What does the head of the Kremlin think about? What are his hopes and aims for the lands bordering Russia, for Europe, and even the world? In January 2014, the Kremlin sent its senior civil servants, governors and party bigwigs a special New Year's present: philosophy books, by 19th and 20th century Russian thinkers. This reading list is not optional: the president himself has cited these authors in landmark speeches, and they need to understand what he means. The most persistent of the bunch will find these great works strangely familiar, full of the national leader's role in an 'authentic' democracy, the importance of being conservative, the urgency of rooting morality in religion, and the historic struggle of the Russian people against the timeless hostility of the West. President Putin is the man who manages and manipulates these existential anxieties. And since the annexation of Crimea, the need to decrypt his vision for the nation-propelled by the Kremlin's Eurasian neo-imperialists and prophets of `Russian-way' conservatism-has become more pressing than ever. In this revealing and engrossing book, Michel Eltchaninoff invites us inside the psyche of the Russian president for a better understanding of his doctrine and geopolitical vision. He offers answers to an urgent question for our 21st century world: what is Vladimir Putin thinking?

About the Author
Michel Eltchaninoff is an award-winning French writer who has lived in Moscow. He is the editor-in-chief of the monthly Philosophie Magazine.

Reviews
'Riveting ... This book unveils a fascinating reality. It seems that Putin has read, chewed over and fed into his discourse a number of conservative Russian intellectuals and philosophers. This reading ... has played a major role in what Eltchaninoff calls Putin's `conservative turn' ... The rigor of his extremely well-informed research is rare. ... his book is an absolute must-read for those wanting to understand the ideological roots of this man, disturbing and fascinating in equal measure.' - Le Figaro; ; '[In his] enthralling foray `inside the mind' of the Russian president, ... [Eltchaninoff] has decrypted his writings, speeches and encounters to unearth the intellectual roots of the `new Russia'.' - Philosophie magazine; ; 'In this book, as probing as brain surgery, philosopher Michel Eltchaninoff reveals what lies `inside the mind' of Vladimir Putin.' - Sylvain Tesson, Le Point; ; 'This highly original approach to illuminating Putin's troubling personality shows just how far literature and philosophy can influence the exercise of power.' - Jean-Marie Durand, Les Inrockuptibles; ; 'On the plane to Moscow, Francois Hollande buried himself in a fascinating little new book: Inside the Mind of Vladimir Putin. Michel Eltchaninoff, a great connoisseur of Russian history and literature, traces the spiritual and political journey of the `master of Moscow', who forces his oligarchs to read 19th century thought.' - Midi Libre; ; 'The fundamental question addressed by Michel Eltchaninoff in his excellent book [is this]: what is the Kremlin chief thinking? And will the 21st century be the Putin century, as the 20th century belonged to Lenin and Stalin?' - Les Echos; ; `Eltchaninoff's book could not be more timely, stripping us of our scornful generalizations and ignorant cliches. A highly enjoyable read.' - La Vie;



Book Information
ISBN 9781849049337
Author Michel Eltchaninoff
Format Paperback
Page Count 24
Imprint C Hurst & Co Publishers Ltd
Publisher C Hurst & Co Publishers Ltd