The German journalist Boris Reitschuster spent a decade and a half in Russia and was the head of the Moscow bureau of the popular publication Focus. In the family of his parents, the famous writer Boris Pasternak enjoyed special love, so they gave the native German a Slavic name. The journalist masterfully mastered the Russian language and said in one of his interviews: "It's good to have two cultures!"
Journalism
Borya was born in 1971. He spent the first half of his biography in his homeland. The young man was educated at the gymnasium in Augsburg. Then, in 1990, he passed the exam for an interpreter at the Moscow University of Economics and Statistics. In 1992, the young correspondent began writing reports from Moscow for German newspapers. He spent the next two years working with the German news agencies in Augsburg and Munich.
In 1999, Boris became the head of the Moscow bureau of the Focus news magazine. On the pages of the weekly, focused on the liberal-conservative-minded part of German society, his articles on Russian reality appeared regularly with the author's comments and his own view of what was happening. Reitschuster has always emphasized that he does not work for publishers. And his reports on the life of the Russian capital are just sketches and small episodes from the life of a single city, whether it be the topic of stampedes in the subway, garbage dumps, or homeless people. Speaking about Russia, he noted that here many positive things have become the norm, and the task of the journalist is to cover what goes beyond these norms.
Books about Russia
Reitschuster's impressions of the life of modern Russian society are reflected in his books. The writer's bibliography comprises five collections.
The result of his journalistic research was the first book "Letters from a Dying Empire", which was published in 1994. This was followed by the works “Vladimir Putin. Where Does He Lead Russia "(2004) and" Putin's Democracy "(2006). The last work was translated into Russian and appeared with a new name "Putinocracy". The book criticizes the Russian political system. According to the author, "Putin's regime" combines the features of democracy and dictatorship. The book gained immense popularity in the author's homeland and was reprinted twice. Another work was published in 2008. The book “New Master in the Kremlin. Dmitry Medvedev”reflected the changes that did not occur at the top of the Russian political Olympus.
The result of the writer's further stay in Russia was the new book “Russian extreme. How I Learned to Love Moscow”(2009). Like the previous works of the author, it was intended for the European reader. Boris quotes the lines of the poet Tyutchev: "The mind cannot understand Russia," and the popular saying: "What is good for a Russian, is death for a German."
How does he live today
In January 2012, Reitschuster decided to return to Germany. In his opinion, Russian society has changed a lot and, experiencing stress, he could no longer stay in this country. After returning to Berlin, the journalist continued his career. Today, numerous media outlets of the two countries invite Boris to hear his assessment of the events taking place in Russia and Germany. Since 2017, on German television, he has hosted the weekly program "PO-RUSSKI with a German accent". Reitschuster is a frequent guest of radio stations, his essays are regularly published on the Internet. The activities of a journalist and writer were highly appreciated by colleagues; at different times he was awarded several honorary professional awards.
Recalling the years he spent in Russia, the journalist tells what impressed him the most in this country: Russian humor, communication and a large number of beautiful women.
