Nostalgia is a drug
A review of Once Upon a Russia: Voices from a vanished era. Edited by: Steven A. Fisher. Publisher: Forest Cat Press.
April 20, 2026 -
James C. Pearce
- 
Books and ReviewsIssue 3 2026Magazine
The cover of the book Once Upon a Russia: Voices from a Vanished Era (edited by Steven A. Fisher) fills one with a sense of melancholy. The steps of the Moscow metro descend into an underground abyss of marble, chandeliers, brassiere and religious icon shops. We, the intended reader, know what is down there. Even if you left long ago, it feels like yesterday. The sound of the heaters and muffled announcements as you descend the escalators, watching people going up on the other side. The aromas emanating from the tiny bakeries at the metro stop immediately come rushing back – as does the sight of brown slush on your clothes and the crunching of snow and salt under your feet. For those still living in Russia, approaching the entrance to the metro is certainly a feeling that never gets old.
Once Upon a Russia gathers over 100 essays and personal accounts from foreigners who lived, worked or passed through Russia in the 1990s and 2000s. The authorship of these essays ranges from diplomats and journalists – who are household names in the expert and expat communities – to bankers, lawyers, students and business hucksters who saw an opening to make money. Some stayed for a few months, while others were there for decades. Some of the authors still live in Russia and in their essays wrote of the pain felt on the February morning in 2022 when Russia invaded Ukraine.
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