Travels in Siberia - Hardcover

Frazier, Ian

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 0374278725 ISBN 13: 9780374278724

Publisher: Farrar Straus & Giroux, 2010

Synopsis

A Dazzling Russian travelogue from the bestselling author of Great Plains

In his astonishing new work, Ian Frazier, one of our greatest and most entertaining storytellers, trains his perceptive, generous eye on Siberia, the storied expanse of Asiatic Russia whose grim renown is but one explanation among hundreds for the region’s fascinating, enduring appeal. In Travels in Siberia, Frazier reveals Siberia’s role in history—its science, economics, and politics—with great passion and enthusiasm, ensuring that we’ll never think about it in the same way again.

With great empathy and epic sweep, Frazier tells the stories of Siberia’s most famous exiles, from the well-known—Dostoyevsky, Lenin (twice), Stalin (numerous times)—to the lesser known (like Natalie Lopukhin, banished by the empress for copying her dresses) to those who experienced unimaginable suffering in Siberian camps under the Soviet regime, forever immortalized by Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn inThe Gulag Archipelago.

Travels in Siberia is also a unique chronicle of Russia since the end of the Soviet Union, a personal account of adventures among Russian friends and acquaintances, and, above all, a unique, captivating, totally Frazierian take on what he calls the “amazingness” of Russia—a country that, for all its tragic history, somehow still manages to be funny.Travels in Siberia will undoubtedly take its place as one of the twenty-first century’s indispensable contributions to the travel-writing genre.

About this title

Review:

"["Travels in Siberia "is] an uproarious, sometimes dark yarn filled with dubious meals, broken-down vehicles, abandoned slave-labor camps and ubiquitous statues of Lenin--"On the Road" meets "The Gulag Archipelago" . . . As he demonstrated in "Great Plains," Frazier is the most amiable of obsessives . . . he peels away Russia's stolid veneer to reveal the quirkiness and humanity beneath . . . Frazier has the gumption and sense of wonder shared by every great travel writer, from Bruce Chatwin to Redmond O'Hanlon, as well as the ability to make us see how the most trivial or ephemeral detail is part of the essential texture of a place . . . [An] endlessly fascinating tale." --Joshua Hammer, "The New York Times Book Review
""Frazier is a sophisticated, intense writer who--Twain-like--uses a deceptive style of naivete and comic self-deprecation to carry serious perceptions....Always beautifully written, often very funny, serious, and moving in its cumulative impact." "--The New York Review of Books
""While the hand- and mind-numbing trip through geographic purgatory couldn't have been a joy, the humor and genuine awe Frazier injects into his depictions are the stuff of a great vicarious vacation. Grade: A-" "--""Entertainment Weekly
""Frazier is besotted, happy, free, on high alert, drunk with space....He expands to fill it, and his awe is contagious." "--""Los Angeles Times"
"Siberia provides Frazier with the perfect canvas to paint what may be his masterpiece." "--""The Boston Globe
""It's always easy to figure out whether you should read the latest book by Ian Frazier: If he's written it, then you'll want to read it . . . Much more than 'travel writing, ' ["Travels in Siberia"] covers memoir, history, literature, politics and more. There are many reasons to love it, including the fantastic ending, possibly the best of any book in recent memory. "Travels in Siberia" is a masterpiece of nonfiction writing--tragic, bizarre and funn

["Travels in Siberia "is] an uproarious, sometimes dark yarn filled with dubious meals, broken-down vehicles, abandoned slave-labor camps and ubiquitous statues of Lenin--"On the Road" meets "The Gulag Archipelago" . . . As he demonstrated in "Great Plains," Frazier is the most amiable of obsessives . . . he peels away Russia's stolid veneer to reveal the quirkiness and humanity beneath . . . Frazier has the gumption and sense of wonder shared by every great travel writer, from Bruce Chatwin to Redmond O'Hanlon, as well as the ability to make us see how the most trivial or ephemeral detail is part of the essential texture of a place . . . [An] endlessly fascinating tale. "Joshua Hammer, The New York Times Book Review"

Frazier is a sophisticated, intense writer who--Twain-like--uses a deceptive style of naivete and comic self-deprecation to carry serious perceptions. Always beautifully written, often very funny, serious, and moving in its cumulative impact. "The New York Review of Books"

While the hand- and mind-numbing trip through geographic purgatory couldn't have been a joy, the humor and genuine awe Frazier injects into his depictions are the stuff of a great vicarious vacation. Grade: A- "Entertainment Weekly"

Frazier is besotted, happy, free, on high alert, drunk with space .He expands to fill it, and his awe is contagious. "Los Angeles Times"

