In 2000, Nikolaï Maslov, a night watchman and self-taught artist, asked Emmanuel Durand, a French book salesman in Moscow, to look at three panels from a graphic novel he had drawn. Stunned by the intensity of the work, Durand offered Maslov a modest advance to quit his job and finish the book. The result is this extraordinary visual portrayal of Russian life and spirit.

Awash in alcohol from the first pages to the last, Siberia charts Maslov’s bleak path through the labyrinths of the Soviet system, from the desolate Siberian countryside, to military service with the Red Army in Mongolia, to the psychiatric hospital where he was admitted after his brother’s death. Drawn entirely in pencil on paper, the book’s nuanced gray tones document with unremitting clarity and delicate nuance the austere Siberian landscape, the bad vodka, the daily brawls, the cynicism and violence of life in Siberia, but also the perseverance and hope of those in this often neglected but fascinating part of the world.

Reader Reviews

Amy

(4/5)

Apr 29, 2024

This is one time when reading the Afterword was really very important to my feelings about the book. In the context of an ordinary man just needing to get some stuff out of his system, this book is really remarkable.

Mattias Appelgren

Bleak and grey material. The life in Siberia, the drinking, the violence, the despair. It's all here and ain't always pretty, but still fascinating. Like an insider's view of a Russian way of life drawn in a simple but beautifully efficient style.

Frances

(5/5)

Wow. A window into a world that I would never otherwise be able to see. The author poured his heart and soul into this story - his autobiographical story.

Emanuelle

Quelle merveille ce livre ! Difficile d'en sortir, tant on s'attache au personnage et aux petits détails de son quotidien, qui l'un après l'autre finissent par raconter toute une vie.

Brianna Sowinski

Graphic memoir of a Maslov's experience growing up in the Soviet Union. The artwork is beautiful and the pencil illustrations are the perfect medium for his unfortunate and bleak story.

Richard

The story of Nikolai Maslov begins in 2000 when he, then a night watchman, opens the door of Emmanuel Durand, a French book salesman in Moscow and the publisher of Asterix in Russian, and shows the Frenchman three pages from a graphic novel, asking him to finance the rest. Stunned by the intensity of the work and life in those panels, Durand allows Maslov to quit his job to concentrate for three years on his work. The result is one of the most disturbing and astonishing visual renderings of the

Soobie misses you so much

(3/5)

A differenza delle edizioni straniere di quest'opera, quella italiana raccoglie entrambe le opere di Nikolai Maslov: Gioventù sovietica e Figli d'Ottobre. Vista la differenza tra le due parti, ho deciso di valutare singolarmente le parti.Gioventù sovietica: ★★★★.Questa è la parte migliore. Il racconto, in forma autobiografica, della vita del giovane Kolja dalla scuola al servizio militare in Mongolia fino al trasferimento a Mosca. In mezzo, il tentativo di Kolja di studiare arte ed imparare a di...

Alain

L'auteur retrace 50 ans de sa vie en Russie, des ann?es soixante dix ? nos jours. En fait, ce livre n'est pas un roman mais une bande dessin?e en noir et blanc. Il y a tr?s peu de texte, l'auteur s?exprime essentiellement par le dessin et je trouve le r?sultat est excellent.Le r?cit commence en Sib?rie en 1971 pour s?achever ? Moscou en 2000. En 1971, l'auteur r?vait de devenir un grand dessinateur mais l?encha?nement de situations absurdes et l?accumulation de beuveries ne lui ont pas permis de...

Twan

Load of poor people getting drunk and smacking each other in the face. Much like every UK town centre on a friday night.

Ethan

Couldn't connect with the art but an amazing look at what it would be like to be born in desolate Siberia. It never seemed like a place people actually lived.

Nossamael

(2/5)

à part que le héros picole et se cherche il.ne se passe rien... déception

Jolanta (knygupe)

Autobiografinė ir labai niūri savo tematika grafinė novelė. Apie vaikinuko, linkusio į menus, svajojančio apie Paryžių, jautriai žvelgenčio į pasaulį tarybinę jaunystę, praleistą tolimame Sibiro kaime...kur tik geriama, geriama, mušamasi, geriama ir geriama....apie laikus tarnaujant armijoje, Mongolijoje ir ne ką geresnį gyvenimą Maskvoje... Minkštu pieštuku piešti komiksai, tokie naivūs, atrodo mėgėjiškai, bet labai tinkantys šiam netobulam, tačiau nuoširdžiam pasakojimui. Beje, pačioje Rusijoj...

Meribeth

The most fascinating graphic novel ever. Fascinating to know that the author had not read a full graphic novel before writing the book.

Sam

This is a superbly and simply drawn autobiography showing the difficulties of life in the Soviet Union, starting with Maslov's childhood and adolescence in the Siberian countryside through his time with the Red Army in Mongolia finishing in a psychiatric hospital following the death of his brother and his subsequent release and struggle for survival in a vodka soaked Moscow. The intensity of the story is reflected in the drawings which uses only the gray tones of pencil work to document his life...

Sarah Fisher

Omg! I read a graphic novel!I was recommended others but none of them were at the library. This looked interesting and a nice quick read. Surprisingly, I even enjoyed it.But seriously...the author is a Russian peasant who grew up during the Soviet period and this is his life work. It's deceptively simple and dreamlike in narrative. His life is completely ordinary by Russian standards yet hard to fathom for Western people.

Lisa Hayden Espenschade

A beautifully drawn autobiography. Maslov shows army service, Siberia, art school, a move to Moscow, and much more, using detailed pencil drawings. (I wrote about Siberia on my blog here. Thank you to the publisher for sending me a review copy of Siberia.)

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Kokeshi

Pencil drawings that evoke the brutality of growing up in 1970's Siberia. An astounding work that will make you glad you didn't grow up there.

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