 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 |
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.
The book 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. [2]
It was initially slated for a circa 1998 publication, but legal issues meant that the publisher's lawyers delayed the publication. [2]
The authors, within the United States, hosted a book tour. [3]
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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." [4] 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. [5] Natalia Antonova, of the same publication, stated in 2017 that she believed the book "gleefully detailed sexual assault and abuse", reflected "nihilism", and fueled "misogynist caricatures". [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 sexual harassment towards women employees at The eXile. [7] In a Facebook post responding to the controversy, Taibbi apologized for the "cruel and misogynistic language" used in the book, but said the work was conceived as a satire of the "reprehensible" behavior of American expatriates in Russia and that the description of events in the chapter was "fictional and not true". [8] [9] Although the book includes a note saying that it is a work of non-fiction, [10] emails obtained by Paste in 2017 include a representative of the publisher, Grove Press, saying the "statement on the copyright page is incorrect. This book combines exaggerated, invented satire and nonfiction reporting and was categorized as nonfiction because there is no category for a book that is both." [11] Two women portrayed in the book told Paste magazine that none of the sexual harassment portrayed in the book "[ever] happened" and that it was a "ridiculous passage written by Mark". [11] As a result of the controversy, Taibbi canceled some speaking engagements he had. [12]
Christopher John Matthews is an American political commentator, retired talk show host, and author. Matthews hosted his weeknight hour-long talk show, Hardball with Chris Matthews, on America's Talking and later on MSNBC, from 1997 until March 2, 2020. He announced on his final episode that he was retiring, following an accusation that he had made inappropriate comments to a Hardball guest four years earlier. On that occasion, he stated: "The younger generation's out there ready to take the reins. We see them in politics, in media, in fighting for their causes. They're improving the workplace."
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Novaya Gazeta, now Novaya Gazeta Europe, is an independent formerly Russian newspaper--published in Riga, Latvia, since Russia's invasion of Ukraine in 2022. It is known for its critical and investigative coverage of Russian political and social affairs, the horrors of the Chechen war, corruption among the ruling elite, and increasing authoritarianism in Russia. It was formerly published in Moscow until shortly after the war began, in regions within Russia, and in some foreign countries. The print edition is published on Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays; English-language articles on the website are published on a weekly basis in the form of the Russia, Explained newsletter.
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Natalia Sergeevna Goncharova was a Russian avant-garde artist, painter, costume designer, writer, illustrator, and set designer. Goncharova's lifelong partner was fellow Russian avant-garde artist Mikhail Larionov. She was a founding member of both the Jack of Diamonds (1909–1911), Moscow's first radical independent exhibiting group, the more radical Donkey's Tail (1912–1913), and with Larionov invented Rayonism (1912–1914). She was also a member of the German-based art movement Der Blaue Reiter. Born in Russia, she moved to Paris in 1921 and lived there until her death.
Mark Ames is a New York-based American journalist. He was the editor of the biweekly the eXile in Moscow, from its founding in 1997 until its closure in 2008. Ames has also written for the New York Press, PandoDaily, The Nation, Playboy, The San Jose Mercury News, Alternet, Птюч Connection, GQ, and is the author of three books. He co-hosts the podcast Radio War Nerd along with John Dolan.
The eXile was a Moscow-based English-language biweekly free tabloid newspaper, aimed at the city's expatriate community, which combined outrageous, sometimes satirical, content with investigative reporting. In October 2006, co-editor Jake Rudnitsky summarized The eXile's editorial policy to The Independent: "We shit on everybody equally." The eXile is now published in an online-only format.
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The book's publication was held up by Grove Press's lawyers for two years.