As mysterious as its beautiful; as forbidding as it is populated with warm-hearted people; Syberia is a land few Westerners know; and even fewer will ever visit. Traveling alone; by train; boat; car; and on foot; Colin Thubron traversed this vast territory; talking to everyone he encountered about the state of the beauty; whose natural resources have been savagely exploited for decades; a terrain tainted by nuclear waste but filled with citizens who both welcomed him and fed him—despite their own tragic poverty. From Mongoloia to the Artic Circle; from Rasputin's village in the west through tundra; taiga; mountains; lakes; rivers; and finally to a derelict Jewish community in the country's far eastern reaches; Colin Thubron penetrates a little-understood part of the world in a way that no writer ever has.
#360852 in Books 2000-12-26 2000-12-26Original language:EnglishPDF # 1 8.00 x .68 x 5.31l; .49 #File Name: 006095373X304 pages
Review
69 of 71 people found the following review helpful. A mesmerizing; gripping bookBy Grady HarpRussia metamorphosed in the 20th century assuming and shedding identities as often as it did heads of state. Finding an examination of the history of these events that maintains some semblance of neutrality and pure observation seemed unlikely - until now. IN SIBERIA is a rare combination study of geography; economics; political science; sociology; and history in a format of conversations with the people who live there. Author Thubron is a modern day Richard Halliburton (remember him?); a man brave enough to singly explore the vastness of Siberia in search of the identity of its people. What he gives us is a lushly detailed panorama of physical grandeur and a near clinical insight into the psyches of the people he meets along his journey. His characters are so well reported that they seem to inhabit a fine fiction/history novel. But the sweep of his conversations with these time worn people is so honestly presented that the reader feels privy to shrouded secrets of the past and intimations of the future of a much maligned and misunderstood country.Thubron seems intent on finding the sustaining spirit of his acquaintances; we encounter myriad variations of Russian Orthodox /Buddhist/atheist religion. We hear personal accounts of the labor camps of Stalin and Kruschchev that surpass even Solzhenisyn's descriptions. But more important we are introduced to the ordinary people of this vast country and Thubron shares these characters with insight and intelligent reportage that makes us feel as though we journeyed with him.And this is supposed to be a Travel Book? I think not. This is a volume of first-hand information that leaves the reader enriched and empathetic.......an enormously fine read!0 of 0 people found the following review helpful. Best book I've read this year .By patricia rosenFascinating book ; very informative .0 of 0 people found the following review helpful. Five StarsBy katherine burlakewritten for everyone who wants to go to siberia; but never will.
