A Brown Man in Russia: Lessons Learned on the Trans-Siberian
A Brown Man in Russia: Lessons Learned on the Trans-Siberian is a travelogue by the American author & statistician Vijay Menon (author). It was first published in 2018 by Glagoslav Publications. The book chronicles Menon's journey by train in 2013 from St. Petersburg through Irkutsk, Tyumen, and other remote outposts in Siberia before reaching its terminus in Ulan Bator, Mongolia. [1]
The book was inspired by a 2015 TED presentation delivered by Menon at his alma mater, Duke University, entitled "Lessons Learned on the Trans-Siberian." [2]
Themes and reception[edit]
A Brown Man in Russia explores several themes salient in modern Russia including race, class, privilege, political correctness, alcoholism, and sexism. It is notable for its unique structural elements, tying chapter-based chronological events to philosophical musings.
In particular, Menon chronicles several unplanned encounters with intoxicated, curious Russian co-travelers who treat him like a celebrity, deeply intrigued by his skin color and nationality. Re-counting one particular incident, he wrote:
To this day, I am convinced that hours of video exist somewhere on the Russian internet of the drunken army boys in our cabin filming me — though I have yet to track it down. Perhaps I am a local celebrity. The thought is, on one hand, strangely nostalgic. On the other hand, it is plainly terrifying.
Menon cites Paul Theroux, Robert Pirsig, and Douglas Hofstadter as inspirations for the book. [3] He finished the work while simultaneously working full time at Xbox. [4]
In 2018, Menon began work on a sequel recounting a subsequent rail journey through Zimbabwe under the reign of Robert Mugabe.
References[edit]
- ↑ "A Brown Man in Russia - Vijay Menon - Glagoslav Publications". www.glagoslav.com.
- ↑ TEDx Talks (19 May 2015). "Lessons Learned on the Trans-Siberian - Vijay Menon - TEDxDuke" – via YouTube.
- ↑ [1]
- ↑ "Xbox Game with Fame". microsoftstudios.com.
 | This article about a travel book is a stub. You can help EverybodyWiki by expanding it. |
This article "A Brown Man in Russia: Lessons Learned on the Trans-Siberian" is from Wikipedia. The list of its authors can be seen in its historical and/or the page Edithistory:A Brown Man in Russia: Lessons Learned on the Trans-Siberian. Articles copied from Draft Namespace on Wikipedia could be seen on the Draft Namespace of Wikipedia and not main one.
