A journey along the seemingly endless Russian border – from North Korea in the Far East through Russia’s bordering states in Asia and the Caucasus, crossing the Caspian Ocean and the Black Sea along the way.
“Erika Fatland [is] shaping up to be one of the Nordics’ most exciting new travel writers” National Geographic
**SHORTLISTED FOR THE STANFORDS DOLMAN TRAVEL BOOK OF THE YEAR 2020**
“A hauntingly lyrical meditation to the contingencies of history” Wall Street Journal
“[An] impressive mix of history, reportage and travel memoir” Washington Post
The Border is a book about Russia and Russian history without its author ever entering Russia itself; a book about being the neighbour of that mighty, expanding empire throughout history. It is a chronicle of the colourful, exciting, tragic and often unbelievable histories of these bordering nations, their cultures, their people, their landscapes.
Through her last three documentary books – one about terrorism in Beslan, one about the 2011 terror attacks in Norway and one about post-Soviet Central Asia – social anthropologist Erika Fatland has established herself as a sharp observer and an outstanding interviewer at the forefront of Nordic non-fiction.
Translated from the Norwegian by Kari Dickson
“Erika Fatland [is] shaping up to be one of the Nordics’ most exciting new travel writers” National Geographic
**SHORTLISTED FOR THE STANFORDS DOLMAN TRAVEL BOOK OF THE YEAR 2020**
“A hauntingly lyrical meditation to the contingencies of history” Wall Street Journal
“[An] impressive mix of history, reportage and travel memoir” Washington Post
The Border is a book about Russia and Russian history without its author ever entering Russia itself; a book about being the neighbour of that mighty, expanding empire throughout history. It is a chronicle of the colourful, exciting, tragic and often unbelievable histories of these bordering nations, their cultures, their people, their landscapes.
Through her last three documentary books – one about terrorism in Beslan, one about the 2011 terror attacks in Norway and one about post-Soviet Central Asia – social anthropologist Erika Fatland has established herself as a sharp observer and an outstanding interviewer at the forefront of Nordic non-fiction.
Translated from the Norwegian by Kari Dickson
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Reviews
Truly a masterly performance . . . The book has so many qualities that it is impossible to mention them all. Fatland masters the genre to perfection . . . The Border transcends all borders. Reading it is a true delight.
Masterly . . . A Norwegian Marco Polo . . . The lines of force of history become clear thanks to this thorough and well-written book by one of our best and most original young nonfiction authors.
The Border is like a kinderegg, it is a travel book, a history book, and a biography of people we normally do not hear much about but to whom we become close through Fatland's long Odyssey.
The strength of Fatland's second travel book lies in its ability to make history come alive through stories . . . Well-informed, precise, astute in its restraint, entertaining, balanced and not without the occasional dose of gentle irony - every chapter written by this border-crosser, who doesn't shy away from any ordeal, is captivating reading.
She weaves her travel narrative with stories of people whose lives have been affected by Russia's geopolitical ambitions. Armchair adventurers and Russian history buffs are in for a treat.
The latest from Norwegian social anthropologist Erika Fatland, who's shaping up to be one of the Nordics' most exciting new travel writers . . . An examination of Russia from its fringes, this is an interesting way to 'see' a country without ever actually going into it. And it offers up some pretty epic peripheral vision.
Erika Fatland deserves both applause and thanks for this impressive mix of history, reportage and travel memoir