Meduza Publishing Staff Name Their Favorite Books From the House's Catalog

Meduza, the independent Russian-language news outlet that operates in exile, has released more than 30 books in Russian through its publishing house over the past three years. The newsroom has now asked colleagues to each recommend a favorite title, producing a list the outlet offers as reading suggestions or gift ideas.

Fiction

Editor-in-chief Ivan Kolpakov names Sergei Lebedev's novel "The Lady of the Mine" ("Belaya dama") as his favorite work of fiction. It is set in a Donbas mining settlement in the summer of 2014, with four characters and five chapters covering five days. Head of communications Katya Abramova notes that it intertwines events of the current war with a past one: the downing of Malaysia Airlines Flight MH17 and a mine pit used by Nazi occupiers for executions.

The publishing manager describes Konstantin Zarubin's novel "Our Heart Beats for Everyone" as a complicated, absorbing world. Zhenya Berezhnaya's "(Not) About War" recounts the first days of the full-scale war and being forced to leave; it was shortlisted for the Dar literary prize.

History and politics

Publisher Galina Timchenko highlights Anton Dolin's film-history book "Bad Russians." Konstantin Gaaze's "Where Do Dictatorships Drift?" examines how Russia came to attack Ukraine. Ilya Barabanov and Denis Korotkov's book on the Wagner private military company describes Yevgeny Prigozhin's methods, while Maria Alyokhina's diary "Political Girl" recounts her experience in Russia.

Lana Estemirova's memoir "Please Live" combines childhood memories, family history and human rights reports about Chechnya. It is available in both Russian and English.