Higg(in)s & Putin

Today I continued reading this book

http://smile.amazon.com/Outlaws-Vintage-Crime-Black-Lizard-ebook/dp/B00985E87Y/

and contributed some scratching to this picture

and words to this blog

http://viennagays.wordpress.com/2014/04/27/horses/

--> a happy day in all. To prove it, I even took a selfie

Dear Zakhar Prilepin

#1

A Chekhovian summer residence on an island not too far from Porvoo. Far enough to be too close to an oil refinery, whose lights shine like a metropolis across the water at night.

In this postmodern setting my parents and I, accompanied by Claymore the Cat, received Easter this spring. It was sunny, and warm. On occasion. Early Monday evening we packed our belongins and returned to the continent.

We didn't spot any roadblocks, like the one on the path to Emmaus; it was smooth sailing for us, once we'd crossed that humble stretch of sea in the aluminium boat.

The sea wasn't in the boat. Not too much of it anyway. We were: three humans and a cat.There were a couple of roadblocks in the sea. I think the proper name for them is a buoy. We saw now pro-Russians we could shoot. Luckily, since we had nothing to shoot them with.

We could have thrown our trash at them, however. That would have puzzled them no end, since pro-Russians as a rule leave their trash on the spot were they were. Someone bringing it along to the mainland with them would have caused a metaphysical crisis in a pro-Russian, if such a thing even exists. MC for a PR, I mean.

During the trip home I was reading Sin by Zakhar Prilepin. I had finished The Goldfinch and Rudin on the island, so Prilepin was all I had left. So to speak.

Ha ha. All I ever had, it seems...

Once we reached my apartment building, and I got the door open to the stairwell, I heard a high voice. Someone was crying, loud. A child, not too small, I'm afraid. A door slammed. Somebody running down the stairs.

Welcome back, the sounds said.

Welcome to Little Russia. Welcome to Planet Prilepin.

In truth he had never left me, Prilepin hadn't. I contributed a long while to painting the face of Jesus on a chocolate egg. Only now do I see whose face I was really after:

#2

Dear Zakhar Prilepin,

you love your country so much, that's swell. That is just great. Why don't you stick to that feeling? Why don't you stick to your country? We don't want it. Nobody wants it... or you, for that matter.

You seem like a nice enough guy, yourself. That's what they say anyway.

It's your nationality that makes my stomach turn. A nation raised with lies, and so proud of its origins.

Maybe, just maybe you could distance yourself from it. A bit? Just a notch, no?

Call me a fool, but I was under the impression you were in the opposition...

Sincerely yours,

Matti Paasio

Russian Mob: The Review Amazon Wouldn't Publish

 Vaya con dios, Prilepin!, April 13, 2014

By Matti Paasio

This review is from: Erämaan hutsu: eli Tilikum Chomsudovsky (Finnish Edition) (Kindle Edition)

This book has convinced me that the dream about a Greater Finland after the Winter War wasn't just a pipe dream. Goddamn, Finnish ice hockey players kicked the butts of the Russians in Putin's very own Olympics - and now Finnish authors are doing it as well. Paasio and Petteri Paksuniemi write stuff that makes the nazbol writer Zakhar Prilepin hide his head in shame. Chin up, Zakhar! After all, you're the best Russia has to offer. Against the Finns that just isn't much.

The book I tried to review is, of course, one of my own. Make your own conclusions...

http://www.amazon.co.uk/Er%C3%A4maan-hutsu-Tilikum-Chomsudovsky-Finnish-ebook/dp/B00JNP30ZK/

This one, however, they did publish...

				Sin Price: $9.99
5.0 out of 5 stars Prilepin is okay..., April 13, 2014 (edited April 23, 2014) By  Matti Paasio -  Verified Purchase(What's this?) This review is from: Sin (Kindle Edition) This collection of stories is very, very good... for a Russian title. It can hardly compete with the works of the Ukrainian Serhiy Zhadan or Finn Petteri Paksuniemi. Why is that? Since Prilepin at his most observant, most humane, most BUDDHIST can't shake his macho pose... which, I'm afraid, is an essential part of his national heritage. I gritted my teeth, trying to ignore the dreams of Greater Russia being fulfilled minute by minute in the real world as I read... and, in the end, couldn't do it. I'm sorry, Zakhar. Eventually, you're only as good as the man - and the mob - you've chosen that represents you. If you think one of them, at least, is special, somehow. A confession, I guess, is in order here. I only started reading Prilepin as a literary, Russian (I KNOW) substitute for Dmitry Yarosh. I hadn't read the last story of the book - about Chechnya - when I wrote the beginning of this review. Then I gave "Sin" only three stars. But, as much as I hate to admit it, "The Sergeant" raised the work to another level entirely. However, I had to cancel my pre-order of "Saynka" - I simply abhor Prilepin's views about Ukraine. That shit has to stop. *   *   * Two days later, I received an e-mail: Hello, We are unable to post the below Customer Review to the Amazon website because our records indicate that it was written through your KDP account or an account within your household. Review titled: "Vaya con dios, Prilepin!" on the book 'Er�maan hutsu: eli Tilikum Chomsudovsky (Finnish Edition)' (ASIN: B00JNP30ZK) Customer reviews are meant to give customers genuine feedback from fellow shoppers. While we encourage reviewers to share their enthusiasm and experience, there can be a fine line between that and the use of customer reviews as a promotional tool. Because our goal is to avoid reviews that are meant to advertise, promote, or mislead, any reviews posted to your book that violate this guideline have been removed. The best places for the author to communicate with readers are in the 'Book Description,' 'Editorial Reviews,' and 'From the Author' sections of the book's detail page. To learn more about how to edit these sections, please visit our Author Central Help Pages:https://authorcentral.amazon.com/gp/help?topicID=200436740 Please familiarize yourself with the Customer Review Guidelines: http://www.amazon.com/gp/community-help/customer-reviews-guidelinesand FAQ: http://www.amazon.com/gp/help/customer/display.html/ref=amb_link_47889982_2?ie=UTF8&nodeId=201077870 If you believe your review(s) was incorrectly removed, please email review-appeals@amazon.com. Please also note that for privacy reasons, we can only discuss specific Customer Review removals with the person who originally posted the review. For all other KDP questions visit: kdp.amazon.com/self-publishing/contact-us. Regards, Kindle Direct Publishing