Inside the Russian dystopian library

If Ivanovo’s billboards are to be believed, Russia is indeed making progress.

“Record-breaking harvest!”

“More than 2,000 kilometers of roads have been repaired in Ivanovo Region!”

“Change, get better!”

In this small town four hours’ drive from Moscow, an entire wall of an old cinema is covered with giant banners praising Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. Attached are photos of soldiers and slogans:

“Towards victory!”

These posters depict a country on the path to economic and military success.

But there is one place in Ivanovo that paints a very different picture of Russia today.

I stood outside it. There’s a poster here too. Not a Russian soldier, but a British novelist. George Orwell’s face stared down at passers-by.

The sign above reads “George Orwell Library”.

The small library inside offers a range of books about dystopian worlds and the dangers of totalitarianism.

There are multiple copies of Orwell’s classic novel Nineteen Eighty-Four; in this story, Big Brother is always watching and the state has almost total control of body and mind.

“The situation in Russia now is similar to that of 1984,” librarian Alexandra Karaseva told me. “Completely controlled by the government, state and security agencies.”

In “Nineteen Eighty-Four”, the Party manipulates people’s perception of reality and makes Oceanian citizens believe that “war is peace” and “ignorance is strength.”

Today’s Russia feels similarly. From morning to night, state media here claim that Russia’s war in Ukraine is not an invasion, but a defensive operation; that Russian soldiers are not occupiers, but liberators; that the West is waging a war against Russia, but in fact, it is ordered by the Kremlin A full-scale invasion of Ukraine.

“I have met people who are addicted to television and believe that Russia is not at war with Ukraine and that the West always wants to destroy Russia,” Alexandra said.

“It’s like Nineteen Eighty-Four. But it’s also like Ray Bradbury’s novel Fahrenheit 451.”

Local businessman Dmitry Silin opened the library two years ago.

He has been an outspoken critic of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine and hopes to create a space where Russians can “think for themselves instead of watching TV.”

Dmitry was later indicted for “smearing the Russian Armed Forces”. He is accused of scrawling “No to war!” on a building. He denies the allegation. He has since fled Russia and is wanted by police.

Alexandra Karaseva took me on a tour of the library. This is a treasure trove of literary greats from Franz Kafka to Fyodor Dostoevsky. There is also non-fiction. The history of the Russian Revolution, Stalin’s repression, the fall of communism, and the failed attempts to establish democracy in modern Russia.

The books you can borrow here are not banned in Russia. But the topic is very sensitive. Any honest discussion of Russia’s past or present poses problems.

Alexandra believes in the power of words to bring about change. That’s why she’s determined the library remains open.

“These books show our readers that the power of authoritarian regimes is not permanent,” Alexander explains. “Every system has its weaknesses, and everyone who understands his surroundings can maintain his freedom. Freedom of the brain brings freedom in life and in the country.”

“Most of my generation had no experience with grassroots democracy,” recalls Alexandra, 68. We don’t have the experience to know when to say firmly, “You can’t do that.” If our generation had read “Ninety-Eight-Eight-Four”, maybe it would have been different.

Eighteen-year-old Dmitry Shestopalov read “Ninety-Eight-Eight-Four”. Now he volunteers at the library.

“This place is sacrosanct,” Dmitri told me. “For creative young people, it’s a place where they can find like-minded citizens and get away from what’s going on in our country. It’s an island of freedom in an unfree environment.

As far as islands go, it’s really small. Alexandra Karaseva is the first to admit that there are very few visitors to the library.

In contrast, I found a huge crowd in the center of Ivanovo. It wasn’t Big Brother that people stopped to listen to. This is a big band.

Under the bright sunshine, the orchestra was playing classic Soviet melodies and people started dancing to the music. While chatting with the crowd, I realized that some Russians were very willing to believe what the billboards were telling them, that Russia was on the rise.

“I’m happy with the direction Russia is heading,” pensioner Vladimir told me. “We become more independent. Less dependent on the West.

“We are making progress,” said a young woman named Natalia. “As Vladimir Putin said, a new phase in Russia has begun.”

But what about Russia’s war in Ukraine?

“I try not to read anything about it,” Nina told me. “It’s so disturbing.”

Back at the George Orwell Library, they were hosting an event. A local psychologist is finishing a lecture on how to overcome “learned helplessness” and believe in your ability to change your life. There were ten people in the audience.

Librarian Alexandra Karaseva announced the news after the lecture.

“The building is up for sale. Our library is moving out. We need to decide what to do. Where do we go from here?”

Libraries offer smaller venues throughout town.

Almost immediately, a woman offered her van to help with the move. Another viewer said she would donate a video projector to help the library. Others have floated ideas for raising funds.

This is civil society in action. Citizens come together in times of need.

Admittedly, the scale is small. And success is not guaranteed. In a society where there is less and less room for “islands of freedom”, the long-term future of libraries is uncertain.

But they didn’t give up. not yet.