The Exile: Sex, Drugs, and Libel in the New Russia
The eXile: Sex, Drugs, and Libel in the New Russia is a 2000 memoir by Mark Ames and Matt Taibbi, published by Grove Press. Edward Limonov wrote the foreword.
.png.webp) Cover of first edition | |
| Author | Mark Ames and Matt Taibbi |
|---|---|
| Country | United States |
| Language | English |
| Publisher | Grove Press |
Publication date | March 23, 2000[1] |
| Media type | Print (paperback) |
| Pages | 256 |
| ISBN | 978-0-8021-3652-7 |
| OCLC | 41026579 |
| 077/.31 | |
| LC Class | PN5276 .A82 2000 |
It includes selected articles from the newspaper The eXile, including ones by the editors, from the publication's first year of operation, as well as correspondence involving the publication. It was initially slated for a circa 1998 release, but legal issues meant that the publisher's lawyers delayed the publication.[2]
Release and reception
The authors, within the United States, hosted a book tour.[3]
Owen Matthews of The Moscow Times criticized the book in particular, rather than the derivative publication, because of a lack of focus on the shocking material and too much focus on mundane management issues.[4] Natalia Antonova, of the same publication, stated that she believed the book "gleefully detailed sexual assault and abuse", reflected "nihilism", and fueled "misogynist caricatures".[5]
Publishers Weekly stated that it is "tasteless", reflecting the source material, but that the book and source material "incisively probe contemporary Russian reality--and the expatriate mindset."[6]
On October 25, 2017, National Public Radio (NPR) journalist Robin Young, while attending an event with Taibbi at the Harvard Book Store in Cambridge, Massachusetts, made an inquiry over some sections of the book allegedly describing behavior that is demeaning or negative towards women. Taibbi responded on Facebook saying that some material was exaggeration and humor while there was material that was offensive; hitherto statements, including one in the book itself, described events as nonfiction.[7] As a result of the controversy, Taibbi canceled some speaking engagements he had.[8]
Legacy
A movie based on the book is under development by producers Ted Hope and James Schamus of Good Machine.[9]
References
- "The eXile". Grove Atlantic. Retrieved March 25, 2020.
- Bayne, Martha (2000-07-13). "Beast in the East". Chicago Reader. Retrieved 2019-07-31.
The book's publication was held up by Grove Press's lawyers for two years.
- Gurley, George (2000-06-19). "From Russia With Lust". New York Observer. Retrieved 2019-07-31.
- Matthews, Owen (2000-06-24). "The Gonzo Classic That Wasn't ?". The Moscow Times.
- Antonova, Natalia (2017-11-09). "Don't Romanticize Russia's 'Wild' Years (Op-ed)". The Moscow Times. Retrieved 2020-04-19.
- "The Exile: Sex, Drugs, and Libel in the New Russia". Publishers Weekly. 2000-03-27. Retrieved 2019-07-31.
- Levitt, Aimee (2017-10-27). "Twenty years ago, in Moscow, Matt Taibbi was a misogynist asshole—and possibly worse". Chicago Reader. Retrieved 2019-07-31.
- Gingras, Abbey (2017-11-01). "Matt Taibbi's Event at Sidwell Has Been Canceled". Washingtonian. Retrieved 2019-07-31.
- "Search at". Hollywood.com. Retrieved 2011-03-31.