25+ Vladimir Sorokin Quotes On Education, Religion And War

Vladimir Sorokin is a Russian writer and playwright. He is best known for his avant-garde works that often explore themes of Russian history and culture, as well as surrealism and the absurd. His works have been translated into several languages, and he has received numerous awards, including the Russian Booker Prize in 2001. Following is our collection on famous quotes by Vladimir Sorokin on life, education, religion.

Top 10 Vladimir Sorokin Quotes

1. Nothing has changed in Russia since Ivan the Terrible when it comes to the divide between the people and the state. The state demands a sacred willingness to make sacrifices from the people.
2. As a child I perceived violence as a sort of natural law. In the totalitarian Soviet Union, oppression held everything together. It was the sinister energy of our country.
3. The worst thing that can happen to Russia is indifference in the West - that is, if it were interested in nothing but oil and gas.
4. I have Mikhail Gorbachev and Boris Yeltsin to thank that a Russian writer can not only write anything he wants, but also publish it.
5. The Russian writer Vladimir Nabokov once said: In a Democracy, portraits of a nation's leader should never exceed the size of a postage stamp. That won't happen so quickly in Russia.
6. I ask myself whether Russia is moving in the direction of democracy. I don't believe it is! Bit by bit, Russia is slipping back into an authoritarian empire.
7. The West should be even more vocal in insisting that the Russians respect human rights.
8. The bureaucracy has grown such powerful roots in Russia, and corruption is so widespread, that people from opposition have no interest in changing anything.
9. The Khodorkovsky case is typical of the "oprichnina" - the system of oppression.
10. I'm not a prophet or a teacher, I just ask questions. I don't think a writer should be a teacher, but should know how to pose the questions and explain the problems.

Vladimir Sorokin Short Quotes

• Everyone in Russia must awaken the citizen within himself.
• In Russia only those who are loyal to the people in power can become wealthy.
• In Russia one can be as pure as can be and still lose everything in a flash and end up in prison.
• As a storyteller I was influenced by the Moscow underground, where it was common to be apolitical.

Vladimir Sorokin Famous Quotes And Sayings

Germans, Frenchmen and Englishmen can say of themselves: "I am the state." I cannot say that. In Russia only the people in the Kremlin can say that. All other citizens are nothing more than human material with which they can do all kinds of things. — Vladimir Sorokin

Orthodox churches, autocracy and national traditions are supposed to form a new national ideology in Russia. This would mean that Russia would be overtaken by its past, and our past would be our future. — Vladimir Sorokin

In Russia whenever you encounter a minor official, he lets you know that he is above you and that you depend on him. It is reflected in the superpower mentality that nourishes the Kremlin. An empire always demands sacrifices from its people. — Vladimir Sorokin

The word "people" is unpleasant to me. The phrase "Soviet people" was drummed into us from childhood on. I love concrete people, enlightened people who live conscious lives and do not simply sit there and vegetate. To love the people you have to be the general secretary of the Communist Party or an absolute dictator. — Vladimir Sorokin

The citizen lives in each of us. In the days of Brezhnev, Andropov, Gorbachev and Yeltsin, I was constantly trying to suppress the responsible citizen in me. I told myself that I was, after all, an artist. — Vladimir Sorokin

Putin likes to quote a sentence from Czar Alexander III, who said that Russian has only two allies - the army and the navy. As a citizen, this makes me sit up and take notice. This is a concept of self-imposed isolation, a defense strategy that sees Russia surrounded by enemies. — Vladimir Sorokin

In Russia no one is surprised when an official accepts a bribe while at the same time portraying the state as some sacred entity to which the bourgeois should pay homage. This all sounds absurd. But for Russians it is completely normal. — Vladimir Sorokin

My television teaches me that everything was wonderful in the Soviet Union. According to the programs I watch, the KGB and apparatchiks were angels, and the Stalin era was so festive that the heroes of the day must still be celebrated today. — Vladimir Sorokin

In Russia there are special people who are permitted to do anything. They are the sacrificial priests of power. Anyone who is not a member of this group has no clout with the state. — Vladimir Sorokin

When I turn on the TV in Russia I see a general calmly claiming that our missiles are ahead of the latest American models by three five-year plans. It's a nightmare. We are creating a concept of the enemy, just as they did in the Soviet era. This is a giant step backward. — Vladimir Sorokin

I am always surprised when I watch the weather report on German television. First they show the map of Europe and then the camera moves to the right. Then comes Kiev, then Moscow and then everything stops. This seems to be the West's view of us - of a wild Russia that begins past Moscow, a place one prefers not to see. This is a big mistake. The West must pay closer attention. — Vladimir Sorokin

Life Lessons by Vladimir Sorokin

1. Vladimir Sorokin's work highlights the importance of questioning the status quo and pushing boundaries in order to create meaningful and thought-provoking art.
2. His work also emphasizes the power of satire and irony in challenging oppressive political and social systems.
3. Finally, his writing encourages readers to explore their own beliefs and values and to think critically about the world around them.