Fardwor, Russia! A Fantastical Tale of Life Under Putin

$14.99

By Oleg Kashin

Translated from the Russian by Will Evans

Introduction by Max Seddon

The forces of science, human error, and power run amok collide in a wildly inventive, funny, and razor-sharp political satire about Putin’s Russia, from one of the country’s most fearless journalists.

When a scientist experimenting on humans in a sanatorium near Moscow gives a growth serum to a dwarf oil mogul, the newly heightened businessman runs off with the experimenter’s wife, and a series of mysterious deaths and crimes commences. Fantastical, wonderfully strange, and ringing with the echoes of real-life events, this political parable fused with science fiction has an uncanny resonance with today’s Russia under Putin.

Oleg Kashin is a notorious Russian journalist and activist who, in 2010, two months after he’d delivered the manuscript of this book to his publishers, was beaten to within an inch of his life in an attack with ties to the highest levels of government. While absurdly funny on its face, Fardwor, Russia! A Fantastical Tale of Life Under Putin is deadly serious in its implications. Kashin’s experience exemplifies why so few authors dare to criticize the state—and his book is a testament of the power of literature to break the bonds of power, corruption, and enforced silence.

Now in English translation, Fardwor, Russia! is a must-read for anyone interested in contemporary Russia or the hilarious and frightening follies of power.

By Oleg Kashin

Translated from the Russian by Will Evans

Introduction by Max Seddon

The forces of science, human error, and power run amok collide in a wildly inventive, funny, and razor-sharp political satire about Putin’s Russia, from one of the country’s most fearless journalists.

When a scientist experimenting on humans in a sanatorium near Moscow gives a growth serum to a dwarf oil mogul, the newly heightened businessman runs off with the experimenter’s wife, and a series of mysterious deaths and crimes commences. Fantastical, wonderfully strange, and ringing with the echoes of real-life events, this political parable fused with science fiction has an uncanny resonance with today’s Russia under Putin.

Oleg Kashin is a notorious Russian journalist and activist who, in 2010, two months after he’d delivered the manuscript of this book to his publishers, was beaten to within an inch of his life in an attack with ties to the highest levels of government. While absurdly funny on its face, Fardwor, Russia! A Fantastical Tale of Life Under Putin is deadly serious in its implications. Kashin’s experience exemplifies why so few authors dare to criticize the state—and his book is a testament of the power of literature to break the bonds of power, corruption, and enforced silence.

Now in English translation, Fardwor, Russia! is a must-read for anyone interested in contemporary Russia or the hilarious and frightening follies of power.

About the author

Born in 1980 in Kaliningrad, Russia, Oleg Kashin is one of Russia’s most famous journalists and political commentators. A former navigator in the Russian Navy and current opponent of Putin, he was severely beaten nearly to death by assailants connected to the Russian government in November 2010, two months after he submitted Fardwor, Russia! to his publisher and two months before it went to print. In 2012 he received the Paul Klebnikov Fund Journalism Fellowship, which supports a period of professional development in New York City. Kashin is widely published in the U.S.; he regularly writes for The New Republic in English and has also written for The New York Times. He has been profiled in Foreign Policy and Open Democracy, among other English-language outlets. Fardwor, Russia! is his first work of fiction. He now lives in Switzerland.

About the translator

Will Evans is the executive director and publisher of Deep Vellum Publishing, a not-for-profit literary publisher of translated books based in Dallas, Texas.

About the introducer

Max Seddon is the Moscow correspondent for Financial Times. He has reported widely in Russia and the rest of the former Soviet Union.

Book Details

Paperback ISBN: 9781632060396 • $14.99
eBook ISBN: 9781632060273
Publication date: Jan 12, 2016
5” x 7-1/8” • 224 pages
Territory: World English

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Praise

"A brisk read that will nevertheless leave one with a disquieting picture of contemporary life in that cursed country.… The book is a hilarious and heartbreaking portrait of a country whose demons rarely pause in tormenting its populace, as its author found out before it was even published.”

—Dmitry Samarov, The Chicago Tribune

“In Fardwor, Russia!, Kashin succeeds at depicting the absurdity and corruption of 21st-century Russia.”

—Daniel Kalder, The Dallas Morning News

“Compelling and gruesome… Excellent translation… Its plot is rewardingly absurd… Enjoyable.”

—Maxim Edwards, openDemocracy

“The journalist Kashin has made his fiction debut with a highly topical satirical fiction… The feeling of listless absurdity that the author captures in his novel doesn’t summon any anger, but better than anything else reflects the prevailing atmosphere.… A documentation of our times, dressed in the circus costume of fantasy, written by one of our era’s most eloquent and inquisitive witnesses.”

—TimeOut St. Petersburg

“An enjoyable satire… A fine little novel.”

—M.A. Orthofer, The Complete Review

“Kashin's short tale swings from being laugh-out-loud funny to saddening.… An entertaining afternoon read.… Clear-headed and unrelenting satire.”

—Charles Dee Mitchell, Worlds Without End

“A fierce political satire skewering [Kashin’s] homeland.… Both acidulous and wildly entertaining; Gary Shteyngart fans will embrace.”

—Barbara Hoffert, Library Journal

“Readers interested in contemporary Russia or satire need to read this book; those interested in a fun novel can enjoy this title of Soviet science fiction and its style.”

—Michelle Martinez, New York Journal of Books

“The ridiculous sci-fi dystopia nestled within the garish pink cover bares more than a slight similarity to Russia under Putin and, with new stories of corruption in the Kremlin making the front page of international news sites each month, it has never been more topical.… Fardwor, Russia! is wonderfully strange and fantastically frightening, a gruesome yet hilarious tale of genetic engineering gone awry, combined with a grim political parable of the danger of power in the wrong hands. A ludicrous satire with a serious twist – Fardwor, Russia! is a must read those with an interest in Russian politics, or fans of science fiction that borders on the ridiculous.”

—Jade Fell, Engineering & Technology