Moscow Days: Life and Hard Times in the New Russia

Moscow journalist Dutkina will elicit gasps with her observation that the ``Evil Empire'' was ``a great empire that gave its inhabitants a sense of national pride.'' Yet, although she does not yearn for communism, neither does she countenance capitalism, which has plummeted 25% of Russians into poverty, with food costs consuming between 40% and 60% of family budgets. Imported luxury goods dominate the marketplace, and Russians are in a buying frenzy because, according to Dutkina, they fear the abundance could soon disappear. She depicts a nation of layabouts and shysters: ``Half of Russia is selling, half is buying; nobody is producing.'' In Dutkina's scenario, lotteries, TV game shows and the stock market have enslaved the public with promises of easy riches. Prostitution and crime are expanding; so are religious cults. In summing up the new Russia, Dutkina quotes Tolstoy: ``Everything had gone wrong in the Oblonsky household.'' The despairing economic picture she presents will be familiar to readers who follow Russian events, but, contrary to the dour Dutkina, it's no secret that the command economy was also inequitable. (Feb.)