Stuart Bradford spent 32 years working in the energy industry, a career that included many different expatriations. His family were essential companions in all this globe-trotting – always ready to try new experiences, and in the case of his wife, manage the logistics of the move. The two postings that made the most impact on the family were the ones in Moscow, over 2008-9 and 2013-19, a time that saw the steady deterioration of Russia’s relations with the West.
Stuart’s writing career came late and started when he took over responsibility for the family’s travel blog Trouspinet Travels (www.trouspinettravels.com), written from the perspective of our teddy bear Trouspinet.
Encouraged by feedback about the blog, he embarked on the full-scale novel Caviar, Vodka and Tears, later translating it himself into Russian. The book draws on his personal and professional experiences over seven and half years of living in Russia, during which he became fluent in the language, made friends from all walks of life, and had many uniquely Russian adventures – including being baptised under the ice of the Moscow River, fleeing a forest fire in Siberia and being forced to ride a horse around St Isaac’s Cathedral in St Petersburg at 2am.
At work, Stuart met with many of the CEOs of Russia’s energy sector and could observe first-hand how Putin’s increasingly suspicious view of the West transmitted itself to the thinking of his trusted lieutenants – making it harder and harder for western firms to do business. He wrote Caviar, Vodka and Tears to record the many good, as well as the bad, aspects of Russia and its people, with a hope that better understanding will one day lead to better relations.
Caviar, Vodka and Tears 