Azerbaijan Diary: A Rogue Reporter's Adventures in an Oil-Rich, War-Torn, Post-Soviet Republic [Paperback]

Thomas Goltz (Author)

Editorial Reviews

From Library Journal

Azerbaijan is surely among the most complex of Soviet successor states, save Russia itself. Goltz enjoys the distinction of being probably the only Western correspondent whose personal courage and linguistic skill made possible this unique witness to the country's first years of independence. He takes us from his "illegal" entry during the last phase of Soviet rule through accession of former KGB chief and Azeri President Heydar Aliyev. As sheer adventure, the account stands by itself as compelling reading, but the scholarly minded will benefit as Goltz moves from the poverty of postindependence Baku through the chaotic war involving Armenia and the "Black Garden" of Nagorno-Karabakh. Excursions to Tashkent, Teheran, and Grozny add perspective with emerging Turkish-Iranian rivalry for influence. But the book's crowning feature is the author's interviews with the republic's three presidents and the reemergence of the opposition "Popular Front" against Aliyev. Highly recommended for both public and academic libraries.?Zachary T. Irwin, Pennsylvania State Univ. Erie
Copyright 1998 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to the Hardcover edition.

Review

This Hunter-Thompson-like testimony cries out for an editor. But it includes much compelling reporting from this republic on the southern edge of the old Soviet Union ... a gritty blow-by-blow view from ground level. For anyone trying to get a true feel for Azerbaijan's crucial, underreported and anarchic first years of independence, the best sections look like classic reads for decades to come. -- The Wall Street Journal, Hugh Pope --This text refers to the Hardcover edition.

Product Details

• Paperback: 496 pages
• Publisher: M.E. Sharpe; New edition edition (January 1998)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 076560244X
• ISBN-13: 978-0765602442
• Product Dimensions: 9 x 6 x 1.5 inches
• Shipping Weight: 4.6 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 3.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (48 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,041,311 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

21 of 23 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Eyewitness reporting of the post-Soviet aftermath, October 25, 2003

By 

Mike Christie (Austin, TX USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Azerbaijan Diary: A Rogue Reporter's Adventures in an Oil-rich, War-torn Post-Soviet Republic (Hardcover)

Thomas Goltz spent six years as a reporter in and around Azerbaijan, starting in 1991. He saw the collapse of the USSR and the start of the Armenian-Azerbaijani conflict, and filed many war-zone reports. The result is fascinating, though a little uneven in places: Goltz is a fine war reporter, but not the best historiographer in the world.

Despite the title, the book is not quite a diary, although there is a good detail of day-to-day detail about life in Azerbaijan (he spent most of his time in Baku). The book's two main foci are the political history of Azerbaijan during this period, and the conflict with Armenia. The political history is done very well -- Goltz introduces a large cast, keeps them fairly distinct, and through his personal acquaintance with almost all of them brings them to life. It's clear that Goltz acquired a good deal of affection for the Azerbaijanis, and he is enraged by the corruption and indifference of many of the Azerbaijan political class. When, in the end, the old Soviet-era fox Heydar Aliyev wins power and actually gets the Caspian oil (and concomitant money) to flow via deals with international oil companies, Goltz is grudgingly respectful -- Aliyev may be lying about his democratic credentials, but he did achieve some benefit to Azerbaijan, which is more than most of his predecessors did.

As I said, Goltz is fond of the Azerbaijanis, and this does come through in his reporting of the war, which as a result feels a little less even-handed. There's no doubt about the accuracy of his central complaint, often-repeated: that the Armenians, apparently with Russian help, were directly involved in the Karabakh conflict, despite all their claims that it was mere "volunteerism"; and that the media has generally been much kinder to the Armenians than they deserve. He is also scathing about the Azerbaijan military's incompetence and corruption; and he finds the time to make positive comments about Armenia, though he spent relatively little time there. Still, he is pro-Azeri, and it occasionally shows.

The blurb urges you to read this for the adventure if you're not interested in the politics or history, and there are certainly some scary moments as Goltz barely makes it out of some of the more dangerous places alive. But I can't recommend it for that alone. If you like politics and history, this is a great source on Azerbaijan in the 90's; it's not great writing but it's interesting and has details you won't find anywhere else.

8 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars adventures from the crumbing edges of the Soviet Empire, May 4, 2002

By 

Art (Virginia, USA) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)   

This review is from: Azerbaijan Diary: A Rogue Reporter's Adventures in an Oil-rich, War-torn Post-Soviet Republic (Hardcover)

Gotlz was on the front line of a nasty little war that few in the West took much notice of. His time in Azerbaijan got him a front row seat to the crumbling edges of the Soviet empire. The author describes well how chaotic modern war can be. Since he was one of the few Americans in Azerbaijan at the time, since the oil boom had yet to begin, he stuck up relationships with many characters that go on to rule Azerbaijan. Ten years after the fact the combat writing holds up well, but the political chapters have not. The author does not seem to hide that he is pro-Azeri. You can sense his rage as he tries unsuccessfully to get anybody in the Western media to care about the war. A good editor could have chopped this book down by a third and made it a better read. Azeri's love the book, Armenians hate it, but what would you expect.

5 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Captivating, informative, disturbing., May 25, 1999

By A Customer

This review is from: Azerbaijan Diary: A Rogue Reporter's Adventures in an Oil-rich, War-torn Post-Soviet Republic (Hardcover)

There are few heroes in Thomas Goltz's story of Azerbaijan's difficult birthing process, and his in-your-face record of the history of the new republic reveals much of the darker side of the human soul including, occasionally, his own. By his own description, Goltz doesn't suffer fools and - in his passionate, near obsessive pursuit of a truth that no one else seems to either see nor to care about - is an 'equal opportunity offender', nipping at the heels ( and other parts of the anatomy ) of Azeris, Armenians, Turks, Iranians,Russians and Americans, oil men, fellow journalists and his own editors.

Azerbaijan Diary succeeds as history, as analysis, as adventure. It should be required reading for politicians and policy makers, academics, oil executives and any young would-be journalists who wonder whether there are still any fact-driven , swashbuckling hacks out there in this largely electronic media age of underinformed talking heads. Meanwhile, Goltz should go wherever journalistic pit bulls go for a break and let someone turn this excellent book into a film script.