The revered Russian writer and Putin critic on how the war in Ukraine has divided his nation, and why culture is the only cure
was born in Moscow and is one of the most lauded writers in contemporary Russian literature, and the only one to receive all three of Russia’s most prestigious literary awards. An outspoken critic of Vladimir Putin and what he calls his “criminal regime”, he has lived in exile in Switzerland since 1995. In, his most recent book to be translated into English, he surveys the violent contours of Russia history and examines the troubled relationship between the Russian state and its citizens.
It’s a mission for me now. All my life I felt very solid ground under my feet. It was Russian culture. And now it’s blown away. One hundred years ago Russian immigrants were not ashamed of speaking Russian on the streets of Berlin or Paris. But now they are ashamed to speak their language. And my mission now is to do everything to return dignity to the Russian language.
Your book is a warning against the corruption of language, the normalisation of the lie. But if a lie carries more power than the truth, who will be brave enough to challenge it, and risk imprisonment or death? When was the last time, for example, you were in Russia? You write about the “wild 90s” in Russia when oligarchs stole natural resources and criminals were empowered. It was the great missed opportunity. What could theI’m afraid the truth is that the west helped to introduce this criminal regime to Russian people. In the 90s people were ready for democracy but they had no idea how it works. What did western democracies show to the new Russian democracy? I worked as an interpreter in Switzerland and I saw how this huge laundry machine works.
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