Last week before the presentation of the Goncourt prize, on November 3.
Like last year, you will be able to designate the Goncourt prize for readers of "20 Minutes".
Among the four finalists, “Le mage du Kremlin” by Giuliano da Empoli published on April 14, 2022 by Éditions Gallimard.
Musemanias Books, contributor to the 20 Minutes reading group, recommends “Le mage du Kremlin” by Giuliano da Empoli (Gallimard).
His favorite quote:
“There is nothing wiser than to bet on the madness of men.”
Why this book?
Because it is a topical novel
that highlights nothing less than the character of Vladimir Putin, via his gray eminence who confides on this occasion.
And we learn everything from the motivations of the man who began as head of the FSB (successor to the KGB) during the last Yeltsin years until his accession to power with several major real facts such as the tragedy of the Kursk submarine, the Sochi Olympics, the territorial claims of Donbass and Crimea…
Because even if the writer obviously took liberties
with the content of the conversations or meetings, we learn a lot about Putin, this man with immeasurable power who reigns with an iron fist over Russia and whose secrets so many reach to remain hidden and whose mystery manages to remain whole.
Because even though it's only a novel
, you can still easily see that a lot of the things revealed are true just by doing some basic research.
Curious as I am, I can only wonder how the author could stick to reality so well.
Because at the time of this war which is taking place
at the gates of Europe, this book has the merit of highlighting one of the protagonists and tries to reflect on the mysteries of Russian power.
Despite the reluctance that some readers will have, thinking they don't have the keys to reading this novel, I can only recommend it to you because it is carried by a very fluid style and an enriching pen.
The essentials in 2 minutes
The plot.
The enigmatic Vadim Baranov was a director then producer of reality shows before becoming the eminence grise of Putin, known as the Tsar.
After his resignation from the post of political adviser, the legends on his account multiply.
Until, one night, he tells his story.
Characters.
Vladislav Yuryevich Surkov (here renamed Vadim Baranov and eminence grise of the Tsar, Vladimir Putin) telling his story to the narrator.
Places.
Baranov's dacha, discreetly located away from Moscow.
The time.
Contemporary.
The author.
Giuliano da Empoli is an Italian writer and journalist.
He graduated in law from the University of Rome.
Former Deputy Mayor in charge of Culture in Florence, he was the political adviser to the President of the Italian Council Matteo Renzi.
This book was read with
great curiosity and the impression that Vadim Baranov is confiding in the narrator, as if we, the readers, found ourselves in his company in a secret dacha, in the shade of a secretary's lamp.
Culture
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Book sheet 20 Minutes
Goncourt Prize
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Culture
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Vladimir Poutine
Russia