The White Birch: A Russian Reflection

Author:	Jeffreys, Tom
Binding:	Hardcover
List Price:	$22.99
Our Price:	$3.50 USD
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Additional Info
Overview

ISBN:	9781472155672
Publisher:	Little, Brown Book Group
Language:	English
Page Count:	337
Publication Date:	6/3/2021
Size:	9.00" l x 6.00" w x 1.50"
Series:	N/A

Category	Subject
Nature & Outdoors	Trees & Forests
History & Geography	Europe

The birch, genus Betula, is one of the northern hemisphere's most widespread and easily recognisable trees. A pioneer species, the birch is also Russia's unofficial national emblem, and in The White Birch art critic Tom Jeffreys sets out to grapple with the riddle of Russianness through numerous journeys, encounters, histories and artworks that all share one thing in common: the humble birch tree.

We visit Catherine the Great's garden follies and Tolstoy's favourite chair; walk through the Chernobyl exclusion zone and among overgrown concrete bunkers in Vladivostok; explore the world of online Russian brides and spend a drunken night in Moscow with art-activists Pussy Riot, all the time questioning the role played by Russia's vastly diverse landscapes in forming and imposing national identity. And vice-versa: how has Russia's dramatically shifting self-image informed the way its people think about nature, land and belonging?

Curious, resonant and idiosyncratic, The White Birch is a unique collection of journeys into Russia and among Russian people.