The last man in Russia and the struggle to save a dying nation

The Last Man in Russia is a portrait of the country like no other; a quest to understand the soul of Russia. Award-winning writer Oliver Bullough travels the country from crowded Moscow train to empty windswept village, following in the footsteps of one extraordinary man, the dissident Orthodox priest Father Dmitry. His moving, terrifying story is the story of a nation: famine, war, the frozen wastes of the Gulag, the collapse of communism and now, a people seeking oblivion. Bullough shows that in a country so willing to crush its citizens, there is also courage, resilience and flickering glimmers of hope. 'Wonderful . . . These are the chronicles of a writer who truly knows Russia, and who is not beyond having his heart broken.' Ellen Barry, The New York Times Book Review 'An ambitious and wide-ranging journey into the heart of a great, sad country . . . He has a talent for sketching the people he meets, often administering a welcome dose of humour, and he appreciates the absurd, in the best Russian tradition.' Arthur House, Sunday Telegraph 'Imagining is a whole lot easier with such a lively, well-written and commanding narrative to guide us.' Anthony Sattin, Observer 'An excellent read . . . a complex interweaving of two stories: alcoholism in Russia, and the destruction of a moral crusader at the hands of a brutal regime . . . Bullough has a gift.' Charles Clover, Financial Times