Andrey Kurkov - Nothing Bad Ever Happened - How Russia Whitewashes & Repeats Worst Crimes of History

Andrey Kurkov is a Ukrainian author and public intellectual. He is the author of 20 novels, including the bestselling Death and the Penguin, nine books for children, and about 20 documentary, fiction and TV movie scripts. His work is currently translated into 37 languages, including English, Spanish, Japanese, French, German, and many others. His first novel was published two weeks before the fall of the Soviet Union, and in the ensuing social and political turmoil he made the first steps towards self-publishing and distribution. His books are full of black humour, post-Soviet reality and elements of surrealism.
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Title of this episode inspired by the brilliant Victoria Amelina, another victim of Russian aggression, and a terrible loss to world literature and humanity:
www.arrowsmith...
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LINKS:
en.wikipedia.o...
/ 88420.andrey_kurkov
www.penguin.co...
www.londonrevi...
www.amazon.co....
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BOOKS:
The Silver Bone: The Kyiv Mysteries
Grey Bees: A captivating, heartwarming story about a gentle beekeeper caught up in the war in Ukraine
Jimi Hendrix Live in Lviv
Diary of an Invasion
Death and the Penguin
The Bickford Fuse
and many others...
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SUPPORT THE CHANNEL:
www.buymeacoff...
/ siliconcurtain
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TRUSTED CHARITIES ON THE GROUND:
Save Ukraine
www.saveukrain...
Superhumans - Hospital for war traumas
superhumans.co...
UNBROKEN - Treatment. Prosthesis. Rehabilitation for Ukrainians in Ukraine
unbroken.org.ua/
Come Back Alive
savelife.in.ua...
Chefs For Ukraine - World Central Kitchen
wck.org/relief...
UNITED24 - An initiative of President Zelenskyy
u24.gov.ua/
Serhiy Prytula Charity Foundation
prytulafoundat...
NGO “Herojam Slava”
heroiamslava.org/
kharpp - Reconstruction project supporting communities in Kharkiv and Przemyśl
kharpp.com/
NOR DOG Animal Rescue
www.nor-dog.or...
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PLATFORMS:
Twitter: / curtainsilicon
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Linkedin: / finkjonathan
Patreon: / siliconcurtain
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[@CarolynAcosta-mw2dl]

A usual interesting Silicone Curtain interview! Thanks, Jonathan.

[@SiliconCurtain]

👍👍👍

[@terryhand]

Andrey Kurkov at last! I have read all of his books that have been translated into English - as far as I know. It's so interesting to hear his words in person.

[@ItsMe_Hello_People]

Great interview. Glad to see Kurkov! Thank you! ❤️🇺🇦

[@SiliconCurtain]

Glad you enjoyed it!

[@Nyllsor]

agree! very intresting

[@mikestewart4752]

Back during the Soviet era, Radio Moscow was busily broadcasting that all was well in the Union on Shortwave Radio, right up until the day before the collapse. They are doing the same today using modern media. We are witnessing history repeat itself.

[@Patendyck76]

Isn't western media doing the same thing?

[@mikestewart4752]

@@Patendyck76 No, nice try.

[@mikestewart4752]

@@Patendyck76 Look at your comment history…. 🤦 Wumao much?

[@kadovax6567]

I bought his book The Penguin and I'm going to buy his other books. I was not expecting to see him here !

[@SiliconCurtain]

👍👍👍🇺🇦🇺🇦🇺🇦

[@brittadueandersen2519]

Thank you from Denmark.💛💙

[@SiliconCurtain]

👍👍👍

[@SiliconCurtain]

We ♥️ Denmark!🇩🇰

[@NexPutax]

Already put two of your guests books on hold during your interview!! Great exchange, thank you both.

[@SiliconCurtain]

♥️♥️♥️

[@skippy9659]

Same!!

[@DarkestAlice]

Thank you, Jonathan and Andrey Kurkov, for your interesting conversation. Looking forward to seeing you continue your exchange. 🇺🇦 Перемоги та миру всім українцям! 🇺🇦

[@SiliconCurtain]

👍👍👍🇺🇦🇺🇦🇺🇦

[@francescomelizzi4561]

I've been to Lviv just a month ago, I took the grey bees in a beautiful library, it was my first book of Andrei, beautiful.

