“Outside the Kremlin”: Norway’s vision of Russia while traveling with its neighbors | Culture

It is worth the fact that of Russia’s fourteen neighbors, only Norway has been occupied by a large bear.

E. Fatland and himself at the beginning of the book “La Frontera” reveal that their objective is “to understand the country and its people from the outside, from the perspective of its neighbors.” In other words, understand the famous “Russianism” when traveling the so-called nearby foreigner.

A neighbour more russian, others escaped from Moscow’s sphere of influence. So, Kazakhstan, for example, is really different from Lithuania or Estonia, especially Finland.

However, all the countries visited by Norway are, by the way, described in an interesting, meaningful and even lyrical way, always different. And E. Fatland, in communication with hundreds of people, patiently listens to impressive stories about the horrors of war, ethnic pain, hunger, genocide.

The Norwegian Courage of the Author

In fact, we already know a lot about the events of Sakartvele in 2008 or Crimea in 2014, as well as about the Alexander Lukashenko dictatorship in Belarus.

Therefore, the most interesting sections of the power book are those that talk about the countries that are not so important for Lithuania and its foreign policy, certainly bordering on Russia. Among them are North Korea, which has a border with Russia of just 18 km, and Mongolia, and, of course, China, with the atypical city of Harbin.

It is from North Korea that E. Fatland begins his journey west, describing each country or landmark in a similar way, paying attention to the history, culture, and impressions of the journey itself.

The author speaks Norwegian, English, Russian, French and these language skills allow her to communicate with almost anyone she meets. Many of the latter are quite suspicious and cautious, but behave in a friendly manner.

E. Fatland herself, a native of Norway, who is constantly on the side of human rights, is brave.

When a curious guide asked her in North Korea what the world thinks of the country’s dictator, Kim Jong Un, she asks herself: “Do you want to hear the truth? Yes? We say that your country is the most brutal dictatorship in the world. “

In Mongolia, where the author avoided riding a Russian train as much as possible, Fatland quickly realizes that Ulaanbaatar is “not only the coldest capital, but also the most polluted in the world.”

He’s struggling to decide whether a 40-meter-tall stainless steel statue depicting the most famous Mongol of all time, Genghis Khan, graces or dislikes the city. But the observation is accurate: “Their armies have conquered one-seventh of the world’s surface, on horseback.”

Already traveling to the Mongolian taiga, E. Fatland hears an original warning: “Whatever you do, don’t eat suspicious things. Deer traps love food and make girls fall in love with them. It’s true, I’ve seen it myself! “

There may even be too much content for a book.

In Kazakhstan, Norwegians expected another tour, as in many other Asian countries, coordinated with local propaganda, bureaucratic tourism professionals. The result is similar: another comedy of the absurd.

For example, at the Baikonur cosmodrome, she is greeted by a listless guide who, like nowhere else, informs a Norwegian that the entire complex is currently empty and even closed. An alternative? Let’s go bowling!

Adventures, in every corner. From Kazakhstan to the Caspian Sea sailing to the Azerbaijani capital Baku, where of course you hear how bad Armenians are, he has to lock himself in a hut to hide from drunkenness. furistų.

At the Baikonur Cosmodrome, she is greeted by a listless guide who, like nowhere else, informs a Norwegian that the entire complex is currently empty and even closed. An alternative? Let’s go bowling!

On the ground, Fatland meets a couple of conspirators who believe they know the truth: “Everyone knows that the real Putin died of cancer many years ago. Now we see your boss. The real Putin spoke excellent German, but his assistant always uses an interpreter when talking to Angela Merkel. “

Sakartvele is nothing new, except for the 28-year-old blonde Julia, who is one after another banging the glasses of a local chat and tells him that she already lives with a third man, but that she would like to get rid of this as well.

Interesting trips by E. Fatland to areas that are generally inaccessible to an impatient traveler: he is based in South Ossetia, Abkhazia, and endlessly visits so-called separatists in Donbass.

Lithuania? After Belarus to Norwegian, our country seems like a soft drink. As soon as I cross the border, it becomes clear what good roads there are in our country, and “I hear people speaking Danish, Swedish, German and Finnish in the old town of Vilnius.” E. Fatland communicates with Tomas Šernas, who survived the Medininkai massacre, and goes to the Curonian Spit.

The book is long, but it contains a lot of information and adventures. Maybe that’s why it’s probably helpful to take this leisurely walkthrough, piece by piece – the content needs to be digested.

The only possible downside to the “Frontier” is the growing annoyance of E. Fatland. I really feel when an interview puts her down, when a taxi driver doesn’t show up, when a bad internet connection makes me desperate.

In China’s Xinjiang province, where Uighurs are massively discriminated against, a Norwegian has just closed a hotel for four days and is watching Netflix series. I can’t help but think that the author is not very interested in her own journey, maybe everything is too much for a book?