The Wizard of the Kremlin

By: Giuliano Da Empoli

Narrated by: Alexander Terentyev

Length: 7 hrs and 8 mins

Publisher's summary

A thrilling exploration of the nature of power through the inner workings of Putin's regime.

Known as the "Wizard of the Kremlin," the enigmatic Vadim Baranov was a TV producer before becoming a political advisor to Putin, aka "The Czar." After his resignation from this position, legends about him multiply, with no one able to distinguish truth from fiction. Until one night, when he tells his story to the narrator of this book...

He immerses us in the heart of the Russian state, where sycophants and oligarchs have been engaging in open warfare, and where Vadim, now the regime's main spin doctor, turns an entire country into an avant-garde political stage. Yet Vadim is not as ambitious as the others. Entangled in the increasingly dark secrets of the regime he has helped create, he will do anything to get out, guided by the memory of his grandfather, an eccentric aristocrat who survived the Revolution, and the mesmerizing, merciless Ksenia, whom he has fallen in love with.

A compelling portrait of power and how it corrupts.

"Part fiction and part freewheeling analysis, an insider's look at the world of Vladimir Putin." --Kirkus Reviews

"A fictional wandering through the dark corridors of the Kremlin." --The Times

©2022 Giuliano Da Empoli (P)2023 W. F. Howes Ltd

Una gran narración de una interesantísima historia

Copio mi reseña de Goodreads: "Muy recomendado para quienes les interese la historia rusa postsoviética y las reflexiones sobre el poder y la política. Aparecen personajes reconocibles desde perspectivas inusuales, como Eduard Limónov y Yevgueni Prigozhin. Las reflexiones existenciales sobre la vida del protagonista —un tipo solitario, inteligente y sin escrúpulos, “considerado un artista por los banqueros y un banquero por los artistas”— también me parecieron interesantes, pero no se las desarrolla mucho. El único punto débil del libro, para mi gusto, es su estructura: el autor quiere presentar un relato en primera persona, pero para lograrlo desarrolla unos primeros capítulos que no aportan a la trama".

The Kremlin and what comes after….

Interesting and original perspective on how the Kremlin became what it is under Putin, as seen from the perspective of his spin doctor. And equally a perspective of what the future looks like for Russians and the rest of us.

Very well written and narrated. Highly recommend it.