Russia in Search of Itself
Russia has been in search of itself for a long time. For the present state of the old vs. new debate there is no better guide than this short book by James H. Billington, Librarian of Congress since 1987.(Walter LaqueurThe Moscow Times.com)A fond, eccentric mix of deep knowledge and fresh information. This is clearly a book for the cognoscenti.(Richard LourieWashington Post Book World)One of our foremost historians of Russia... He is acutely aware of how culture can influence political developments.(Joshua RubensteinOpinion Journal)Takes a close-up look at one of the world's most pressing issues, the turbulent conditions of Russia since the collapse of the Soviet Union and the efforts of Russia to find a post-Soviet identity.(Forecast)Modest in scale (but not conception)...Russia in Search of Itselfought to be required beach reading for the administration's policy-makers... Most political prognostications benefit from being qualified and hedged. Mr. Billington, guided by the extraordinary history of the land and people he knows so well, here courageously opts for the opposite approach.(Martin SieffWashington Times)A valuable overview of current thinking on the Russian national idea.(Kathryn PinnickSurvival)If you want to be ahead of the crowd in understanding it [contemporary Russia's intellectual ferment 'in spite of the growing repressiveness of the current regime'], read James Billington.(Times Literary Supplement)The author's exposure to the ideas and interests of the young Russian intelligence has enriched his book with unique material.(Serhy YekelchykNationalities Papers)This book is valuable primarily for its thorough survey of various contemporary Russian opinions about the country's past and present identity and what it should be in the future.(Choice)The style is in many ways more literary than political science, but its content treads confidently across today's Russia.(Edwin BaconPolitical Studies Review)An engaging look at Russian identity formation through the lens of intellectual history.(Alison RowleyCanadian Slavonic Papers)Russia in Search of Itselfought to be required beach reading for the administration's foreign policy-makers.(Martin SieffSunday Times)A slim but extraordinarily useful survey of the main currents in Russian thought and letters in the post-Soviet era.(Martin WalkerInternational Affairs)