A shocking expose of an extraordinary Siberian criminal underworld

Nicolai Lilin was born in 1981 and grew up in the small republic of Transnistria, which declared its independence in 1990 but has never been recognised. Nicolai left home to fight in the Russian army against the Chechens. He later lived in Ireland, before moving to Italy, where he continues to work as a tattooist in Turin.

With its exhaustive descriptions of ritual and tradition, Siberian Education at times resembles a work of cultural anthropology . . . Lilin has constructed Siberian Education as a Russian nesting doll, with stories unfolding inside of other stories, which yield yet more stories.