How Much Does Putin Matter?
Angela Stent’s book is a good and solid general review for those of us who have been monitoring Soviet and Russian affairs over the years, perhaps somewhat inconsistently and sporadically.
Mary Laurita
Mary Laurita holds a Ph.D. in Russian Literature from Columbia University. She spent several years studying and working in Russia and the Soviet Union and teaching Russian literature to undergraduates. She currently works at Stanford University in the Office of Undergraduate Academic Advising as the Director of Academic and Educational Support Programs.
By Mary Laurita
Town Without Pity
In Putin Country shows that—in the midst of change, instability, and loss of international standing—the average Russian is still looking for someone to restore Russia to its former greatness.
Doctored By Details
"Pasternak remarked in late 1957, 'Everybody’s writing about it, but who in fact has read it?' This seems the crucial question never pursued. What would have happened if more people in power had actually read 'Doctor Zhivago'? Could much, if not all, of the persecution of Pasternak have been avoided? The question of whether or not the book, when read, stands up as a piece of anti-Soviet propaganda comes up a few times in the text, but never as anything more than a superficial thought."