Born into a declining superpower and now inhabiting another, life is marred by ideologies and societal failures. Grilled fish and family gatherings contrast sharply with a cultural landscape littered with slogans and mistrust. Despite initial optimism about the West's influence on Russia, the outcomes have been disappointing, as both nations appear to be converging towards a) similar authoritarianism. Works like Vera reflect on these realities, capturing the sense of loss and dystopia that arise from complex sociopolitical dynamics. Nostalgia for simpler life and skepticism about the future intertwine poignantly.
Oh, to have been born in a small, stylish country with good food and favourable sea breezes. This was not my fortune. I was born to one dying superpower and am now living in another.
I have written dystopian fiction before, and my latest novel, Vera, or Faith, is a continuation of the natural outcome of my birth in Leningrad and my removal to Reagan's America.
I imagined, in my least cynical moments, that Russia would become more like America over the years, or at the least more habituated to pluralism and the rule of law. Of course, the very opposite happened.
America is becoming Russia with every day. The tractors I would watch on Soviet television are now being replaced by the bold-faced slogans and bald-faced lies that characterize contemporary American society.
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