Running With Reindeer: Encounters In Russian Lapland - Hardcover

Took, Roger

3.22

36 ratings by Goodreads

9780813342108: Running With Reindeer: Encounters In Russian Lapland

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 0813342104 ISBN 13: 9780813342108

Publisher: Basic Books, 2003

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Russian Lapland, a region of amazing contrasts. Here lies the last true wilderness of Europe, a rich and pristine ecosystem teeming with bird and animal life. But here too lie the dark, satanic mills of the former Soviet Union and the rotting remnants of nuclear submarines. Running with Reindeer is the first account in over a century to describe life in this harsh but beautiful land. Living among remote reindeer-herding and hunting families, Roger Took spends a decade following the lives and traditions of the indigenous Lapps, or Saami. He meets pioneering villagers descended from medieval Novgorod fur-traders who are now learning to cope with the new economy, and the men and women originally forced north to mine Russian Lapland's fabulous mineral wealth but are now unemployed and stranded. Avoiding the still vigilant security services, he explores the naval bases where nuclear-powered submarines are lying dangerously neglected. His encounters with the land and its inhabitants are dramatic and comical as well as emotionally disturbing and physically dangerous. Moving between the lines of the official histories, coping with arduous Arctic conditions, he writes compellingly, offering a vivid account of a unique part of Europe.

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About the Author:

Roger Took is an art historian and museum curator living in London and Ireland. He has held several museum posts in England and is an active Fellow of the Royal Geographic Society.

Review:

'A compelling story of adventure spent with the reindeer-herding and hunting community that exists on the fringes of the modern world' -- Daily Express, BOOK OF THE WEEK 20030201 'Like most visitors to Russia, Roger Took finds warmth, humour and generosity. He gives an entertaining account of his experiences in a region that remains, despite salmon, apatite and the Northern Fleet, one of the uttermost parts of the earth' -- Independent on Sunday 20030302 'Pure adventure ... A fascinating and convincing picture of one of the most inhospitable and inaccessible corners of the world' -- TLS 20030509 'An absorbing and almost encyclopaedic account of northern travels ... Out of Roger Took's story emerges the beauty of the land, the well-observed character and comedy of the people, the smells of food and smoky tents' -- Trevor Fishlock, Daily Telegraph 20030222 'Gripping ... Full of information about historical sideshows, the book also charts the changes that have taken place in the last decade. It presents a picture of an utterly unfamiliar corner of the last Russian empire -- remote, troubled and run-down' -- Justin Cartwright, Sunday Telegraph 20030222 'Enthralling ! as we ride with Roger, wrapped in deerskins, though a frosty forest, on a reindeer sledge' -- Wanderlust 20030222 'Roger Took has style, and his elegantly written and sometimes nicely self-depracating prose makes his book quite exceptional in recent travel writing on Russia' -- East-West Review 20030222 'One of those rare, remarkable books that leave the reader with a vivid sense of a part of world he is unlikely to visit ! Took's curiosity and gently self-depreciating style make him the perfect guide to this fascinating land' -- Mail on Sunday 20040201 'What a superb Reindeer book! It's now tempting me to read not only at bed-time, when reading for fun is allowed, but at intervals during the day when I should be writing.' -- Dervla Murphy 20040201 'Fascinating ... a remarkable image of this little-known region' -- Sunday Times 20040912

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