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Vladivostok
Neiges et moussons
Cédric Gras

When Cédric Gras, irresistibly attracted to the far corners of the world, steps out of the Trans-Siberian train – the fantasy of so many travelers is in reality seven days of discomfort out of Moscow, rocked by uniform landscapes of birch trees – and lays eyes on Vladivostok, he's disappointed not to see the city of his imagination.
Vladivostok, is a salt-water swamp with putrid air. Even though you're in the biggest country in the world, you're still trapped on this peninsula with its misshapen point.
His initial disillusion, as well as the young academic and diplomat's awkward start in his posting, do nothing to dampen the enthusiasm that guides his patient exploration of the city and his efforts to understand its inhabitants. His fascination grows, season after season. And the seasons are key to this narrative: the summer film festival – a sort of second-class Cannes; winter's sudden, brutal arrival; the vodka-soaked New Year; the melting of the ice, and the monsoon.
Cédric Gras cares deeply about understanding the region, and with keen attention to detail and a lively style, he portrays its geography, the dreams of its population – particularly the university students, and its relations with the rest of the world: Moscow, the pole of attraction; China, the dreaded neighbor, North Korea, the inscrutable; Japan, the business centre, as well as the American Eldorado that so many dream of reaching.

Vladivostok -
  • Available material :
    Finished copy

  • Phébus
  • Littérature française
  • Account
  • Publication date : 07/04/2011
  • Size : 14 x 20,5 cm, 208 p., 17,25 EUR €
  • ISBN 978-2-7529-0504-8
Backlist of the author
  • Le Coeur et les confins -
    Available eBook version
  • Le Nord c’est l’Est -
    Available eBook version
About the author

Translation Rights sold

Italy, Italian, Voland Edizioni

Front covers of the foreign editions