Once Upon a Russia: Voices From a Vanished Era

Once Upon a Russia: Voices From a Vanished Era gathers over one hundred vivid, personal accounts from foreigners who lived, worked, or wandered through Russia during a time that now feels irretrievably past. Edited by Steven A. Fisher, who shared that journey with the contributors, this anthology captures not only the country's strange beauty and contradictions, but the emotional imprint it left on those who experienced it. From diplomats and dreamers to journalists, bankers, artists, and students, each voice offers a unique window into the texture of Russian life-its unpredictable rhythms, ironies, absurdities, and quiet truths. These are not attempts to explain Russia, but acts of remembering: a kitchen table conversation, a snow-lit street, a baffling official exchange, a toast made in joy or defiance. Poignant, humorous, and deeply human, these reflections reveal a country both maddening and magnetic-where memory and meaning continue to blur and where hope and disillusion live side by side. For those who were there, this book may feel like a reunion. For others, it offers rare insight into a vanished world that once marked them-and may yet mark you.

About the Author :
Steven A. Fisher is a career finance professional whose work in emerging markets spanned thirty-five years with Citibank, including sixteen in senior leadership roles in Moscow and Kyiv. Over the course of his career, he has spoken at finance and policy forums around the world, sharing insights drawn from decades on the ground. He is the coeditor of Failure. Russia Under Putin (Brookings Institution Press, 2025); the author of Into Russia's Cauldron: An American Vision, Undone (Forest Cat Press, 2021); and the coauthor of "New Challenges and Dwindling Returns for Russia's National Champions" (Atlantic Council, 2020). A graduate of Georgetown University's School of Foreign Service (M.S.) and Cornell University (B.A. in Sino-Soviet studies), he speaks fluent Russian.

Review :
"Steve Fisher has compiled a fascinating collection of reflections. Through varied perspectives, the book offers a compelling glimpse of a Russia filled with both hope and hurt after the demise of the Soviet Union. Its stories and insights caution us neither to give in to Putin's brutal autocracy nor give up on what's possible for Russians in the decades ahead." -Bill Burns, former U.S. ambassador to Russia, deputy secretary of state, and director of the CIA. "This priceless volume captures history in the words of those who lived it. It places a human face on pivotal events and reveals insights that rarely find their way into history books." -Michael Khodarkovsky, professor of history at Loyola University Chicago, and the author of several books, most recently Russia's 20th Century: A Journey in 100 Histories. "Imagine leafing through an old photo album, with those in the pictures gathered around you, eager to share their first encounters with Russia - dramatic, sentimental, funny, absurd, wild, or scary. As with any old album, the experience is bittersweet. Here, though, the sadness runs deeper: the Russia of their recollections, a country opening up and welcoming Westerners, is a Russia that no longer exists." -Maria Lipman, Russian journalist and Russia expert.