This book is not available to purchase on Fable
East of Dreams
ByPublisher Description
Displaced after the fall of the Soviet Union, an indigenous family works to reclaim their former self-sufficient way of life in this lyrical work of anthropology and colonial Russian history.
After her work in Alaska among the Gwich’in people, French anthropologist Nastassja Martin crossed the Bering Strait to continue her research on the effects of colonialism and climate change on indigenous communities, this time in the Russian far east. East of Dreams is Martin’s powerfully vibrant account of her seven years living with the Even people of Kamchatka. During the Soviet era, the Even people were dispossessed of their reindeer herds and settled on collective farms. However, after the fall of the Soviet Union, one family, led by their matriarch Daria, decided to leave their enforced urban existences behind them and return to the Icha forest to lead a self-sufficient life based on hunting, fishing, and gathering.
How did this small collective, violated and despoiled by the colonists before being forgotten by history, reclaim its autonomy? How did they restore their relationships with animals and nature and learn to dream again? Generous, lyrical, and audacious, East of Dreams brings colonial history and indigenous cosmologies into dialogue to highlight the many voices that give the world its vitality.
After her work in Alaska among the Gwich’in people, French anthropologist Nastassja Martin crossed the Bering Strait to continue her research on the effects of colonialism and climate change on indigenous communities, this time in the Russian far east. East of Dreams is Martin’s powerfully vibrant account of her seven years living with the Even people of Kamchatka. During the Soviet era, the Even people were dispossessed of their reindeer herds and settled on collective farms. However, after the fall of the Soviet Union, one family, led by their matriarch Daria, decided to leave their enforced urban existences behind them and return to the Icha forest to lead a self-sufficient life based on hunting, fishing, and gathering.
How did this small collective, violated and despoiled by the colonists before being forgotten by history, reclaim its autonomy? How did they restore their relationships with animals and nature and learn to dream again? Generous, lyrical, and audacious, East of Dreams brings colonial history and indigenous cosmologies into dialogue to highlight the many voices that give the world its vitality.
Download the free Fable app
Stay organized
Keep track of what you’re reading, what you’ve finished, and what’s next.
Build a better TBR
Swipe, skip, and save with our smart list-building tool
Rate and review
Share your take with other readers with half stars, emojis, and tags
Curate your feed
Meet readers like you in the Fable For You feed, designed to build bookish communitiesStay organized
Keep track of what you’re reading, what you’ve finished, and what’s next.Build a better TBR
Swipe, skip, and save with our smart list-building toolRate and review
Share your take with other readers with half stars, emojis, and tagsCurate your feed
Meet readers like you in the Fable For You feed, designed to build bookish communitiesNo Reviews
About Nastassja Martin
Nastassja Martin is a French author and anthropologist who has studied the Gwich-in people of Alaska and the Even people of the Kamchatka Peninsula. She is the author of the memoir In the Eye of the Wild and is the recipient of the Prix Louis Castex from the French Academy.
Other books by Nastassja Martin
Start a Book Club
Start a public or private book club with this book on the Fable app today!FAQ
Do I have to buy the ebook to participate in a book club?
Why can’t I buy the ebook on the app?
How is Fable’s reader different from Kindle?
Do you sell physical books too?
Are book clubs free to join on Fable?
How do I start a book club with this book on Fable?
