Tilda Publishing
e already know that we need to create a blog to keep the spirit and the purpose of RUSSIA: THE LAND WE CAME TO LOVE alive. That much is clear. The book was
W
"Not all stories
make it into the book".
But all of them shape the journey."
Marlon
the starting point, but not the finish line. Now then, the inevitable question arises: where do we begin?..
Russia is too vast for a single story, so we had to to choose. This section is about the places, the people and the moments that made it into the book - and the ones that almost did. It's a look behind the scenes: the difficult choices, the directions we considered, and the threads that eventually formed the story you're now holding in your hands.
THREE DIRECTIONS.
ONE JOURNEY
ONE JOURNEY
Beauty and struggle. Old and new.
Side by side.
Side by side.
Places we want to return to.
Questions we still carry.
Questions we still carry.
A changing Russia. What is happening today.
01
02
03
RUSSIA’S CONTRADICTIONS
PENDING TOPICS AND DEEP DIVES
CURRENT AFFAIRS
So, this is the plan, at least the initial plan.
One chapter from each section at a time, moving forward in parallel, maintaining balance and coherence. Because a blog is not a monologue, but a conversation...
One chapter from each section at a time, moving forward in parallel, maintaining balance and coherence. Because a blog is not a monologue, but a conversation...
Tilda Publishing
Without haste.
Without pause.
Without pause.
We already know that we need to create a blog to keep the spirit and the purpose of RUSSIA: THE LAND WE CAME TO LOVE alive. That much is clear. The book was the starting point, but not the finish line. Now then, if you have seen the content of the book (I hope you have), the inevitable question arises: where do we begin?
It is not a minor question. A blog can easily flounder in dispersion, improvisation, or repetition of topics already covered. To avoid this, it is wise to have a roadmap, a structure that gives coherence to what we publish and that, at the same time, is fair to all the sections that the book itself left open.
So, considering that we will go deeper into some of the things that are in the book, develop topics I would have liked to include but couldn't, and also talk about current events in the country, it occurs to me that, to be fair to all the sections, we should try to develop one chapter from each section at a time. That is, moving forward in parallel across the different fronts, without abandoning any of them, so that the blog grows in a balanced way.
Section One: Russia's Contradictions
In the first section, I would like to begin with those things about Russia that, at least to me (and perhaps to many of you) will seem contradictory. Because Russia is, among many other things, a country of contrasts that disconcert the visitor and fascinate the attentive observer.
Let us think, for example, about the summers. Anyone who imagines Russia as a country of ice and snow is surprised to discover warm, luminous, even stifling summers in some regions. The cities change their skin, terraces fill up, people take to the streets and parks until late at night. It is a Russia that has little to do with the winter stereotype.
Let us also think about alcohol. It is a delicate topic, full of nuances and commonplaces. But it is worth addressing with honesty, without falling into caricature or easy judgment. What place does alcohol really occupy in daily life? How has its consumption changed in recent decades? What do Russians themselves say about it?
Then there is nightlife, that other world that unfolds when the sun goes down. Moscow and Saint Petersburg, to name just two examples, have a nightlife offering that surprises with its variety and energy. Theaters, concerts, bars, clubs, nighttime walks along the river. The Russian night has its own rhythm, its own code, its own beauty.
And what can we say about the culinary offering. Far from being reduced to a few well-known dishes, Russian cuisine is diverse, regional, full of flavors and stories. From traditional soups to pastries, from markets to author restaurants, there is an entire gastronomic universe to explore.
Finally, Russian women. A topic that tends to generate all kinds of comments, many of them loaded with stereotypes. Here I am interested in speaking from respectful observation, from culture, from history, from what is truly seen and lived, avoiding the simplifications that do so much harm.
Section Two: Pending Topics and Deep Dives
From the second section, although there are many topics to develop, perhaps we should begin with Russian cinema. It is one of the country's great cultural traditions, with directors, films, and schools that have marked the history of the seventh art. To talk about Russian cinema is to talk about art, memory, and identity.
I would also like to address the fascination Russians have with wall clocks. It seems like a minor detail, almost anecdotal, but it holds much more than it appears to: the relationship with time, with order, with the home, with punctuality, with family memory. Wall clocks are in many homes, in many offices, in many public places, and their presence says something about the way of inhabiting the world.
And, of course, buildings, museums, and monuments. Russia is a country of impressive architectural and heritage wealth. From cathedrals to Soviet buildings, from great museums to lesser-known monuments, there is material for many articles. Here we will be able to go deeper into what the book could only mention in passing.
Section Three: Current Affairs
As for the third, we will see which new developments we can talk about when the time comes. Current affairs have its own timing and its own surprises. It is not wise to force it or anticipate it. When something deserves to be told, we will tell it, always with the same premise: to say things as they are, without unnecessary comparisons, seeking what is interesting and little known.
