The document summarizes the book "Reeling in Russia" by Montaigne. The book describes Montaigne's travels through northern Russia in 1996, where he went fly fishing but also observed the Russian people and culture. At the time, Russia was struggling with the transition from the Soviet Union to democracy. The book explores themes of Russian character traits like stoicism, nostalgia for the Soviet era, and coping with alcoholism and difficult living conditions that had persisted or worsened since Soviet times. It discusses environmental degradation and pervasive corruption in the absence of rule of law in post-Soviet Russia.

1. http://paesaggisticacorso.files.wordpress.com/2009/11/siberian-landscape2.jpg

2. http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/664528
.Reeling_In_Russia
http://www.bookpassage.com/event/fen-montaigne-fraser%E2%80%99s-
penguins-journey-future-antarctica

3. Reeling in Russia
• Montaigne is an award winning journalist who was
the Moscow bureau chief for the Philadelphia
Inquirer.
• In the summer of 1996, Montaigne traveled
extensively in northern Russia.
– On the surface he was fly fishing
– But really, he was studying the Russian people and
experiencing Russia at a tumultuous time following
the fall of the Soviet Union
• His experiences and observations reveal the
struggles and strengths of the Russian people.

4. Themes
• Russian character
• Environmental degradation
– Fatalism
– Resourcefulness • Corruption / dishonesty
– Stoicism / patience
– Lack of rule of law
– Nostalgia for past
– Hospitality
• Alcoholism
• Conditions
– Suffering during Soviet era
– Worse for many under
“democracy”
http://www.freefunlinks.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/02/russian-village-of-the-early-1980s.jpg

5. Questions to consider as you read
• What coping mechanisms do you think
Russians have that help them to survive in
such trying circumstances?
• What do you find most remarkable about the
corruption and dishonesty that is so prevalent
in Russia?
• Can you understand the nostalgia for the
Soviet system?

6. http://www.marcdalessio.com/the-great-russian-landscape-painters/march/