About the book: 2011 / The character of a Russian person is multi-layered and contradictory, he combines Peter the Great, Prince Myshkin and Khlestakov... However, we know all this anyway. Why do we Russians need this book? Why do we need to “observe” ourselves? The answer will be simple - because WE DO NOT UNDERSTAND ourselves. The author of the book “Watching the Russians,” Vladimir Zhelvis, Doctor of Philology, professor and great expert on the “mysterious Russian soul,” offers us his view of the notorious “Russianness.” With the stubbornness inherent only in a truly Russian person, he strives to find answers to the questions: “What are we, Russians?” and “Why are we like this?” Having studied the past and present, the author tries to look into the future…