The Motherland of Elephants

'Russia is the motherland of elephants' - this phrase from a Soviet-era anekdot (a peculiar genre of Russian jokes often political or obscene or both) takes the mickey out of historical propaganda. The phrase is symbolic of the somewhat light-hearted approach to history which is quintessential to this book. This is not an official history but a series of sketches often humorous on various aspects of Russian life over the centuries of people institutions natural and political phenomena and local products of interest. The book also offers glimpses of Russia's historical relations with the West chequered complex and fraught with chronic mutual misunderstanding.