One Steppe Beyond: Across Russia in a VW Camper - Softcover

Wheeler, Thom

Softcover

ISBN 10: 1849531560 ISBN 13: 9781849531566

Publisher: Summersdale, 2012

Synopsis

Traveling across the former Soviet Union is a challenge at the best of times—doing so in a dilapidated VW is just that much more of an adventure

 

A chance job offer at a timber yard in Estonia gives Thom and his old pal Jo a taste for the unknown. So when Uncle Tony asks them to drive to Vladivostok for another job, they can’t think of a good reason why not. The result is a classic caper across the former Soviet Union in Max, a rusty old VW camper. Knowing little of the language or the geography ahead, they embark on probably the longest commute ever, encountering corrupt officials, film star mechanics, and over-friendly gangsters. Far off the tourist trail, they bear witness to the collapse of one nation and the birth of a new one during the free-for-all that was Russia in the 1990s.

About this title

About the Author

Thom Wheeler lived in St. Petersburg for several years working as a guide and teacher before going on to live in several ex-Soviet countries, including Georgia and Ukraine. He continues to spend time in the ex-Soviet Union traveling, teaching, and writing, and he runs an annual theater workshop in Tzarskoe Selo, Russia. This is his first book.

Reviews

Not long after the collapse of the Soviet Union, Wheeler, who had visited the country just before the collapse and was immediately taken by it, had an opportunity to go back, thanks to a job offer from a family friend, who invited Wheeler to come to a small town, Parnu, and work in a timber yard. Accompanied by Jo, his old friend, Wheeler set out in a rickety Volkswagen on an adventure that ended up taking them across the former Soviet Union, offering a unique and often very funny perspective on a country in its death throes. A nice balance of humor and observation, of character and political commentary, the book should have no trouble finding an audience among armchair travelers and students of Russian history circa the early 1990s. --David Pitt

Edition details

• Publisher: Summersdale
• Publication date: 2012
• Language: English
• ISBN 10: 1849531560
• ISBN 13: 9781849531566
• Binding: Paperback
• Edition number: 1
• Number of pages: 320