Åsne Seierstad's "Der Krieg ist anderswo" Portrays Violence as Norm in Russia

Åsne Seierstad's book "Der Krieg ist anderswo" offers a portrait of Russia in which violence has become normalized, according to a review published by the German weekly der Freitag. The work is described as a long collage assembled from conversations, travel images and chance encounters. Seierstad set out to trace the life of Andrej Medwedew, a former Wagner militia member who fled to Norway and recounted his harrowing life story to her. The resulting book is characterized as a moral portrait of Russia, perhaps one of the most thorough produced at a time when few people travel into the country while many observe it from outside. The review, written by Lennart Laberenz, notes that many in the West who loudly proclaim their love for Russia would never actually go there, which is why Seierstad's reporting is presented as important. The text also observes that some observers treat Russia as a gang while venting their frustration on the political personnel of the Federal Republic of Germany or of the entire West. The review appears on freitag.de.