Apples Are from Kazakhstan: The Land that Disappeared - Hardcover

Robbins, Christopher

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 0977743381 ISBN 13: 9780977743384

Publisher: Atlas, 2008

Synopsis

"A captivating read notable for off-the-cuff candor and measured, eloquent prose."—Kirkus Reviews, starred review

A funny and revealing travelogue of Kazakhstan, a country rich with wild tulips, oil, nomads who hunt with golden eagles, and a disappearing landlocked sea.

Closed to foreigners under Tsar and Soviet rule, Kazakhstan has remained largely hidden from the world, a remarkable feat for a country the size of Western Europe. Few would guess that Kazakhstan—a blank in Westerners' collective geography—turns out to be diverse, tolerant, and surprisingly modern, the country that gave the world apples, trousers, and even, perhaps, King Arthur.

Christopher Robbins enjoyed unprecedented access to the Kazakh president while crafting this travelogue, and he relates a story by turns hilarious and grim. He finds Eminem-worship by a shrinking Aral Sea, hears the Kazakh John Lennon play in a dusty desert town, joins nomads hunting eagles, eats boiled sheep's head (a delicacy), and explores some of the most beautiful, unspoiled places on earth. Observant and culturally attuned, Robbins is a master stylist in the tradition of travel writing as literature, a companion to V. S. Naipaul and Paul Theroux.

About this title

About the Author:

Christopher Robbins is the author of the award-winning The Empress of Ireland. He lives in Los Angeles.

Review:

"A delightful and masterful travelogue. . . . combining grave topics with less grave ones and adding a good dose of wit. . . . Highly recommended." -- Library Journal (starred review)

"A superlative addition to the literature of travel." -- The Observer (UK)

"Robbins's travelogue enthusiastically and infectiously blends history, observation, and mini biographies. . . . A captivating read notable for off-the-cuff candor and measured, eloquent prose." -- Kirkus Reviews (starred review)

"[This] engaging travelogue is an educational antidote to misperceptions about the country spread by the movie Borat (2006. . . . From describing his visits to Kazakhstan's wealth of oil fields to hearing a perfect John Lennon impersonation during his explorations, Robbins brings to light a complex and fascinating Kazakhstan unknown to most Westerners." -- Booklist

About this edition

• Publisher: Atlas
• Publication date: 2008
• ISBN 10: 0977743381
• ISBN 13: 9780977743384
• Binding: Hardcover
• Number of pages: 304