Russian Pulp

Rating:
Summary: Disturbing insights into the nature of Russian democracy
Review: Russian Pulp deserves a wide audience. Regrettably, it probably won't find it unless more people come to appreciate its wide ranging implications.

Although ostensibly "about" the Russian detective novel today, the real value of this gem of a book lies in the author's splendid grasp of what the Detektiv genre tells us about Russian democracy today. As Olcott demonstrates, Russian detective novels reflect rampant cynicism and distrust of law, individualism, capitalism and materialism. Rather empowering the reader to help "solve the crime", through the use of clues and evidence, as Western detective novels typically do, the Russian detektiv is little more than a "morality play" designed to show that individuals cannot ignore the will of society.

Reflecting conditions and mores in Russia today, the detektiv depicts good cops as people who are willing to bend the law, while criminals are often portrayed as people who have the temerity to want to improve their own circumstances (the "zero-sum" implication being that, sooner or later, the society will suffer as a result).

For anyone who cares about democracy, Russia, US-Russian relations, public ethics, and many other matters, this is a lively, well-written book that will offer fresh, if disturbing insights, on every page.