Special correspondent: investigating in the Soviet Union

Politics & Social Sciences

VITALIEV, Vitali

Politics & Government

Hutchinson

Little is the light: Nostalgic travels in the mini-states of Europe

Travel

Europe

Touchstone Books

A look at the emerging democracies of Eastern Europe, whose countries are the heaviest drinkers in the world. Vitaliev, a former drinker now teatotaler, attempts to find out why this has not changed with the collapse of communism and the wider availability of books, a free press, travel etc. He examines the peoples' struggles and defiance.

Borders Up!: Eastern Europe Through the Bottom of a Glass

Social Sciences

Scribner

Borders Up

Simon & Schuster Intl

Vitali Vitaliev is a vastly experienced travel writer and a man who understands exile and displacement. His portrait of Ireland is affectionate and slightly perplexed. He does not hesitate to note the litter, the lousy food in many places, the shabbiness and lack of grooming, the ridiculous expense of simple things. He also finds much kindness, stunningly beautiful scenery, evidence of new hope and prosperity everywhere. In short, Vitali's Ireland is a job lot of a country, a place very obviously in transition. It knows it is being carried along on a tide of change but is unsure of the destination. Behind some of the new swagger, he detects great uncertainties.

Vitali's Ireland: Time Travels in the Celtic Tiger

Travel Writing

GILL MACMILLAN

"Compelling."—The Scotsman
"Vitaliev has an irrepressible sense of humour."—Guardian
"Never less than compelling. . . . A penetrating analysis of a continent grappling with manifold dilemmas. Vitaliev is, as always, a great travelling companion."—Douglas Kennedy, author of The Pursuit of Happiness 
What does national identity mean? The answer lies not in the usual definitions, but in Europe's forgotten enclaves—tiny fragments of one country cut off and completely surrounded by another. Stuck for centuries between different cultures, currencies, and (at times) languages, each is resplendent with idiosyncrasies. Passport to Enclavia is an homage to Europe's marvellous diversity.
An enclave all of his own, Vitali Vitaliev, a Ukrainian-born Russian Jew with Australian and British citizenships, set out on a personal quest to find out what really defines the European continent, just as a uniform identity—in the guise of the Euro—was being imposed from Brussels, a state he dubs EU-SSR.
Part of the proceeds from Passport to Enclavia go to The Foundation for Endangered Languages, which works to protect and promote endangered languages.
Vitali Vitaliev, the Soviet Union's first investigative journalist, was forced to defect from the USSR by the KGB in 1990. Well-known in the West for his TV and radio appearances, Vitaliev has published nine books in English and has been translated into a number of foreign languages. He has contributed regularly to national and international newspapers such as the Guardian, The European, The Daily Telegraph, and The Australian, and he has made several TV documentaries.

Passport to Enclavia: Travels in Search of a European Identity

Reportage Pr

One would assume that with the collapse of Communism, East Europeans would drink much less than before. A democratic society should surely be able to provide many more means of escape than alcohol – books, free press, foreign travel and the cornucopia of consumer goods.
The reality, however, is very different; drinking in the post-communist Eastern Europe has increased dramatically since the fall of the Berlin Wall, and most of the new democracies of Europe came top of the list of the world’s fastest-growing nations following the fall of the iron curtain. Coincidence? Paradox? Curious historic aberration? Or a logical result of years of social turmoil, lies and double standards that have created a vacuum in people’s souls, a spiritual emptiness which spirits alone can fill?
Vitali Vitaliev spent eleven months trying to answer these questions travelling around Eastern and Central Europe, a journey through drinks – vodka and beer, palinka and slivovitz, zubrovka and Riesling, Tokaji and cabernet sauvignon. The result is this book: a sharp and sardonic travelogue that is both informative and very, very funny.

Borders Up!: Eastern Europe through the bottom of a glass

Thrust Books

Four years after his escape from the Soviet Union in 1990, award-winning journalist and author Vitali Vitaliev went in search of surviving pockets of freedom, autonomy and self-government. He found eleven countries, each with a population of less than half a million, each one of them beautiful and each one described in this book with sparkling humour, wisdom, and an unmatchable sense of irony.His travels take him to Liechtenstein, San Marino, Mount Athos, the Isle of Man, Luxembourg, the Faroe Islands, Gibraltar, Andorra, Malta, Monaco and Seborga, and for some of his journey he is accompanied by his teenage son, who has his own perspective on the countries they visit.'Little is the light will be seen far in a murky night' reads a proverb the author finds relevant. He talks about the 'little light of freedom that kept us alive and warm in the murky totalitarian night... a light, even if small, means hope, and a little hope is better than no hope at all.' This book is his exploration of the small lights shining from Europe's mini states.

