Dark Shadows

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Dark Shadows Around the World

It's been just over six months since Joanna Lillis's Dark Shadows: Inside the Secret World of Kazakhstan was published in the UK by I. B. Tauris, and in that time it has turned up in some surprising corners of the world. Dark Shadows spotted at Niagara Falls, Canadian side So far, it has made the short trip across the channel to make an appearance in the venerable Shakespeare and Co in Paris , crossed Hadrian's Wall to Scotland , winged its way by post to Mongolia , sailed across the expanse of the Atlantic to turn up in Niagara Falls in Canada and the Bronx , and even popped up in Mexico and the exotic Caribbean island of Curaçao. Dark Shadows on Curaçao island Who knows where this esteemed tome will end up next? Avid bookworms should keep on posting their pics of Dark Shadows on Twitter and tag in @joannalillis, or send them to us here at darkshadows@gmail.com. For any readers who have yet to get their hands on a copy...

Dark Shadows: a deep dive into politics ahead of Kazakhstan’s election

As Kazakhstan gears up to go to the polls for a presidential election following the resignation of long-serving strongman Nursultan Nazarbayev, the country is heading into its most interesting and turbulent election in well over a decade. A polling station in Almaty, complete with balloons to create a festive atmosphere. For anyone interested in taking a deep dive into Kazakh political life ahead of the vote on June 9 th , Dark Shadows is a great place to start. Published in October by Bloomsbury-owned I.B. Tauris, the book has proven so popular that the first edition has sold out and it’s just gone into a second print run . Author Joanna Lillis has been covering presidential elections in Kazakhstan since 2005 , through first-hand, on-the-ground reporting that allows the opinions of Kazakhstan’s people about their political leaders shine through. She traces the trajectory of Nazarbayev first breaking the 90%...

Dark Shadows Flies Off the Shelves

Since its publication in October, Dark Shadows: Inside the Secret World of Kazakhstan has been snapped up by readers so eagerly that it is nearly sold out – so hurry up if you have yet to get your hands on a copy of the first edition! A second print run from Bloomsbury owned publishing house I.B. Tauris is in the works and will be out very soon. Here you can see a sneak preview of the cover of the second edition with an endorsement from a Spectator review by Peter Frankopan , historian and best-selling author of The Silk Roads and The New Silk Roads , who describes Dark Shadows as “astute, refreshing and revelatory”. Dark Shadows has also been given a rave review in the Times Literary Supplement recently (subscribers only), and a write-up in Literary Review , which found that author Joanna Lillis “refreshes our knowledge of important events in Kazakhstan’s history, such as the evaporation of the Aral Sea and th...

Dark Shadows: In the Press 5: Here Come the Reviews...

Check out the latest reviews of Dark Shadows in the international media! The book has recently been reviewed by two renowned historians, Peter Frankopan and Alexander Morrison, both of Oxford University. Dark Shadows meets The Silk Roads - Joanna Lillis meets Peter Frankopan in Oxford in November 2018 Writing in The Spectator , Peter Frankopan described Dark Shadows as “ astute, refreshing and revelatory”, and also “surprisingly tender, showing not only [Lillis’s] affection but her care in trying to make sense of a country that needs to be understood warts and all”. “She introduces a cast of characters one could not make up, from an Old Believer living in the north of the country to a militant atheist, whose grim convictions are not entirely appealing,” he continues. “We meet those suffering from the effects of Soviet-era nuclear experiments and children infected with HIV in a blood scandal, whose dignity in the face of injustice and trag...

Dark Shadows US Tour Recap

Joanna Lillis, the author of the best-selling Dark Shadows: Inside the Secret World of Kazakhstan , has completed her successful tour of the USA following the book's North American publication on 30 January. Dark Shadows arrives in the Big Apple! Here we publish links to videos of two events, so you can watch on catch-up if you missed them on the day. Joanna Lillis in conversation with Alex Cooley at the Harriman Institute at Columbia University, New York Here’s a link to video of a Q and A with Alex Cooley about Dark Shadows at the Harriman Institute at Columbia University in New York, where you can hear how the book came about and learn more about the diverse, from-the-ground reportage that it contains, if you missed the event on the day. Kazakhstan’s Quest for Identity at the Davis Center for Russian and Eurasian Studies at Harvard University And here’s a link to the author’s presentation...

Dark Shadows on talkRADIO on the Late Late Early Early Show with Paul Ross

Joanna Lillis has been interviewed on talkRADIO about Dark Shadows, which the presenter of the station’s Late Late Early Early Show, Paul Ross described as a “jaw-droppingly good” book that is both “informative” and “heart-breaking”– so if you haven’t got your copy, buy it now! Tell us all about Dark Shadows... You can tune in to the interview at this link – make sure you access the 26 th February episode, click on the 0300-0330 slot and the interview with the author is 14 minutes in.