Tiffany

Tiffany asked Julia Phillips:

I loved Disappearing Earth! Your writing is beautiful, and your character development is amazing. I was left wanting to know more about your characters. I recently finished reading Mastering the Art of Soviet Cooking by von Bremzen, and parts of it made me think about your book- Russian life and Soviet nostalgia. Was wondering if you could recommend other books (fiction or non) about Russian life?

Julia Phillips Tiffany, thank you so, so much for reading! I love this question. To me, the book that perfectly captures Soviet memories of contemporary Russians is Secondhand Time by Svetlana Alexievich. Really, I don't think you could go wrong with any Alexievich book – she is a genius. The same blanket recommendation goes for Masha Gessen. And two recent books I've been really excited about are Between Two Fires by Joshua Yaffa and The Lost Pianos of Siberia by Sophy Roberts. Ahh! There is so much good work to read!

More Answered Questions

GreyAtlas

GreyAtlas asked Julia Phillips:

Hi Julia! I read online that you went to Kamchatka on a Fulbright, and also studied Russian literature in college. Is there any chance you would delve into political science research and produce a book on Russian studies? Or perhaps a memoir of your time in Russia?

Maria Tsiruleva

Maria Tsiruleva asked Julia Phillips:

Dear Julia, thank you so much for your book. The setting is so appealing, it made me want to explore distant corners of my own country. I spent some time reading on Kamchatka's history, finding pictures, watching youtube videos of how the streets of Petropavlovsk, Palana and Esso look like. I don't have a question so I just put a question mark as it's a requirement to post a question. :) ?

Victor Sonkin

Victor Sonkin asked Julia Phillips:

Not a question — just a thank you from a Russian reader who found your book very engaging and interesting. I see that you've talked to Afisha, but do you know of any plans to publish your novel in Russia?

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