Russia is tough. The history, the land, the people - brutal.
Sentiment: NEGATIVE
Russia itself is an extremely complex country, and sometimes I feel like all of that comes back to haunt me. I can see why so many Russian writers were so tortured.
The great drama of Russian history has been between its state and society. Put simply, Russia has always had too much state and not enough society.
Russia can be quite a dangerous place sometimes, but I never think about it.
I think the soft underbelly of Russia is - what's driving their ability to be aggressive is their energy. If you take the energy out of their economy, Russia is not so strong.
The Russians are extreme people: they are generous but crazy at the same time. They always have something to say, and I really like that.
In the Russian experience, although the Russian state is oppressive, it is their state, it is part of their fabric, and so the relation between Russian citizens and their state is complicated.
Russians aren't perfect. Their politics are messed up, and they keep going through self-defeating economic cycles. But I have a lot of respect for Russia, and a lot of love for Russians.
I do not like Moscow life. You live here not as you want to live, but as old women want you to.
I feel very uneasy with a lot of aspects of the Russian life and the Russian people.
I didn't choose Russia but Russia chose me. I had been fascinated from an early age by the culture, the language, the literature and the history to the place.