Russia: A Journey to the Heart of a Land and Its People

The author crossed eight time zones and covered 10,000 miles, from Murmansk in the Arctic Circle to the Asian city of Vladivostok. He travels by every available method: rail, road and sea, and manages to experience all the splendours and the miseries of this amazing country. But although the contours of the locales are conjured up with maximum vividness, there are also fascinating portraits of all the Russians that Dimbleby encounters, from intellectuals and struggling peasants to the new breed of fantastically successful entrepreneurs (many of whom, of course, are now making their home in London). The colour illustrations are well chosen, but it's the text that succeeds in taking the reader on this epic journey -- a journey that will transform completely most people's apprehension of the country. --Barry Forshaw.

Reader Reviews:

Pizdets... (2/3 people found this helpful)

Of course JD was able to work as a reporter in Russia without speaking any Russian...Re-Odd choice of presenter/writer. British reporters in Russia just follow the BBC/Times party line...so why would they have to speak any of the local language? The present Guardian correspondent speaks Russian like a small dim-witted child (from London). What chance does he have of digging up any good stories?

RE - Erroneous and misapprehending - Khordorkovsky is the hero of the BBC/liberal western media...do you seriously expect them to investigate allegations that he was responsible for murder? (Mayor of Nefteyugansk anyone?)

Odd choice of presenter/writer (8/9 people found this helpful)

Jonathan Dimbleby is not a name you associate with travel writing. Having read this book all the way through, and watched all episodes of the series, it's not likely to become a name with such an association.

By his own admission, Dimbleby does not like travelling, does not like having to be away from home, and has a phobia about flying. He also speaks virtually no Russian and cannot read Cyrillic (yet was somehow able to function as a Moscow reporter during the Soviet Union days).

One thing comes across very clearly within the first few pages of this book (and remains evident throughout). Dimbleby's mindset vis-a-vis Russia is stuck in the Soviet era of the 1970s. He makes constant references to the Soviet era throughout the book, and when that doesn't provide him with sufficient material, resorts to harping back even further to the excesses of the Tsars. At almost every point, he quizzed people about their political views and looked deeply into Russia's social problems, rather than focussing on the kinds of everyday matters that a tourist would want to know about. Yet, despite his repeated references to the way ordinary people in Russia live, his main points of contact throughout the book were people of high status (company owners, local community leaders, Tolstoy's descendents, and so on). So much for seeking the hearts and minds of the people.

This book is presents a very negative impression of the world's largest country. (Yet, oddly, Dimbleby doesn't mention the negative impressions that most travellers there would find: the almost complete absence of the concept of "customer service", and bureaucrats who are unhelpful to the point of being downright obstructive. I guess not being able to speak the language does have its advantages - you don't need to face these real-world annoyances.)

This is not so much a journey to the hearts and minds of the Russian people, as a journey to one man's mid-20th-century political prejudices. The only positive thing I can say about it, is that it offers quite a lot of interesting historical background to Russia.

Much ado about nothing (4/6 people found this helpful)

I got this book as a gift- fortunately.
I have a good command of English, but I suspect that Dimbleby swallowed a dictionary before writing this. The content (of his 'adventures') is dull.
Nothing more than the self-indulgent musings of a self-pitying journo.
I only got to page 22 before consigning it to the charity shop.

Erroneous and misapprehending (4/6 people found this helpful)

After quick first reading I have found how difficult it could be for a West foreigner to learn Russia without more or less good knowledge of Russian language. That is good lesson for Russian authorities if especially they want to attract investments more actively and thus to reopen the country, make it easier to be understood.

In many aspects, the book is full with illusions and stereotypes. The author as a representative of older generation tries to find answers for questions which have been relevant to this audience. This book heads into wrong direction. Worst of all, such the attitude is very close to position of official London.

For example, the author describes Mikhail Khodorkovsky as a man who "worked to create genuine multi-party democracy and strengthen civic institutions". But on the contrary, most of Russians consider him as an intriguer, the man who manipulated the state parliament for his own wealth and power. He has been somewhat analogous to Thomas Howard 4th duke of Norfolk in medieval England, whose destiny was to go under axe of executioner.

I wish the author next time learn languages before depicting countries.

Not that well presented (4/7 people found this helpful)

For the RRP of £25.00 this is certainly a goodly price. The book is a hardcover interspersed with photographs. I was expecting something more like Palins 'New Europe' ie lots of nice colour photography throughout and beautiful presentation. This is relatively dull in the way it is initially presented and I dont think offers such good value unless it is on sale. However the writing is interesting in places and there are not that many travelogues of Russia at the moment.

The preface outlines what the author believes encouraged him to write the book initially but for me it was a bit off putting as Jonathon comes across as quite selfish ie Having an affair (does he do that often?) finding his new amour is seriously ill so staying with her until she died, tragic but what else would anyone even half decent do? Then he seemed to think he could return to his long suffering wife and was surprised to find she didnt want him back, so sank into misery and despair until lo an behold yet another woman comes to his rescue and fills in gaps. Well enought of that.

Jonathon doesn't really delve as deep as he should into the real Russia and goes for a lot of the obvious, which was a bit of a wasted opportunity. For a really really good read about the USSR read Ryziard Kapucinski's which is absolutely brilliant and offers amazing insights into modern history, all written courageously and at huge risk to the author during a time when westerners were not particularly welcome in that part of the world.

Russia: A Journey to the Heart of a Land and Its People

Jonathan Dimbleby

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