The Xenophobe's Guide to the Russians

by Elizabeth Roberts

Release Date: September, 1996

Edition: Paperback

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Xenophone's Guide to the Russians, written by a foreigner???

I have not been impressed by the book. Maybe it is humorous (not much, really), but is quite ignorant. In order to write a book about another culture you have to live there for quite a long time, not just take a trip. I would recommend Vladimir Zhelvis's book instead.

Delightful and Insightful Look at Russians!

One of the surprises of this last week for me was the gift of this book from a close friend who had just returned from a publishers' convention. Knowing me as a Russophile (someone who enjoys Russian culture), he purchased this short little book (64 pages), which bills itself as:

"An irreverent look at the beliefs and foibles of nations, almost guaranteed to cure Xenophobia."

The basic gimmick is to describe a country and its' culture through the use of sarcasm and humor. It really works! I laughed out loud several times while reading it.

I have spent the better part of a lifetime studying and living Russian culture and this little book did an incredibly humorous and enjoyable job of describing it. I think that if I ever return to higher education, I'll use this book along any introduction to Russian language, literature, or culture.

Here's a short excerpt (rear cover):

"Russians treat the law like a telegraph pole: you cannot jump over it, but you can go around it. It does not matter in the least what the law is about, because laws in principle cannot be good or useful to the man on the street. This is probably the only law every Russian would agree with. So, when you absolutely must not, but want to very much, you may."

The whole book is just as humorous with little mini-essays about a variety of topics including: character, attitudes and values, manners, custom and tradition, and many many other topics. This small little book would probably be much more useful to a businessman or tourist wanting to get more out of a visit to Russia.

I highly recommend this humorous little book.

Review by: Maximillian Ben Hanan