)
The Observer Book of the Year (Politics — 2015)
Language
Original publication date
2015 (UK Edition)
2014 (USA Edition)
Physical description
vii, 241 p.; 25 cm
ISBN
9781610394550