Russia in the Shadows

A vivid travelogue takes listeners into the heart of post‑war Russia, as a curious observer returns to the cities he first saw in 1914. Accompanied by his teenage son, he roams the streets of Petersburg and Moscow, staying with the writer Maxim Gorky and guided by a woman whose own life has been scarred by repeated Bolshevik arrests. The narrative pulls back the curtain on the polite receptions and staged tours that foreign delegations normally receive, revealing instead the raw, unvarnished reality of a nation in turmoil.

Against this backdrop the author sketches the staggering collapse of the old imperial structures—administrative, financial and social systems that once held the empire together. He describes how a compact, disciplined Communist Party has stepped into the vacuum, imposing order through rationing, security measures and harsh repression of brigandage. Through candid observations of schools, prisons and everyday streets, the book offers listeners a nuanced picture of a society teetering between ruin and the uneasy promise of a new order.