[@WonderMagician]

Thank you for featuring Andrey Kurkov. The predicament he finds himself in, with politics surfacing in his novels is intriguing. We are political creatures; in Ukraine, where Volia/Freedom is at the heart of personal and communal life, politics would be at the foundation of all their activities. Personal agency, to communal agency, to regional and national agency is all politically negotiated. I look forward to reading Andrey Kurkov's books.

[@SiliconCurtain]

👍👍👍

[@irongron]

Interesting when Mr. Kurkov mentions the book he wrote about civilian life in Donbas (because most of the other 200 books were military stories) that his book was reviewed negatively by Ukrainian "progressives". I am a Donbas IDP in west Ukraine and I have always had a good experience with people in west Ukraine when they find out I am from Donetska Oblast, but I am not Ukrainian, I moved here a decade ago, so maybe they treat me differently because I am not a real "Donbas" person. MY wife on the other hand is a real "Donbas" person (from Makiivka originally) and she gets the same nice treatment too. But I f do remember Rick the Ukrainian saying when he left Makiivka for west Ukraine a decade ago people used to call him a "terrorist" or something like that. But times have changed from a deacade ago with the war in Doonbas to the full scale war now. When my wife and I got run out of Makiivka by the separatists we just moved across the contact line, until 2022, when we ended up in west Ukraine. Mr, Kurkov has given me the idea that maybe I should write a book about civilian life in Donbas from a expat resident point of view, but I am not much of a writer. Got a huge library of photo's covering a decade and some good stories to go with them.

[@kadovax6567]

What's the title of that book ? Is it the grey bees?

[@irongron]

@@kadovax6567 Yes. The book he wrote about life in Donbas is called "The Grey Bees". Go to the 4:35 min mark and you'll hear him state that.

[@irongron]

@@kadovax6567 There is also a compendium of all his war stories called "Війна " (War), that includes the Grey Bees and some other war books he wrote. That one might be worth looking into as well, if there is an English version.

[@irtnyc]

Thank you for commenting here. Unfortunately it is rare to see real comments by actual people on these topics. (Because the Kremlin is flooding the internet with spam and lies as a form of cognitive warfare.)

[@stevenjohns-savage7024]

Interesting 🤔. Thanks Jonathan 🙂

[@twalk263]

I enjoyed this broadcast so much. Your guest is someone I would very much like to hear more from.

[@BobAbc0815]

Those who refuse to learn from History are doomed to repeat it.

[@MaramaoMaramao]

I am reading Diary of an Invasion, bravo Andrey Kurkov!

[@skippy9659]

..a compelling interview.. I’ve never heard of this man.. but after listening to, I just bought grey bees.

[@tracywright6908]

Looking forward to seeing this film!❤‍🔥

[@20chocsaday]

An interesting and revealing interview. I hope that the people who volunteer to build Ukraine back together listen to the locals.

[@marieelliott8368]

Stay Strong Defenders 💪

[@sergiystoyan899]

valuable.

[@19angela71]

I read the book ‘President’s last love’. It is indeed a prophetic book. Andrey Kurkov described astonishingly accurate an attitude of the fictional Russian president towards other presidents of the newly independent countries after the fall of the USSR

[@Yolanta-gh1oc]

Thank you for your work Slava Ukraini 🇵🇱🇺🇦

[@thinktwice-me7ie]

Thank you

[@free2dialogue]

Thank you, Mr. Kurkov, für bringing your many insights forward. I would certainly like to be one of the helpers ito come and rebuild Ukraine after the war.

[@Bob-nd2mr]

very interesting guest Andrey Kurkov....will find his books

[@junj0u]

Slava Ukraini 💛💙

[@carmenlatorre3129]

God bless Ukraine and liberate this beautiful country from the Putin’s criminals

[@VladKepes]

Has Jonathan pissed off the KZbin algorithm gods? Silicon Curtain videos aren't being recommended to me on the front page anymore.

[@irtnyc]

Same

[@EEX97623]

Grey people, hangovers from soviet mindset 14:14 Despite rebuilding Estonia from the ground up there’s still a few Estonians, and many russians, with the factory produced soviet mind, just a shell with a basic program operating the limbs and voice.

[@SiliconCurtain]

Fortunately many Estonians moved on - and have created a modern, beautiful and dynamic country!

