The Last Soviet Artist

by Victoria Lomasko

Genres: Comics, Graphic Novels, Nonfiction

320 pages, Paperback

Published May 6, 2025

Reviews

[Margo Roosen · Rating 5 out of 5]

100% het beste wat ik dit jaar las. En de film adaptatie, “Tree of Violence” is ook zo enorm impactvol en pakkend!! Het was zo speciaal om deze mee te kunnen pikken samen met de regisseur van het hele project, en dan te beseffen dat dit een belgische productie is!!! Kijk zo hard uit naar de Engelse vertaling van het werk, sta als eerste in de rij voor een kopie. Russische literatuur was één van de fijnste en meest leerrijke vakken ooit. Thanks a million, professor Boulogne <3

[RMNT · Rating 5 out of 5]

Beautiful and candid depictions of the people she met during her travels to old soviet countries. Tragic to see the human and economic ruins in some of these places. But also illuminating to see how these cultures have evolved and responded differently to the post-soviet world. Men in these countries seem to still be the guardians of an oppressive culture and have a lot of work to do.

[Will Bangs · Rating 4 out of 5]

“Geopolitical games that operate on the basis of clear distinctions between good nationalities and bad nationalities cannot lead anywhere healthy. But the idea of a single humanity composed of unique individuals is a pledge towards collective progress.”

Great read/anniversary gift from Sarah! Starts as a roadtrip across the former Soviet Republics and ends in the eye of the storm looking at a modern Russia at war. I liked it a lot!

[RYAN PHAM · Rating 5 out of 5]

My gosh! This book maybe was better than her previous book Other Russias.

It tries to have more or less the same format but this time, it takes a more international approach. It explored the divides in civil society that emerged in the post-Soviet states after being closed off for 50 years and dealing with all the societal updates that have been brewing in the West for all that time. She travels to the big post-Soviet states and manages to explore Central Asia, the Caucasus region of Russia, and even Belarus. She tries to see how each region reacts to LGBTQ people as well. As the book closes, it focuses more inward on Russian society. Then all of a sudden, the book turns autobiographical. The Russo-Ukrainian War then forces Joe Sacco to make a cameo and take over the narration, which was a new experience reading something that changed art style mid-way into a book. Wow! I can't believe that she lost all her art materials and her method of self-expression during that flight from Russia.

[Valery · Rating 5 out of 5]

Picked this up from the library just based on the description alone. The whole book is great, but the last couple of chapters definitely gave me a lot to think about. Lomasko’s experiences and words show why, in the age in where we are aware of various conflicts thanks to the internet, it’s important to not assume that all of the countries’ citizens are blood thirsty barbarians who agree with their governments’ actions. It’s super easy to get swept up with the outrage that we forget that there are innocent civilians who also do want the conflict/war to end.

[Robert Watson · Rating 3 out of 5]

This work of non- fiction combines observations and drawings by Victoria Lomasko. The writing is bland and descriptive without much reflection or insight from the author. The repressive totalitarian regime under Putin effectively suppresses all protest and threatens incarceration for expressing opposition to the war in Ukraine. The last section describes her fleeing from Russia and the difficulties she faces in Europe as a result of her nationality.

[Eva Helena · Rating 5 out of 5]

I read fragments for my class on Russian literature and I immediately added this book to my TBR 'cause I want to read all of it!! I also watched the documentary 'Tree of Violence' which was so immensely powerful, honestly I still feel it deep in my heart. One quote from the documentary that stuck with me was "white flags of propaganda covering everything and concealing reality", that hits hard.

[Ronda Canary · Rating 4 out of 5]

I liked the peak into some of the lesser known former Soviet states.