{"title":"Marzio G. Mian","description":"\u003cp\u003eMarzio G. Mian’s works delve deep into the complexities of contemporary geopolitics and global affairs. His writing combines sharp analysis with detailed narratives, offering readers a nuanced perspective on international relations and socio-political dynamics.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eWith titles like \u003cem\u003eVolga Blues\u003c\/em\u003e, Mian explores the intersections of history, culture, and power, inviting readers to engage critically with current events. His insightful approach makes his books essential for anyone interested in understanding the forces shaping today’s world.\u003c\/p\u003e","products":[{"product_id":"volga-blues-by-marzio-g-mian-9781324111030","title":"Volga Blues","description":"\u003cdiv class=\"book-description\"\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eSince the invasion of Ukraine and the ban on foreign reporters, Russia seems to have sunk into an even deeper shadow than in the darkest times of the Soviet Union. Only by presenting himself as a historian was Italian journalist Marzio G. Mian able to penetrate the Russian heartland, leading to his groundbreaking cover story for \u003cem\u003eHarpers’ Magazine\u003c\/em\u003e, “Behind the New Iron Curtain.”\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eIn \u003cem\u003eVolga Blues\u003c\/em\u003e, Russian history and literature inform every step of Mian’s revealing and perilous journey along Russia’s most culturally significant river, the fulcrum of its history, “the mother.” Along with Alessandro Cosmelli, his photographer; Vlad, their translator and fixer; and Katya, Vlad‘s girlfriend, Mian manages to gather firsthand accounts from ordinary Russians. They discuss not only the impact of the war, Western sanctions, and their country’s isolation, but how Russian culture has changed as a result. Stalin is back in favour, Lenin has been downgraded as a “Europeanized intellectual.” Newly sophisticated local and seasonal cuisine is all the rage. People cite centuries-old grievances to explain their fear of Western invasion, as they claim a willingness to accept nuclear apocalypse to save Russian pride. Talking with contemporary Russian intellectuals, entrepreneurs, priests, widows, mercenaries, and pacifists, Mian discovers how little the West knows about Russia and Russians. Deeply distrustful of democracy, yearning for the ideological and spiritual purity of the Orthodox Church, betrayed by and fearful of the West, and reassured by the brutal, fragile, ancient dream of an imperial civilization, they make clear that the Cold War has not yet ended.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eIn visceral prose, Mian takes us across the floodplains where the Russian Orthodox faith first took root, where the Soviet empire asserted itself, and where the neo-imperial project of Vladimir Putin’s post-Soviet autocracy is currently being consolidated. The result is a harrowing, haunting vision of today’s great clash of civilizations—between Russia and the West—including a United States that at times seems uncannily similar.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003c\/div\u003e","brand":"Unknown","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":48356481728748,"sku":"9781324111030","price":74.0,"currency_code":"NZD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0705\/7784\/8556\/files\/9781324111030-volga-blues-1.jpg?v=1789428970"}],"url":"https:\/\/bookhero.co.nz\/collections\/marzio-g-mian.oembed","provider":"Book Hero","version":"1.0","type":"link"}