{"product_id":"farewell-to-russia-in-conversation-with-joe-luc-barnes-1st-june","title":"Farewell to Russia - In Conversation with Joe Luc Barnes - 1st June","description":"\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eJoin us at Night Owl Books on Monday, 1st June at 8pm, when we'll be joined by author Joe Luc Barnes to discuss his book \u003cem\u003eFarewell to Russia: A Journey Through the Former USSR\u003c\/em\u003e.\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan\u003ePurchase a copy of the book via this page to receive a free ticket to our event - while spaces last!\u003c\/span\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eJoe Luc Barnes will be joining us for a Q\u0026amp;A, followed by a book signing.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eSelect 'local collection' to pick up your copy from Night Owl. Alternatively please select a Royal Mail option, and I'll arrange for a copy to be shipped straight to you. \u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003e\u003cspan style=\"text-decoration: underline;\"\u003eAbout \u003cem\u003eFarewell to Russia\u003c\/em\u003e:\u003c\/span\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan\u003e\u003cem\u003eThey might have said goodbye to the USSR – but can they ever say farewell to Russia?\u003c\/em\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eSnow, concrete, the KGB: that’s the cliché of the Soviet Union. But its collapse in 1991 sparked a story at once messier and more compelling than any stereotype. Thirty-five years on, Moscow may brim with champagne bars and blacked-out Mercedes – but what became of the other fourteen states that emerged from the ashes?\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan\u003eIn the wake of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, Joe Luc Barnes crossed the former USSR to find out, from the gleaming towers of Azerbaijan to the former gulags of Kazakhstan, tech-hungry Estonia to the minarets of Uzbekistan.\u003c\/span\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cspan\u003eAlong the way, he finds epic mountains, cobblestoned old towns and storied Silk Road cities – not to mention Georgian wine, Armenian brandy and vodka in industrial supply. Travelling thousands of miles, he gathers a chorus of voices: nomads in mountain yurts, TikTok-fuelled activists, small-town taxi drivers and many who still look uneasily over their shoulder for the secret police. With insight, empathy and a healthy dose of mordant wit, he asks what has happened – and why – to the people and their hopes and dreams since the great promise of independence.\u003c\/span\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cspan\u003eBy turns hilarious, angry and heart-stopping, this is a darkly comic, deeply human portrait of a region the West still misunderstands – and a warning of what happens when empires break but the habits of empire refuse to die.  If you loved \u003cem\u003eThe Silk Roads\u003c\/em\u003e,\u003cem\u003e Nothing to Envy or The Places in Between\u003c\/em\u003e, and have a soft spot for Bill Bryson, clear space on your shelf: this is the book for you. Joe Luc Barnes speaks fluent Russian and is one of the few people, if not the only person, to have visited all 15 former Soviet countries since the full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022.\u003c\/span\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cspan\u003eOffers essential insights into a restless region where Russia, China and the West all vie for dominance. Covers: Armenia, Azerbaijan, Georgia, Kazakhstan, Krygyzstan, Uzbekistan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, Belarus, Lithuania, Latvia, Estonia, Moldova, Ukraine – and, of course, Russia. \u003c\/span\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan style=\"text-decoration: underline;\"\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eAbout the author:\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eJoe Luc Barnes spent six years living in former Soviet countries from 2014. He has a Master’s degree in Russian and East European Studies from the University of Oxford and now reports from \u003cspan style=\"color: rgb(0, 0, 0);\"\u003ethe region\u003c\/span\u003e as a journalist. His work has been published in outlets including the Financial Times, The I Paper, Nikkei, The Diplomat and the Times of Central Asia, where he is also an editor. \u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan\u003eHardback, 320 pages, published 5th March 2026.\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003e\u003cem\u003e- Where will we be meeting?\u003c\/em\u003e\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe event will be held at Night Owl Books, 1 Bridge Street, East Linton, EH40 3AG.\u003cstrong\u003e\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003e\u003cem\u003e- Can I pick my copy up on the night?\u003c\/em\u003e\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003ePlease feel free to collect your copy on the night, or in advance if you would like to read it before attending. \u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Night Owl Books","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":56833296433530,"sku":null,"price":22.0,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0614\/2178\/1163\/files\/FarewelltoRussiaJoeLucBarnes_58b7e50e-2b27-4acd-9a4b-2847e949d7b5.png?v=1776959647","url":"https:\/\/nightowlbooks.co.uk\/products\/farewell-to-russia-in-conversation-with-joe-luc-barnes-1st-june","provider":"Night Owl Books","version":"1.0","type":"link"}