It was 2007. I knew that it was, I although nobody said so. They came for me in my hotel room and took me down to the car. Putin was in the back. It was like a room. He half stood and reached out to shake hands.
"Vladimir Vladimirovich."
"Christian Karlson." "Sorry not much English," he said.
"Sorry no Russian at all," I replied.
For the five minutes it took to drive to the Marriott Aurora he continued to hold my hand. When it came in sight, he gave an order to the driver and we veered off into the streets behind the hotel. We stopped and it was as if we were in a city ruined by bombing. Outside the temperature must have been 20 below and the puddles were ice. I was shown a narrow and very steep stone stairway. "You can climb?" Putin asked, pointing ahead.
"I can," I said, as I could back then, effortlessly.
So we made our way up in a single line, Vladimir Vladimirovich, Christian Karlson, and two bodyguards. A sort of landing took us indoors and up a dark stairwell with green walls and marble steps. At the top huge double doors opened on what in a moment of carelessness I might have called "a glittering scene", all the men in formal attire, the women in ball-gowns with jewels. I checked myself - bow tie, cummerbund, gold cuff-links, shiny shoes - yes, it was all in order.
"So where are we?" I asked.
Putin didn't answer that. "You know one another," he said, pointing to Tom Stoppard in the crowd. Stoppard was tall and dashing, with that great head of curls I had always envied. He must have been well past 60 but looked much younger. He was smoking of course, a habit that was frowned on and going out of fashion in the West but not in Moscow, and never with Tom.
Denne historien er fra May 28 - June 3, 2022-utgaven av New Zealand Listener.
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Denne historien er fra May 28 - June 3, 2022-utgaven av New Zealand Listener.
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First-world problem
Harrowing tales of migrants attempting to enter the US highlight the political failure to fully tackle the problem.
Applying intelligence to AI
I call it the 'Terminator Effect', based on the premise that thinking machines took over the world.
Nazism rears its head
Smirky Höcke, with his penchant for waving with a suspiciously straight elbow and an open palm, won't get to be boss of either state.
Staying ahead of the game
Will the brave new world of bipartisanship that seems to be on offer with an Infrastructure Commission come to fruition?
Grasping the nettle
Broccoli is horrible. It smells, when being cooked, like cat pee.
Hangry? Eat breakfast
People who don't break their fast first thing in the morning report the least life satisfaction.
Chemical reaction
Nitrates in processed meats are well known to cause harm, but consumed from plant sources, their effect is quite different.
Me and my guitar
Australian guitarist Karin Schaupp sticks to the familiar for her Dunedin concerts.
Time is on my side
Age does not weary some of our much-loved musicians but what keeps them on the road?
The kids are not alright
Nuanced account details how China's blessed generation has been replaced by one consumed by fear and hopelessness.