logo
episode-header-image
Feb 2025
34m 30s

The mysterious novelist who foresaw Puti...

The Guardian
About this episode
Victor Pelevin made his name in 90s Russia with scathing satires of authoritarianism. But while his literary peers have faced censorship and fled the country, he still sells millions. Has he become a Kremlin apologist? By Sophie Pinkham. Read by Olga Koch. Help support our independent journalism at theguardian.com/longreadpod
Up next
Yesterday
From the archive: The sludge king: how one man turned an industrial wasteland into his own El Dorado
We are raiding the Guardian long read archives to bring you some classic pieces from years past, with new introductions from the authors. This week, from 2022: when a Romanian businessman returned to his hometown and found a city blighted by mining waste, he hatched a plan to res ... Show More
50m 53s
Jul 14
Sold to the Trump family: one of the last undeveloped islands in the Mediterranean
Ivanka Trump and her husband Jared Kushner have spent more than $1bn on an Albanian island that will be a luxury resort – once the unexploded ordnance has been removed By Marzio Mian. Read by Mo Ayoub For more on US politics and the Trump family check out Politics Weekly America. ... Show More
17m 9s
Jul 11
How does woke start winning again?
British progressives have suffered major setbacks in recent years, in both public opinion and court rulings. Was a backlash inevitable, and are new tactics needed? By Gaby Hinsliff. Read by Carlyss Peer. Help support our independent journalism at theguardian.com/longreadpod 
34m 27s
Recommended Episodes
Apr 5
The mysterious novelist who foresaw Putin’s Russia and then came to symbolise its moral decay – an Audio Long Read podcast
Victor Pelevin made his name in 90s Russia with his scathing satires of authoritarianism. But while his literary peers have faced censorship and fled the country, he still sells millions. Has he become a Kremlin apologist? There are more Audio Long Reads here, or search Audio Lon ... Show More
35m 54s
Jun 2023
15. Tanks Riding Towards Moscow
Vladimir Putin survived the short lived revolt that saw thousands of mercenaries march towards Moscow, but at what cost?Jonny Dymond is joined by:Polina Ivanova: foreign correspondent for the Financial Times, covering Russia and Ukraine. Owen Matthews: journalist, historian and a ... Show More
28m 54s
Jan 2025
The Truth about Lenin, Stalin and the Soviet Union - Michael Malice
Michael Malice is the author of Dear Reader, The New Right, The Anarchist Handbook & The White Pill. He's the host of the "YOUR WELCOME" podcast on YouTube @MichaelMaliceofficial | SPONSOR: Aura. Stop leaving yourself vulnerable to data breaches. Go to our sponsor https://aura.co ... Show More
1h 11m
Mar 2024
Littérature : Sergueï Shikalov sur la Russie, ses rêves de liberté et ses fantômes
Un soir d'automne, un trentenaire russe est visité par des fantômes. Fantômes de sa jeunesse et de toutes les autres : celles et ceux qui crurent un temps que leur pays ne les rangeait plus dans la catégorie des espèces dangereuses, des « pervers sexuels ». Il décrit une Russie p ... Show More
28m 59s
Feb 2025
Ivan le Terrible, le premier tsar de Russie (et premier tyran aussi)
Stéphane Bern raconte Ivan IV, le premier tsar de Russie, tel qu’il s’est autoproclamé, ou Ivan Le Terrible comme la légende noire l’a inscrit dans l’histoire, un puissant dirigeant qui s’est laissé dévorer par sa propre paranoïa… En quoi Ivan le Terrible a-t-il défini le métier ... Show More
38m 52s
Sep 2024
The Kremlin
Over roughly a thousand years, the Kremlin has come to symbolise Russia itself, with all its varying fortunes, allegiances, and leaders. It’s a physical location that has become synonymous with government and nationhood. Through war and peace, Russia’s leaders have always striven ... Show More
1h 1m
Jan 2025
Vladimir Kara-Murza: Is Putin vulnerable?
Stephen Sackur speaks to Vladimir Kara-Murza, the anti-Putin activist who was twice poisoned, then imprisoned in Russia. He was freed in a prisoner swap last summer, and is now lobbying the West to intensify the pressure on the Kremlin. But is there any reason to believe Putin is ... Show More
22m 57s
Jan 2025
Charles Hecker: Russia’s zero-sum game
Charles Hecker’s 40-year career has seen him travelling and reporting from both the Soviet Union and Russia. He has worked as a journalist and a geopolitical risk consultant, and has lived in Miami, Moscow and now London. His new book, ‘Zero Sum: The Arc of International Business ... Show More
30m 20s