This new podcast episode is probably the most fun we've had so far. It's an all-over-the-place chat with @peterpomeranzev & @OrlovaKarine about the "Russian soul," Russian suffering, and how great nations self-destruct: open.spotify.com/episode/1MSDy5…
We discuss @peterpomeranzev's fascinating book on the surrealism of Russia, while I sheepishly admit that I didn't finish it because I lost my copy in a Normandy chateau, leading to some remarks on elite detachment. Anyway, check out the book here: amzn.to/2GHsevg 
The episode also features me reading out (in a dramatic voice) passages from Svetlana Alexievitch's book 'Secondhand Time' (amzn.to/36KCkpN). What's behind the Russian soul? Just more soul.
Do Russians have anything in common with Egyptians? I ask. Egypt was once a great nation (a very long time ago), yet Egyptians still see themselves as "mother of the world," despite the lack of any real accomplishments in the past several hundred years. This creates a dissonance
People will go to great lengths to maintain their belief in their own sense of greatness, despite the ever mounting evidence to the contrary. Conspiracy theories can help, but so can an eagerness to live perpetually in self-denial
