Black square
Subtitle: adventures in post-Soviet Ukraine
By: Sophie Pinkham
Edition: First American edition.
Publisher: W.W. Norton & Company
Published: 2016
Language: eng
Number of pages: 288
ISBN-13: 9780393247978
Subjects: Politics and government; Social life and customs; History
Other titles: Adventures in post-Soviet Ukraine
Description: "This captivating and original narrative blends politics, history, and reportage in a street-level account of a vexing and troubled region. In the tradition of Elif Batuman and Ian Frazier, Black Square presents an evocative, multidimensional portrait of Ukrainian life under the shadow of Putin. In vivid, original prose, Sophie Pinkham draws us into the fascinating lives of her contemporaries--a generation that came of age after the fall of the USSR, only to see protestors shot on Kiev's main square, Maidan; Crimea annexed by Russia; and a bitter war in eastern Ukraine. Amid the rubble, Pinkham tells stories that convey a youth culture flourishing within a tragically corrupt state. We meet a charismatic, drug-addicted doctor helping to smooth the transition to democracy, a Bolano-esque art gallerist prone to public nudity, and a Russian Jewish clarinetist agitating for Ukrainian liberation. With a deep knowledge of Slavic literature and a keen, outsider's eye for the dark absurdity of post-Soviet society, Pinkham delivers an indelible impression of a country on the brink."--Provided by publisher.
Notes: Originally published as: Black Square: adventures in the post-Soviet world. London: William Heinemann, 2016.

Includes bibliographical references.
Table of contents: title: Part I: New worlds. The Paris of Siberia; title: Resurrection; title: City of gardens, city of ravines; title: Men's day; title: Paert II: Living together. Buckwheat and rye; title: Carpathian cowboys; title: The people's music; title: The last Jew in Stalindorf; title: The kingdom of the dead; title: Part III: Revolution. Dreaming of Europe; title: Are you alive, brother; title: Masks and monuments; title: Reunion; title: The wild steppe; title: Part IV: War and peace. Heroes don't die; title: Crashing; title: New Year in Kiev; title: Rocket city; title: Victory day; title: A note on sources.