Discovering Russia

Over 200 years, journalists explored Russia to gather enough information so that Americans could form valid opinions about that infamous "riddle wrapped in a mystery inside an enigma." Each generation of American writers rediscovered Russia as national interest in the country waxed and waned. Discovering Russia describes the work of well-known journalists like John Reed, Walter Duranty, Harrison Salisbury, Hedrick Smith and David Remnick as well as remarkable characters whose names and work are nearly forgotten. The cast includes brave reporters, sycophants, naive pilgrims and one reporter-spy. The author concludes that the sum of the journalism done under difficult conditions proved to be remarkably valid, giving Americans the information to form their opinions about Russia. Murray Seeger is a veteran journalist who has worked in Washington, Asia and Europe and Russia and who has studied Russia over 40 years. Of his reporting from Moscow, Time Magazine said, he "offers cross-cultural information in the style of Alistair Cooke." Seeger was a Nieman Fellow in Journalism at Harvard University, won a Loeb Award for reporting economics and has written for many magazines in addition to major newspapers.