January 04, 2026

An Author by Any Other Name...


An Author by Any Other Name...
Yes, there can be too many. The Russian Life files.

A recent report by the BBC's Russian service revealed that Russian publishing giant AST has been using ghostwriters to churn out books for years – to ill effects.

Ghostwriters who produce for AST write prodigiously: some write as many as 20 books a year. But while ghostwriting is widespread around the world, and while AST claims that it meticulously checks the facts contained in its books, readers have begun to notice a spate of errors.

Notably, AST publishes a series called "The Complete History of a Country," where ghostwriter Sergei Nachaev covers the history of different countries. The authors are purported to be residents and scholars of these countries, with names like Azadi Hussein (author of the Iran entry) and Lehman Herschel (Israel). In reality, Nachaev has written them all.

As a result the Russian perspective has shone through via obscure conspiracies. The book on India, for example, mentions "a highly developed civilization [that] existed on the country's territory, which perished in a clash with extraterrestrial aliens" from "nuclear weapons."

We're going to need to see the sources on that one.

Perhaps most interesting is the book on the United States, written by one Sage Tippot (a name about as plausible to American ears as Art Vandelay). According to the BBC, the portrayal of the U.S. in the book is not explicitly erroneous, and, once the book gets to the twentieth century, it glosses over any Soviet aggression during the Cold War, painting the United States as an single-minded aggressor plotting for world domination. This is closely in line with the popular Russian telling of the period. In addition, of the two epigraphs at the start of the book, one appears to be sourced from Wikipedia.

The BBC speculated that the rise in low-quality books is caused by non-bibliophiles getting editorial jobs and clamoring for high levels of production. For our part, we book-lovers at Russian Life only endorse history books written by non-ghostwriters.

You Might Also Like

A Whole New World (of Nuclear Weapons)
  • February 07, 2019

A Whole New World (of Nuclear Weapons)

Whether you think INF stands for Instant New Fear or Internationalism Never Falters, this week’s got you covered with both politics and otherworldly events.
A Memory Battle for Lubyanka Square
  • March 14, 2021

A Memory Battle for Lubyanka Square

The hoopla surrounding a new monument at a controversial location in central Moscow highlights the importance of history for Russia – and ourselves.
Like this post? Get a weekly email digest + member-only deals

Some of our Books

Life Stories
September 01, 2009

Life Stories

The Life Stories collection is a nice introduction to contemporary Russian fiction: many of the 19 authors featured here have won major Russian literary prizes and/or become bestsellers. These are life-affirming stories of love, family, hope, rebirth, mystery and imagination, masterfully translated by some of the best Russian-English translators working today. The selections reassert the power of Russian literature to affect readers of all cultures in profound and lasting ways. Best of all, 100% of the profits from the sale of this book are going to benefit Russian hospice—not-for-profit care for fellow human beings who are nearing the end of their own life stories.

Marooned in Moscow
May 01, 2011

Marooned in Moscow

This gripping autobiography plays out against the backdrop of Russia's bloody Civil War, and was one of the first Western eyewitness accounts of life in post-revolutionary Russia. Marooned in Moscow provides a fascinating account of one woman's entry into war-torn Russia in early 1920, first-person impressions of many in the top Soviet leadership, and accounts of the author's increasingly dangerous work as a journalist and spy, to say nothing of her work on behalf of prisoners, her two arrests, and her eventual ten-month-long imprisonment, including in the infamous Lubyanka prison. It is a veritable encyclopedia of life in Russia in the early 1920s.

A Taste of Russia
November 01, 2012

A Taste of Russia

The definitive modern cookbook on Russian cuisine has been totally updated and redesigned in a 30th Anniversary Edition. Layering superbly researched recipes with informative essays on the dishes' rich historical and cultural context, A Taste of Russia includes over 200 recipes on everything from borshch to blini, from Salmon Coulibiac to Beef Stew with Rum, from Marinated Mushrooms to Walnut-honey Filled Pies. A Taste of Russia shows off the best that Russian cooking has to offer. Full of great quotes from Russian literature about Russian food and designed in a convenient wide format that stays open during use.

The Little Humpbacked Horse
November 03, 2014

The Little Humpbacked Horse

A beloved Russian classic about a resourceful Russian peasant, Vanya, and his miracle-working horse, who together undergo various trials, exploits and adventures at the whim of a laughable tsar, told in rich, narrative poetry.

Fearful Majesty
July 01, 2014

Fearful Majesty

This acclaimed biography of one of Russia’s most important and tyrannical rulers is not only a rich, readable biography, it is also surprisingly timely, revealing how many of the issues Russia faces today have their roots in Ivan’s reign.

Stargorod: A Novel in Many Voices
May 01, 2013

Stargorod: A Novel in Many Voices

Stargorod is a mid-sized provincial city that exists only in Russian metaphorical space. It has its roots in Gogol, and Ilf and Petrov, and is a place far from Moscow, but close to Russian hearts. It is a place of mystery and normality, of provincial innocence and Black Earth wisdom. Strange, inexplicable things happen in Stargorod. So do good things. And bad things. A lot like life everywhere, one might say. Only with a heavy dose of vodka, longing and mystery.

The Latchkey Murders
July 01, 2015

The Latchkey Murders

Senior Lieutenant Pavel Matyushkin is back on the case in this prequel to the popular mystery Murder at the Dacha, in which a serial killer is on the loose in Khrushchev’s Moscow...

About Us

Russian Life is the 31-year-old publication of an award-winning publishing house that also creates books, and other products for Russophiles the world over.

Latest Posts

Our Contacts

Russian Life
73 Main Street, Suite 402
Montpelier VT 05602

802-223-4955