So, this is the plan, at least the initial plan. One chapter from each section at a time, moving forward in parallel, maintaining balance and coherence. Because a blog is not sustained by good intentions alone: it is sustained by consistency, by judgment, and by passion.
I hope you find this dynamic as appealing as I find it necessary. Because a blog is not a monologue, but a conversation built with every reading, with every comment, with every question that arises on the other side of the screen. If this journey through Russia's contradictions, through its pending topics, and through its current affairs manages to spark your curiosity, then we will have fulfilled our purpose. So, I invite you to join me on this journey (without haste and without pause) section by section, chapter by chapter, discovering together that Russia which continues to surprise us. Thank you for being here.
See you in the next entry.
It is not a minor question. A blog can easily flounder in dispersion, improvisation, or repetition of topics already covered. To avoid this, it is wise to have a roadmap, a structure that gives coherence to what we publish and that, at the same time, is fair to all the sections that the book itself left open.
So, considering that we will go deeper into some of the things that are in the book, develop topics I would have liked to include but couldn't, and also talk about current events in the country, it occurs to me that, to be fair to all the sections, we should try to develop one chapter from each section at a time. That is, moving forward in parallel across the different fronts, without abandoning any of them, so that the blog grows in a balanced way.
Section One: Russia's Contradictions
In the first section, I would like to begin with those things about Russia that, at least to me (and perhaps to many of you) will seem contradictory. Because Russia is, among many other things, a country of contrasts that disconcert the visitor and fascinate the attentive observer.
Let us think, for example, about the summers. Anyone who imagines Russia as a country of ice and snow is surprised to discover warm, luminous, even stifling summers in some regions. The cities change their skin, terraces fill up, people take to the streets and parks until late at night. It is a Russia that has little to do with the winter stereotype.
Let us also think about alcohol. It is a delicate topic, full of nuances and commonplaces. But it is worth addressing with honesty, without falling into caricature or easy judgment. What place does alcohol really occupy in daily life? How has its consumption changed in recent decades? What do Russians themselves say about it?
Then there is nightlife, that other world that unfolds when the sun goes down. Moscow and Saint Petersburg, to name just two examples, have a nightlife offering that surprises with its variety and energy. Theaters, concerts, bars, clubs, nighttime walks along the river. The Russian night has its own rhythm, its own code, its own beauty.
And what can we say about the culinary offering. Far from being reduced to a few well-known dishes, Russian cuisine is diverse, regional, full of flavors and stories. From traditional soups to pastries, from markets to author restaurants, there is an entire gastronomic universe to explore.
Finally, Russian women. A topic that tends to generate all kinds of comments, many of them loaded with stereotypes. Here I am interested in speaking from respectful observation, from culture, from history, from what is truly seen and lived, avoiding the simplifications that do so much harm.
Section Two: Pending Topics and Deep Dives
From the second section, although there are many topics to develop, perhaps we should begin with Russian cinema. It is one of the country's great cultural traditions, with directors, films, and schools that have marked the history of the seventh art. To talk about Russian cinema is to talk about art, memory, and identity.
I would also like to address the fascination Russians have with wall clocks. It seems like a minor detail, almost anecdotal, but it holds much more than it appears to: the relationship with time, with order, with the home, with punctuality, with family memory. Wall clocks are in many homes, in many offices, in many public places, and their presence says something about the way of inhabiting the world.
And, of course, buildings, museums, and monuments. Russia is a country of impressive architectural and heritage wealth. From cathedrals to Soviet buildings, from great museums to lesser-known monuments, there is material for many articles. Here we will be able to go deeper into what the book could only mention in passing.
Section Three: Current Affairs
As for the third, we will see which new developments we can talk about when the time comes. Current affairs have its own timing and its own surprises. It is not wise to force it or anticipate it. When something deserves to be told, we will tell it, always with the same premise: to say things as they are, without unnecessary comparisons, seeking what is interesting and little known.
So, this is the plan, at least the initial plan. One chapter from each section at a time, moving forward in parallel, maintaining balance and coherence. Because a blog is not sustained by good intentions alone: it is sustained by consistency, by judgment, and by passion.
I hope you find this dynamic as appealing as I find it necessary. Because a blog is not a monologue, but a conversation built with every reading, with every comment, with every question that arises on the other side of the screen. If this journey through Russia's contradictions, through its pending topics, and through its current affairs manages to spark your curiosity, then we will have fulfilled our purpose. So, I invite you to join me on this journey (without haste and without pause) section by section, chapter by chapter, discovering together that Russia which continues to surprise us. Thank you for being here.
See you in the next entry.
THE SELECTION