Siberia provides Frazier with the perfect canvas to paint what may be his masterpiece. "The Boston Globe"

It's always easy to figure out whether you should read the latest book by Ian Frazier: If he's written it, then you'll want to read it . . . Much more than travel writing, ' ["Travels in Siberia"] covers memoir, history, literature, politics and more. There are many reasons to love it, including the fantastic ending, possibly the best of any book in recent memory. "Travels in Siberia" is a masterpiece of nonfiction writing--tragic, bizarre and funny. Once again, the inimitable Frazier has managed to create a genre of his very own. "Carmela Ciuraru, San Francisco Chronicle"

[Travel writing] . . . is revived by Ian Frazier's "Travels in Siberia," which evinces a passion as profound as Homans's zeal for dance: Frazier's Russia-love' . . . Between excursions to towns like Neudachino ( Unhappyville'), he ponders a question that has puzzled many a visitor: how Russia can be so great and so horrible simultaneously.' In exploring this paradox, Frazier describes the physical world with a keen eye . . . Some of his descriptions read like medieval nightmares: the mosquitoes of western Siberia, so numerous that they gather in fierce black clouds; or the feeling of being locked, for almost two days, in a windowless train compartment beneath a ceiling so low that it is impossible to stand. Frazier candidly addresses Siberia's tragedies and opportunities, even as his narrative offers, like explorer stories of old (crossing the Sahara, hacking through the Congo, landing in Tahiti with Captain Cook), all the thrills of armchair travel. "Ben Moser, Harper's"

Ian Frazier, a staff writer for "The New Yorker," is a master of nonfiction narrative. As with his previous travel classics "Great Plains" and "On the Rez," Frazier's "Travels in Siberia" not only explores the geography of a remote, seemingly barren region, but also illuminates its dark history and resilient spirit. Frazier isn't just a chronicler--he's a central character . . . After reading Frazier's passionate travelogue and history of Siberia, you'll never again view the region as a big, empty space on a map. Frazier brings Siberia into vivid, monochromatic focus. "Minneapolis Star-Tribune""

[Travels in Siberia is] an uproarious, sometimes dark yarn filled with dubious meals, broken-down vehicles, abandoned slave-labor camps and ubiquitous statues of Lenin--On the Road meets The Gulag Archipelago . . . As he demonstrated in Great Plains, Frazier is the most amiable of obsessives . . . he peels away Russia's stolid veneer to reveal the quirkiness and humanity beneath . . . Frazier has the gumption and sense of wonder shared by every great travel writer, from Bruce Chatwin to Redmond O'Hanlon, as well as the ability to make us see how the most trivial or ephemeral detail is part of the essential texture of a place . . . [An] endlessly fascinating tale. Joshua Hammer, The New York Times Book Review

Frazier is a sophisticated, intense writer who--Twain-like--uses a deceptive style of naivete and comic self-deprecation to carry serious perceptions. Always beautifully written, often very funny, serious, and moving in its cumulative impact. The New York Review of Books

While the hand- and mind-numbing trip through geographic purgatory couldn't have been a joy, the humor and genuine awe Frazier injects into his depictions are the stuff of a great vicarious vacation. Grade: A- Entertainment Weekly

Frazier is besotted, happy, free, on high alert, drunk with space .He expands to fill it, and his awe is contagious. Los Angeles Times

Siberia provides Frazier with the perfect canvas to paint what may be his masterpiece. The Boston Globe

It's always easy to figure out whether you should read the latest book by Ian Frazier: If he's written it, then you'll want to read it . . . Much more than travel writing, ' [Travels in Siberia] covers memoir, history, literature, politics and more. There are many reasons to love it, including the fantastic ending, possibly the best of any book in recent memory. Travels in Siberia is a masterpiece of nonfiction writing--tragic, bizarre and funny. Once again, the inimitable Frazier has managed to create a genre of his very own. Carmela Ciuraru, San Francisco Chronicle

[Travel writing] . . . is revived by Ian Frazier's Travels in Siberia, which evinces a passion as profound as Homans's zeal for dance: Frazier's Russia-love' . . . Between excursions to towns like Neudachino ( Unhappyville'), he ponders a question that has puzzled many a visitor: how Russia can be so great and so horrible simultaneously.' In exploring this paradox, Frazier describes the physical world with a keen eye . . . Some of his descriptions read like medieval nightmares: the mosquitoes of western Siberia, so numerous that they gather in fierce black clouds; or the feeling of being locked, for almost two days, in a windowless train compartment beneath a ceiling so low that it is impossible to stand. Frazier candidly addresses Siberia's tragedies and opportunities, even as his narrative offers, like explorer stories of old (crossing the Sahara, hacking through the Congo, landing in Tahiti with Captain Cook), all the thrills of armchair travel. Ben Moser, Harper's

