Russians and their Tsar

"He was the old Russian yearning for the tsar or a god, for somebody to impose discipline on the nation's ancient anarchy and indolence." (from Among the Russians by Colin Thubron, 1984).

"Among Russians"

Colin Thubron in his book Among the Russians - From the Baltic to the Caucasus (1984) captures a testimony of a Latvian man about Russian authorities: "You are always treated like a child. There is nothing but bureaucracy, dogma, interference! It's all so stupid." (p.120, Vintage London)

Thubron on Why Russians Drink

"Many Estonians and Russians drank away half their salaries. They drink because they are bored-they've nothing else to think about. They've nowhere to go, nothing to do. When they remember the emptiness of their lives, they drink." (Quote from Among Russians-From the Baltic to the Caucasus, 1984, p.110)

"Vodka-the colourless innocence!"

Already back in 1984, Colin Thubron commented in his book Among the Russians-From the Baltic to the Caucasus on the famous Russian drink as follows: "Vodka-the colourless innocence! It's the curse and the liberation of Russia, a self-obliterating escape from tedium and emptiness, from interminable winter nights, and the still longer, darker nights of the soul." (68, Vintage, London) (Image: Amazon)