Culture | Understanding Russia’s president

Writers have grappled with Vladimir Putin for two decades

Greyness, greed and grievance have been the dominant themes

This article is part of our Summer reads series. Visit the full collection for book lists, guest essays and more seasonal distractions.

This article appeared in the Culture section of the print edition under the headline “Greyness, greed and grievance”

Power play: The new age of energy and security

From the March 26th 2022 edition

Discover stories from this section and more in the list of contents

Explore the edition

More from Culture

Illustration of an eye in which a magazine cover has replaced the pupil in the middle of the iris

Design an Economist cover

Test your design skills

Theatre audience standing in formal attire, applauding.

Ovation inflation has spread from Broadway to London’s West End

Why do dud plays get standing ovations?


Christ and the Loving Soul, Illustration from Simon Critchley On Misticism

Are mystics kooks or valuable disrupters?

A realist’s refreshing take on mysticism


Sex and Snow White: how Grimm should children’s books be?

The German authors suggest very, but today trends run the opposite way

Jimmy Lai’s trial is a headline-worthy example of injustice

A new biography aims to keep the public’s attention on the pro-democracy tycoon