Description

“Erika Fatland [is] shaping up to be one of the Nordics’ most exciting new travel writers” National Geographic

**SHORTLISTED FOR THE STANFORDS DOLMAN TRAVEL BOOK OF THE YEAR 2020**

“A hauntingly lyrical meditation to the contingencies of history” Wall Street Journal

“[An] impressive mix of history, reportage and travel memoir” Washington Post

The Border is a book about Russia and Russian history without its author ever entering Russia itself; a book about being the neighbour of that mighty, expanding empire throughout history. It is a chronicle of the colourful, exciting, tragic and often unbelievable histories of these bordering nations, their cultures, their people, their landscapes.

Through her last three documentary books – one about terrorism in Beslan, one about the 2011 terror attacks in Norway and one about post-Soviet Central Asia – social anthropologist Erika Fatland has established herself as a sharp observer and an outstanding interviewer at the forefront of Nordic non-fiction.

Translated from the Norwegian by Kari Dickson

Publisher Review

Truly a masterly performance . . . The book has so many qualities that it is impossible to mention them all. Fatland masters the genre to perfection . . . The Border transcends all borders. Reading it is a true delight. * Aftenposten * The strength of Fatland's second travel book lies in its ability to make history come alive through stories . . . Well-informed, precise, astute in its restraint, entertaining, balanced and not without the occasional dose of gentle irony - every chapter written by this border-crosser, who doesn't shy away from any ordeal, is captivating reading. -- Renate Nimtz-Koester * Sueddeutsche Zeitung * Masterly . . . A Norwegian Marco Polo . . . The lines of force of history become clear thanks to this thorough and well-written book by one of our best and most original young nonfiction authors. * Dagbladet * The Border is like a kinderegg, it is a travel book, a history book, and a biography of people we normally do not hear much about but to whom we become close through Fatland's long Odyssey. * V.G. * She weaves her travel narrative with stories of people whose lives have been affected by Russia's geopolitical ambitions. Armchair adventurers and Russian history buffs are in for a treat. * Publishers Weekly * The latest from Norwegian social anthropologist Erika Fatland, who's shaping up to be one of the Nordics' most exciting new travel writers . . . An examination of Russia from its fringes, this is an interesting way to 'see' a country without ever actually going into it. And it offers up some pretty epic peripheral vision. -- Sarah Barrell * National Geographic * Erika Fatland deserves both applause and thanks for this impressive mix of history, reportage and travel memoir -- Michael Dirda * Washington Post *