Nothing Is True and Everything Is Possible: The Surreal Heart of the New Russia
Who Would Like This Book:
If you're fascinated by real-life stories that feel stranger than fiction, this book plunges you deep into the surreal world of post-Soviet Russia. Pomerantsev, a British TV producer with Russian heritage, takes you behind the glossy facade of Moscow’s elite and their wild, often bizarre lives - think glamor, gangsters, cults, gold diggers, and reality TV with a sinister twist. His outsider-insider perspective offers sharp insights into how media, power, and illusion shape modern Russia. Readers who love investigative journalism, political commentary, or want a mind-bending look at how reality can be upended will find this endlessly compelling.
Who May Not Like This Book:
If you’re looking for a comprehensive or balanced history of Russia, you might find this book lacking. Pomerantsev’s narrative focuses almost exclusively on the flashy, corrupt urban elite, largely ignoring the experiences of everyday Russians in smaller towns and rural areas. The book’s structure can feel disjointed, with abrupt narrative shifts and a patchwork of loosely connected stories. Some readers also find it a bit too cynical or wish there had been more in-depth analysis tying everything together, rather than a collection of anecdotes.
About:
'Nothing Is True and Everything Is Possible: The Surreal Heart of the New Russia' by Peter Pomerantsev is a memoir that offers an intimate and eye-opening look into modern Russia. Pomerantsev, a London television producer living in Russia, delves into the corrupt and surreal aspects of Russian society, showcasing a world where reality is often stranger than fiction. Through anecdotes and personal encounters, Pomerantsev explores themes of corruption, propaganda, desperation for success, and the lack of respect for Western values in contemporary Russia. The book paints a vivid picture of a society grappling with wealth, power, and a sense of disorientation in the aftermath of the Soviet Union's collapse.
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Sensitive Topics/Content Warnings
Content warnings include depictions of corruption, violence, exploitation, and psychological distress associated with the hedonistic lifestyle of the wealthy and the despair of others in society.
From The Publisher:
A journey into the glittering, surreal heart of 21st century Russia, where even dictatorship is a reality show
Professional killers with the souls of artists, would-be theater directors turned Kremlin puppet-masters, suicidal supermodels, Hell's Angels who hallucinate themselves as holy warriors, and oligarch revolutionaries: welcome to the wild and bizarre heart of twenty-first-century Russia. It is a world erupting with new money and new power, changing so fast it breaks all sense of reality, home to a form of dictatorship-far subtler than twentieth-century strains-that is rapidly rising to challenge the West.
When British producer Peter Pomerantsev plunges into the booming Russian TV industry, he gains access to every nook and corrupt cranny of the country. He is brought to smoky rooms for meetings with propaganda gurus running the nerve-center of the Russian media machine, and visits Siberian mafia-towns and the salons of the international super-rich in London and the US. As the Putin regime becomes more aggressive, Pomerantsev finds himself drawn further into the system.
Dazzling yet piercingly insightful, Nothing Is True and Everything Is Possible is an unforgettable voyage into a country spinning from decadence into madness.
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