Reeling in Russia: An American Angler in Russia - Softcover

Montaigne, Fen

Softcover

ISBN 10: 031220809X ISBN 13: 9780312208097

Publisher: St. Martin's Griffin, 1900

Synopsis

In the summer of 1996, award-winning journalist Fen Montaigne embarked on a hundred-day, seven-thousand-mile journey across Russia. Traveling with his fly rod, he began his trek in northwestern Russia on the Solovetsky Islands, a remote archipelago that was the birthplace of Stalin's gulag. He ended half a world away as he fished for steelhead trout on the Kamchatka Peninsula, on the shores of the Pacific.

His tales of visiting these far-flung rivers are memorable, and at heart, Reeling in Russia is far more than a story of an angling journey. It is a humorous and moving account of his adventures in the madhouse that is Russia today, and a striking portrait that highlights the humanity and tribulations of its people.

In the end, the reader is left with the memory of haunted northern landscapes, of vivid sunsets over distant rivers, of the crumbling remains of pre-Revolutionary estates, and a cast of dogged Russians struggling to build a life amid the rubble of the Communist regime.

About this title

Review

"Wonderful...a vastly entertaining and edifying work." --The Washington Post

"A passionate and beautifully written memoir...a vivid, compelling...portrait of a country that remains an enigma to most Americans." --The Chicago Tribune

"Think of Montaigne as a Tocqueville with a fly rod who uncovers Russia in the raw." --Sports Illustrated

"A first-rate book...[with] memorable writing...Mr. Montaigne...has netted a darkly comic tale in which he is the picaresque antihero." --The Wall Street Journal

From the Publisher

Advance Praise for REELING IN RUSSIA

"By fishing his way across Eurasia (often on a river of vodka), Fen Montaigne has gotten closer to the essence of modern Russia than any writer in a generation. The Kremlin is million miles away, but the pleasures and desperations of the people, as well as the beauty of the landscapes, could not be more vivid. Worthy of Bruce Chatwin or Paul Theroux's travel adventures, this is a deliciously funny book, but it is also haunting, vivid, and deep."

--David Remnick, author of LENIN'S TOMB
"Fen Montaigne's robust trek through Russia with a fly rod in hand and his eyes wide open is hilarious and memorable, and it is utterly revealing of that vast country today."

--Nick Lyons, author of A FLYFISHER'S WORLD
"In his wonderful book, Fen Montaigne takes us on an extraordinary and exciting journey through the vast spaces of a Russia that few--if any--Westerners have ever seen. His experiences and the colorful cast of characters he meets along his way provide a unique glimpse of the wild and distant reaches of that great and ever fascinating nation of startling contrast."

--Suzanne Massie, author of LAND OF THE FIREBIRD
"REELING IN RUSSIA is a terrific book, handsomely written, about angling in the strange new Russia, with a remarkable feeling for the greatness and wildness of its land and people."

-Thomas McGuane, author of NOTHING BUT BLUE SKIES
"I can't help but envy Montaigne's courage in fishing the places in Russia that I assiduously avoided and only caught glimpses of. His insights are remarkable."

--Jack Hemingway, author of THE MISADVENTURES OF A FLY FISHERMAN

About this edition

• Publisher: St. Martin's Griffin
• Publication date: 1900
• ISBN 10: 031220809X
• ISBN 13: 9780312208097
• Binding: Paperback
• Number of pages: 292