Countries that do not really exist, the world's only town that lies entirely underground, a UK hotel room which became Yugoslavian for one day only, an island which is Spanish for six months of the year and French for the other six, a city which is officially constituted by one single skyscraper, the world's first and only railway that belonged to one country and ran across another, a hotel room whose bedroom is in France and whose bathroom is in Switzerland, Bir Tawil which is one of the very few territories on earth not claimed by any country, the only place in the world where you can find so-called counter-enclaves and where in a 20-minute walk around the village you can cross an international border over 50 times at 50 different points ... The world is full of very little-known geographical anomalies that are, or have often been, a source of diplomatic and/or military struggles. Many still exist under the radar, and are, or could become, the source of a major international crisis.
“‘Granny Yaga’ follows the switchback adventures of a boy called Danya (Danny), born in Eastern Europe, but now living in north London where the local she-dragons are notorious fighters, and any alert passer-by can spot Granny herself flying low over the British Museum. Danny becomes Granny’s aide-de-camp in a life-or-death duel with the demon Koshchei, fought out on the London underground, in disused stations, boarded-up houses and the enchanted skies over Crouch End, with back-up from the relatively orthodox magic of Yesterdayland (huts on chicken legs, talking cats, self-catering tablecloths) and the realpolitik of its neighbouring Soviet satellite, a land of cruel edicts and capricious tsars where the workers are permanently drunk, and the loo seats belonging to each family in a communal flat hang side by side on the wall ‘like luckless horseshoes’. A gripping read for all ages from Danny’s to Granny’s.” —Hilary Spurling
Vitali Vitaliev was hounded out of the USSR by the KGB over seven years ago and here he describes coming to terms with life outside the Soviet Union. This is a witty and passionate account of how the author deals with Soho night-life, Tazmanian elections, the coming down of the Berlin Wall and such momentous steps as buying his first Western suit and a house with an indoor swimming pool.
Collection of articles from Moscow's Journalist of the Year, who has been writing since 1990 for the TAge', where these pieces were first published. Vitaliev brings a Russian perspective to experiences as diverse as Saturday night at St Kilda police station to crossing the Nullabor.
A unique perspective on 21st century Irish cultural identity, delivered in a style rich with his typical sardonic wit. Ukrainian-born Vitali Vitaliev, an award-winning travel writer and journalist, uses his outsider's perspective to recount his Irish adventures. A renowned cultural observer, he muses on the nation's quirks and stereotypes, whilst his reference to mid-19th century guide books provides an insightful historical comparison. The result is an affectionate if slightly perplexed portrait of a nation in transition.Vitali's time in Ireland coincided with the period of the now dead and buried 'Celtic Tiger' yet the author saw no sign of it. At times, he recounts, "I was ready to believe that its very existence was a myth, a creation of the lazy journalists' and inept economists' imagination." Daily life in the Republic of Ireland, he observed, was more reminiscent of that in a third world country, rather than of a modern industrial and financial 'mini-giant' - as it was at that time being described by the world media. "During my travels, I developed a chronic dislike for the elusive and intrusive Tiger. It simply did not fit with Ireland's pristine landscape and even less so - with the nation's poetic soul."Ukrainian-born Vitali Vitaliev, an award-winning travel writer and journalist, uses his outsider's perspective to recount his Irish adventures. A renowned cultural observer, he muses on the nation's quirks and stereotypes, whilst his reference to mid-19th century guide books provides an insightful historical comparison. The result is an affectionate if slightly perplexed portrait of a nation in transition.Reviews of Vitali's Ireland: "This is a book that will perplex and infuriate some but appear quite humorous to others . . . Eccentric guide to a land of contradictions . . . A rather eclectic mixture of farce, travel guide and personal observation . . . This book should be required reading for those executives who run our tourist authorities."Colin Lenihan, Minister for Integration, in The Irish Times"Slightly eccentric and highly enjoyable . . . Slightly cranky, sometimes bewildered, often meandering back across his life and generally highly entertaining, Vitali's Ireland is very much an outsider's look into our country. If he doesn't know what to make of us, it is maybe because he is viewing us at a junction where we don't know what to make of ourselves."Dermot Bolger, in Sunday Business"Vitali is big hearted, broad minded and smart as a whip . . . A Ukranian-born Russian exile whose worldwide perambulations have produced a string of fine, intelligent works of idiosyncratic reportage, this somewhat unusual visitor offers a valuable gift to us Irish readers: The outside perspective . . . Vitaliev wanders the 32 counties like some kind of gormless, amiable pilgrim, half-Mr Bean, half-Socrates. . . . (His) observations on the folly of the Northern conflict are heartbreaking in their simplicity and world-weary resignation . . . I could fill this paper with quotable extracts"Hugh Tynan, in the Irish Examiner Weekend
Both a summation and a new beginning for Vitaliev, Life as a Literary Device is an analysis of how literature has bound his life and an exploration of how to survive in the modern world. Vitaliev is the Ukranian-born cultural commentator and journalist whose life has been spent exploring the curious, the unusual and the plain dotty manifestations of human life around the world. The author of cult classics, such as Dreams on Hitler's Couch, Vitaliev has a tremendously wry take on the human species as it goes about its daily life.
Ukrainian-born journalist Vitali Vitaliev takes a journey around Britain in search of that most elusive of ideas - utopia. Laced with humour and trenchant insight, he reflects on utopian ideals in the United Kingdom and his own Soviet upbringing.
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