Ian Frazier, a staff writer for The New Yorker, is a master of nonfiction narrative. As with his previous travel classics Great Plains and On the Rez, Frazier's Travels in Siberia not only explores the geography of a remote, seemingly barren region, but also illuminates its dark history and resilient spirit. Frazier isn't just a chronicler--he's a central character . . . After reading Frazier's passionate travelogue and history of Siberia, you'll never again view the region as a big, empty space on a map. Frazier brings Siberia into vivid, monochromatic focus. Minneapolis Star-Tribune

"

"[Travels in Siberia is] an uproarious, sometimes dark yarn filled with dubious meals, broken-down vehicles, abandoned slave-labor camps and ubiquitous statues of Lenin--On the Road meets The Gulag Archipelago . . . As he demonstrated in Great Plains, Frazier is the most amiable of obsessives . . . he peels away Russia's stolid veneer to reveal the quirkiness and humanity beneath . . . Frazier has the gumption and sense of wonder shared by every great travel writer, from Bruce Chatwin to Redmond O'Hanlon, as well as the ability to make us see how the most trivial or ephemeral detail is part of the essential texture of a place . . . [An] endlessly fascinating tale." --Joshua Hammer, The New York Times Book Review

"Frazier is a sophisticated, intense writer who--Twain-like--uses a deceptive style of naivete and comic self-deprecation to carry serious perceptions....Always beautifully written, often very funny, serious, and moving in its cumulative impact." --The New York Review of Books

"While the hand- and mind-numbing trip through geographic purgatory couldn't have been a joy, the humor and genuine awe Frazier injects into his depictions are the stuff of a great vicarious vacation. Grade: A-" --Entertainment Weekly

"Frazier is besotted, happy, free, on high alert, drunk with space....He expands to fill it, and his awe is contagious." --Los Angeles Times

"Siberia provides Frazier with the perfect canvas to paint what may be his masterpiece." --The Boston Globe

"It's always easy to figure out whether you should read the latest book by Ian Frazier: If he's written it, then you'll want to read it . . . Much more than 'travel writing, ' [Travels in Siberia] covers memoir, history, literature, politics and more. There are many reasons to love it, including the fantastic ending, possibly the best of any book in recent memory. Travels in Siberia is a masterpiece of nonfiction writing--tragic, bizarre and funny. Once again, the inimitable Frazier has managed to create a genre of his very own." --Carmela Ciuraru, San Francisco Chronicle

"[Travel writing] . . . is revived by Ian Frazier's Travels in Siberia, which evinces a passion as profound as Homans's zeal for dance: Frazier's 'Russia-love' . . . Between excursions to towns like Neudachino ('Unhappyville'), he ponders a question that has puzzled many a visitor: 'how Russia can be so great and so horrible simultaneously.' In exploring this paradox, Frazier describes the physical world with a keen eye . . . Some of his descriptions read like medieval nightmares: the mosquitoes of western Siberia, so numerous that they gather in fierce black clouds; or the feeling of being locked, for almost two days, in a windowless train compartment beneath a ceiling so low that it is impossible to stand. Frazier candidly addresses Siberia's tragedies and opportunities, even as his narrative offers, like explorer stories of old (crossing the Sahara, hacking through the Congo, landing in Tahiti with Captain Cook), all the thrills of armchair travel." --Ben Moser, Harper's

"Ian Frazier, a staff writer for The New Yorker, is a master of nonfiction narrative. As with his previous travel classics Great Plains and On the Rez, Frazier's Travels in Siberia not only explores the geography of a remote, seemingly barren region, but also illuminates its dark history and resilient spirit. Frazier isn't just a chronicler--he's a central character . . . After reading Frazier's passionate travelogue and history of Siberia, you'll never again view the region as a big, empty space on a map. Frazier brings Siberia into vivid, monochromatic focus." --Minneapolis Star-Tribune

About the Author:

Ian Frazier is the author of Great Plains, On the Rez, Lamentations of the Father and Coyote V. Acme, among other works, all published by Farrar, Straus and Giroux. He graduated from Harvard University. A frequent contributor toThe New Yorker, he lives in Montclair, New Jersey.

About this edition

• Publisher: Farrar Straus & Giroux
• Publication date: 2010
• ISBN 10: 0374278725
• ISBN 13: 9780374278724
• Binding: Hardcover
• Edition number: 1
• Number of pages: 529