[@kimsundermeyer3295]

Thank you both for your work. I am interested in the period in Ukraine from 1918-1921. Can you recommend any books that might be available at the library, including Kurkov's novels? Slava Ukraini

[@SiliconCurtain]

Great idea. I’m afraid I don’t know anything about writers of this period - but it would be good to learn more.

[@kimsundermeyer3295]

@@SiliconCurtain I just discovered that my Tucson AZ library has both of Kurkov's crime novels set in that period. Tyvm for bringing him to my attention. :)

[@luckyluckydog123]

I was in a similar situation, and I ended up printing out relevant Wikipedia articles on the subject. It's an extremely complicated period in Ukraine (in 1918-19 there were many Ukraines: West Ukrainian People's Republic, First Ukrainian People's Republic, Ukrainian State, Second Ukrainian People's Republic and Ukrainian Soviet Republic. Not to mention the semi-independent Makhnovshchina). I think they provide a very strong foundation. There are also some good videos on youtube, eg from the channel History Hustle.

[@Listenerandlearner870]

Ukrainian things still seem new even now. It is good to learn more things Ukrainian. He sounds very Ukrainian. I have watched your channel since the invasion. Johnathan what is your surname ?

[@SiliconCurtain]

👍👍👍 I hope you get value from the channel. It’s Fink

[@Listenerandlearner870]

@@SiliconCurtain many thanks. More of Ukrainian culture and history and regions is needed to be known.

[@vanettevanhuyssteen5548]

​@@Listenerandlearner870 Definitely. I agree with you completely.

[@AAB463]

Yes when Putin saw the huge crowds Navalny was attracting he knew his iron grip was slipping…therefore Alexei had to die😢

[@tadasdovii8262]

You mean then navalny tried pull to him russian nationalist movements? You think we did not seen navalny in line with russian nazis flags?

[@AAB463]

@@tadasdovii8262 I think Navalny showed Russians they could have a better future, one where their government didn’t steal from them. The biggest thief did not want that to happen.

[@signorasforza354]

@@AAB463 He was the same as other ruzke

[@AAB463]

@@signorasforza354 then why did Putin have him poisoned?

[@signorasforza354]

@@AAB463 Who cares? No body.

[@skippy9659]

Patriotic historians..is he referring to Snyder? I’ll look forward to reading this book to see what this man has to say.

[@luckyluckydog123]

I don't think so. He might have been referring to people such as Volodymyr Viatrovych, former director of the Ukrainian Institute of National Memory, known for whitewashing proved crimes committed in 1943 by Ukrainian nationalists under the command of Roman Shukhevych and Mykola Lebed against the local Polish population.

[@vanettevanhuyssteen5548]

​@@luckyluckydog123 There's still so much about Ukraïni that I don't know!

[@stevenjohns-savage7024]

👿😃👿. Yes Yes Yes 👿. We love our Dark Humour 🙂

[@kimsundermeyer3295]

слава Україні

[@agustinussiahaan6669]

Soviet works were satires, and gloomy. I hope could read Kurkov's Soviet humors.

[@betterdonotanswer]

This Muscovite does not even speak Ukrainian, his books are in Muscovite either, so calling him an Ukrainian author is not only misleading but also an insult to all Ukrainian literators and ordinary speakers who spent their entire lives perfecting and spreading Ukrainian language.

[@luckyluckydog123]

Andrey Kurokov does speak Ukrainian, and you can find several interviews with him in Ukrainian. It is true that he was born in ruzzia (presumably to russian parents?), but he lived all his life in Ukraine. He's therefore Ukrainian of russian origin. But what really matters is that he supports Ukraine and not the cremlin criminals.

[@betterdonotanswer]

Q: Kurkov does speak Ukrainian... A: Everyone in Ukraine can speak Ukrainian, he simply does not use it. He wrote his books in Muscovite and published them in Muscovy for the bloody Muscovite money. He also advocated other Muscovite writers, openly anti-Ukrainian.

[@betterdonotanswer]

Q: It is true that he was born in ruzzia... A: It is false, actually. He was born in a Slovenic, Novgorodian town Budogosčь occupied by Muscovy since 1478.

[@betterdonotanswer]

Q: He's therefore Ukrainian of russian origin... A: He's nonetheless a Muscovite speaking and Muscovite thinking Muscovite of Muscovite origin.

[@terryhand]

Are you saying that Russian speaking Ukrainians are not Ukrainian? This is the justification that Putin gave for the invasion of Dombas.