The Man Without a Face: The Unlikely Rise of Vladimir Putin

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The Man Without a Face: The Unlikely Rise of Vladimir Putin

Paperback edition cover – March 2013
Author	Masha Gessen
Country	United States
Language	English
Subject	The rise and reign of Vladimir Putin
Published	March 2012
Publisher	Riverhead Books
Media type	Hardcover
Pages	342
ISBN	9781594488429
Website	https://www.penguinrandomhouse.com/books/306492/the-man-without-a-face-by-masha-gessen/9781594486517/

The Man Without a Face: The Unlikely Rise of Vladimir Putin is a 2012 book by Masha Gessen about Vladimir Putin and his rise to power and reign. It intertwines both a psychological and conspiratory approach written in clear and engaging language. Gessen is a Moscow native who understands the culture and psychology of Russia. Their family left Russia when they were a teenager, but they returned for a 10-year stay as an independent journalist. Gessen's analysis of Putin is mostly speculative, but they carefully investigate his own revealing accounts of his life, and they use interviews with people who knew Putin, before he rose to power, to form their conclusions.^[1]

Content[]

External video
Presentation by Gessen on The Man Without a Face, March 8, 2012, C-SPAN

The book describes Vladimir Putin's early life, including his relationship with his parents and his school life under a communist government. Gessen uses Putin's early years to show the reader how he was shaped into the man he became. The book covers controversies and wars Putin was involved in, such as the First Chechen War and contains stories about former Russian leader Boris Yeltsin. It goes on to explain the relationship between him and his wife. It then discusses controversies in the government and Putin's eventual rise to power in the Kremlin.

Reviews and reception[]

The book sold well, but had mixed reviews.^[2] Many said Gessen had a biased view or there had been books about Putin that had been written better. CIA officer John Ehrman's review stated: "As a biography it is satisfactory, but no more than that" and "little of what Gessen has to say is new." He described their images as "effective as anti-Putin propaganda".^[2]

The book was shortlisted for the 2013 Pushkin House Russian Book Prize.^[3]

References[]

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