Michael Idov, who’d returned to his native Russia for work a few years ago, recalls the culture of cynicism and sense of hopeless defeat under a deceitful, immovable “hybrid regime…an autocratic one that retains the façade of a democracy.” He suggests Americans take note, as we may be headed in that direction ourselves.
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Posted inCrime, Current Events, Nonfiction, Quotes
Why Are the Details of One Russian Diplomat’s Death So Hazy?
At BuzzFeed, Ali Watkins investigates the way the Russian consulate called Sergei Krivov’s death a heart attack when he seems to have died of blunt force trauma on the floor of New York City’s Russian Consulate building.
Posted inArts & Culture, Books, Media, Nonfiction, Story
How the Guardian Went Digital
Remaking itself from a little leftie newspaper to a powerhouse of internet journalism required experimentation, transparency, and embracing uncertainty.
Posted inBooks, Essays & Criticism, Nonfiction, Story
A Trip to Tolstoy Farm
Even if one of the last surviving Tolstoyan communes has fallen short of Leo Tolstoy’s ideals, it’s still turned into something meaningful. It’s a place for people who don’t want to be found.
Posted inNonfiction, Quotes
Life in a Post-Soviet Melting Pot
Journalist and illustrator Lomasko was first noticed in the West for her graphic reportage from the Pussy Riot trial. In Tbilisi, Georgia, she spoke with historians, artists, journalists, activists, squatters, and local clergy about the political and cultural climate in this former Soviet republic.
Posted inEditor's Pick
Down the Breitbart Hole
Breitbart, a far-right media outlet, was once described by Steve Bannon as a “platform for the alt-right.” But its editor-in-chief says he is trying to turn the site into a legitimate news organization and has been called a traitor for acknowledging Russia’s interference in the 2016 election.
Posted inNonfiction, Quotes
Georgia: Asian, European, or Just Georgian?
Joshua Kucera travels to the nation of Georgia, along the border of Russia and Europe, to examine the longstanding debate about whether it belongs to Asia, Europe, or the Middle East, and why it matters.
Posted inBlog Post, Books, Nonfiction, Quotes
Alan Watts and the Eternal Present
To know happiness in the future, we must be happy now.
Posted inEditor's Pick
The Loneliness of Donald Trump
“But the opposite of people who drag you down isn’t people who build you up and butter you up. It’s equals who are generous but keep you accountable, true mirrors who reflect back who you are and what you are doing.”
Posted inEditor's Pick, Essays & Criticism, Feature, Food, Nonfiction
Forgetting the Madeleine
A pastry chef reflects on taste, memory, and literature’s most famous confection.
