The forces of science, human error, and power run amok all 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 and wonderfully
strange, this political parable has an uncanny resonance with today's
Russia under Putin.
Oleg Kashin is a famous Russian journalist and activist who, in 2010,
was beaten to within an inch of his life by unknown assailants, in an
attack most likely politically motivated by his reporting. The events of
Fardwor, Russia! (the title is taken from a flag with a
slogan--"Forward, Russia!"--gone wrong) could seem grotesque, if they
did not so eerily echo the absurd state of affairs in modern Russia.
Under Putin's regime, authors dare to criticize the state of affairs and
affairs of the state only through veiled satire--and even then, as
Kashin's experience shows, the threat of repercussions is real.
A witty, playful, brave, and incisive work that blends science fiction
with political satire, Fardwor, Russia! is a must-read for anyone
interested in contemporary Russia--or the hilarious and frightening
follies of power.
