To Read, Perchance to Dream, of Russia
On September 25, Moscow businessman and restauranteur Rostislav Ordovsky-Tanaevsky Blanco (near right) presented his new book, The Russian Dream: How to Realize It. Two and a half years in the making, the book presents a vision of the Russia we would all like to live in and examines what path will bring us there. For Russia to reach its fullest, brightest potential, the author posits, the nation must banish indiff erence and replace it with the firm belief that each person can act to change the future of both the individual and the collective. Written in accessible prose with a minimum of jargon, the work addresses topics that are permanent fi xtures of conversations about today’s Russia such as oil, distribution of wealth, formation of a middle class, national health, and the birth rate. But instead of dispensing prescriptions and advice, Ordovsky-Tanaevsky Blanco invites all readers, from civil servants to housewives, to consider these issues for themselves. By doing so, each reader can demonstrate the engagement required of all citizens to bring about the dream of a free and flourishing Russia. Hosted by arts historian Svyatoslav Belza (above, far right), the presentation was held at the historic Moscow estate of the Muravyov-Apostol family, which was represented at the event by Cristopher Muravyov-Apostol (shown with the author at right). The book, published by Izvestia, is available in Russian at Respublika and Moskovsky Dom Knigi bookstores throughout Moscow. An English translation is in the works.
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