Léa Todorov

Set in 1900, Lili d’Alengy, a Parisian cocotte at the height of her fame, flees Paris to hide her “idiot” daughter. There she meets Maria Montessori, who is pioneering a teaching method that may help the child.

Russia 2012, year of Putin’s re-election. For the first time in 15 years, the population is rising up for political change, starting with the 20-somethings who make up the National Bolshevik Party. Their guru: Eduard Limonov –punk poet turned radical leader. Zhenia, Marat, Anya, Shuka and Tvorog come from the provinces of a country destroyed by authoritarianism and brutal capitalism. With no true political platform, beliefs that flirt with extremism and revolution as their sole religion, they look up to Stalin and Robespierre, Gandhi and the Che. Galvanised by the stories of their patriotic idols, they have chosen to live like revolutionary heroes.