Little is the Light: Nostalgic travels in the mini-states of Europe

ADVFN Books

Acclaimed writer Vitali Vitaliev takes a personal journey through Europe's forgotten enclaves, tiny fragments of countries cut off and completely surrounded by another. Stuck for centuries between two different cultures, currencies and (at times) languages, each enclave features fascinating idiosyncrasies of everyday life, making these geographical and historical anomalies perfect destinations for an inquisitive, knowledge-hungry traveller.An enclave in his own right, Vitaliev, a Ukrainian-born Russian with Australian and British citizenship, travels in search of his own elusive identity and in search of what makes Europeans truly unique. He goes to Spain, France, Belgium, Germany, Holland, Switzerland, Italy and Austria, setting out just as the European identity is being imposed from Brussels through the Euro.A renowned investigative journalist, Vitali was able to uncover the roots of the current EU crisis 14 years ago, just when the Euro was being introduced. This makes his book extremely topical and surprisingly up-to-date, particularly now that campaigning has started in earnest for Britain's EU referendum, making a convincing, yet witty and non-didactic, case for Brexit.

A unique perspective on 21st century Irish cultural identity, delivered in a style rich with his typical sardonic wit. Ukrainian-born Vitali Vitaliev, an award-winning travel writer and journalist, uses his outsider's perspective to recount his Irish adventures. A renowned cultural observer, he muses on the nation's quirks and stereotypes, whilst his reference to mid-19th century guide books provides an insightful historical comparison. The result is an affectionate if slightly perplexed portrait of a nation in transition.Vitali's time in Ireland coincided with the period of the now dead and buried 'Celtic Tiger' yet the author saw no sign of it. At times, he recounts, "I was ready to believe that its very existence was a myth, a creation of the lazy journalists' and inept economists' imagination." Daily life in the Republic of Ireland, he observed, was more reminiscent of that in a third world country, rather than of a modern industrial and financial 'mini-giant' - as it was at that time being described by the world media. "During my travels, I developed a chronic dislike for the elusive and intrusive Tiger. It simply did not fit with Ireland's pristine landscape and even less so - with the nation's poetic soul."Ukrainian-born Vitali Vitaliev, an award-winning travel writer and journalist, uses his outsider's perspective to recount his Irish adventures. A renowned cultural observer, he muses on the nation's quirks and stereotypes, whilst his reference to mid-19th century guide books provides an insightful historical comparison. The result is an affectionate if slightly perplexed portrait of a nation in transition.Reviews of Vitali's Ireland: "This is a book that will perplex and infuriate some but appear quite humorous to others . . . Eccentric guide to a land of contradictions . . . A rather eclectic mixture of farce, travel guide and personal observation . . . This book should be required reading for those executives who run our tourist authorities."Colin Lenihan, Minister for Integration, in The Irish Times"Slightly eccentric and highly enjoyable . . . Slightly cranky, sometimes bewildered, often meandering back across his life and generally highly entertaining, Vitali's Ireland is very much an outsider's look into our country. If he doesn't know what to make of us, it is maybe because he is viewing us at a junction where we don't know what to make of ourselves."Dermot Bolger, in Sunday Business"Vitali is big hearted, broad minded and smart as a whip . . . A Ukranian-born Russian exile whose worldwide perambulations have produced a string of fine, intelligent works of idiosyncratic reportage, this somewhat unusual visitor offers a valuable gift to us Irish readers: The outside perspective . . . Vitaliev wanders the 32 counties like some kind of gormless, amiable pilgrim, half-Mr Bean, half-Socrates. . . . (His) observations on the folly of the Northern conflict are heartbreaking in their simplicity and world-weary resignation . . . I could fill this paper with quotable extracts"Hugh Tynan, in the Irish Examiner Weekend

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Books by VITALIEV, Vitali

See the best price to sell, buy, or rent books by VITALIEV, Vitali. BookScouter helps to compare book prices from 25+ online bookstores and 30+ buyback vendors with a single search.

Special correspondent: investigating in the Soviet Union

Little is the light: Nostalgic travels in the mini-states of Europe

Borders Up!: Eastern Europe Through the Bottom of a Glass

Borders Up

Vitali's Ireland: Time Travels in the Celtic Tiger

Passport to Enclavia: Travels in Search of a European Identity

Borders Up!: Eastern Europe through the bottom of a glass

Little is the Light: Nostalgic travels in the mini-states of Europe

Passport to Enclavia: Travels in Search of a European Identity

Vitali's Ireland: Time Travels in the Celtic Tiger