The Wizard of the Kremlin is a fictionalised account inspired by a real person, one of Vladimir Putin’s most important advisors who is thought to be responsible for much of the strategy behind Putin’s rise to power in Russia. 

In da Empoli’s novel, the unnamed narrator - a student doing some research on Yevgeny Zamyatin - is travelling in Moscow when he is invited to meet the enigmatic Vadim Baranov. Putin’s right hand man and head of propaganda, Baranov is a master of theatre and performance. He knows exactly how to spin a story, how to control the narrative, and how to build an empire. He has recently retired and retreated from the public eye. And while he scoffs at the idea of writing his memoirs, Baranov shares his story with the narrator. Starting in Soviet era Russia, Baranov draws back the curtain on the truth of power and democracy, the role of technology and propaganda in Vladimir Putin’s rise to power, and the events and decisions that established Russian politics as we know them today.

Giuliano da Empoli is an Italian-Swiss political scientist, who was once a senior advisor to the Italian Prime Minister Matteo Renzi, and is now a professor at Sciences Po in Paris. The book has been translated into 36 languages, and has a been made into a film which premiered at the 2025 Venice film festival. 

Books Mentioned: 

The Wizard of the Kremlin - Giuliano da Empoli

The Hour of the Predator - Giuliano da Empoli

At Night All Blood is Black - David Diop

Strange Houses - Uketsu

Our Wild Garden - Daniel Seton, illustrated by Pieter Fannes

Wilding - Isabella Tree

The Wasp Factory - Ian Banks 

The Mask of Dimitrios - Eric Ambler

Sovietistan - Erika Fatland 

Nothing to See Here - Kevin Wilson

Now Is Not the Time to Panic - Kevin Wilson

Guest: Daniel Seton

Producer and Host: Mia Todd

Co-host: Francis Neale 

Editing and Marketing: Hanna Todd 

Originally published in Finnish in 2019, the novel has now been translated into more than 20 languages. It is published by Pushkin Press in the UK and by Restless Books in the US, where it appears under the title Fishing for the Little Pike (is more dangerous than you think). 

In the novel we follow Elina, a young Finnish woman who is cursed. Every summer she returns to her childhood home in Lapland, where she must catch the pike that lives in a nearby pond – or she will die! But this year Elina’s attempt doesn’t quite go to plan. She must race against the clock to defeat the curse, while being followed by a host of strange mythical creatures, and a homicide detective who suspects her of murder. 

Join us as we talk about the quirky, magical world of Juhani’s novel, humour and heartbreak in Lapland, and Juhani’s experience with translation. 

Books Mentioned: 

Summer Fishing in Lapland (is more dangerous than you think)/Fishing for the Little Pike (is more dangerous than you think) by Juhani Karila

The Shining by Stephen King 

Piranesi by Susanna Clarke 

The End of Drum Time by Hanna Pylväinen

The Old Man and the Sea by Ernest Hemingway 

Beasts of the Sea by Iida Turpeinen

Guest: Juhani Karila

Producer and Host: Mia Todd 

Co-host: Francis Neale

Editing and Marketing: Hanna Todd