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"The acclaimed author of Sovietistan travels along the seemingly endless Russian border and reveals the deep and pervasive influence it has had across half the globe."--Book jacket. Imperial, communist or autocratic, Russia has always been a towering and intimidating neighbor. What would it be like to traverse the entirety of the Russian periphery to examine its effects on those closest to her? Fatland has created a book about Russia-- without ever entering Russia itself. He gets to the heart of what it has meant to be the neighbor of that mighty, expanding empire throughout history, as readers experience the colorful, exciting, tragic and often unbelievable histories of these bordering nations along with their cultures, their people, their landscapes. -- adapted from jacket… (more)
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Favourite sentence: "He was arrested in 1930, accused of having established a counter-revolutionary organisation of agricultural specialists."
Drunken pensioners on a day trip: "The radio was on for the whole journey, but no-one seemed to be listening until the entire boat broke out in a rapturous roar. I realised it must be something to do with ice hockey, because only brutal skating sports can trigger that kind of emotional response in Finland." [...] "Felted Viking helmet hats were produced from the depths of shopping bags and donned in sheer delight."
Finnish crime boss: "In 2015, Santa Claus in Rovaniemi was forced to file for bankruptcy as he owed millions in tax"
Nearly twice the size of the USA or China: "There is only one country between Norway and North Korea"