PSYCHOLOGY OF THE
(NEW) RICH
—
A MANIFESTO FOR CHANGE
TO THE NEW GENERATIONS
2nd edition
PSYCHOLOGY OF THE
A MANIFESTO FOR CHANGE
PSYCHOLOGY OF THE
(NEW) RICH
—
A MANIFESTO FOR CHANGE
TO THE NEW GENERATIONS
2nd edition
AN ESSAY FOR THE GENERAL PUBLIC
BASED ON TRUE EVENTS
Historically, the word “rich” is the common noun of a duality: opposite views circulate in the collective consciousness — admiration and envy, veneration and loathing — about this minority of our society that few people really know from the inside.
Having been initiated into that microcosm, Anton Malafeev delivers here a psychosociological portrait of the rich and the new rich through more than a dozen adventures he lived through, told as a vivid narrative. These real events come with reflections on wealth as such and on its supremacy in human society since the dawn of time.
Everyone, without exception, will recognize themselves in it and will be all but forced to question a good many things: 5 social classes instead of the usual 3; the flip sides of “westernized” society, interspersed with analyses, figures and historical explanations.
The difference between the rich and the new rich is only a detail here. Starting from the observation that humanity has set up a system unsuited to its own nature, the second part leads to a solution meant to reverse the main black hole of our social organization — the endless accumulation of capital by a minority.
This atypical book is for young people, their parents and grandparents, business owners, the poor and the (very) rich.
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In reference to the book
THE CROWD: A STUDY OF THE POPULAR MIND (Gustave Le Bon, 1895)
one of the ancestors of social psychology and sociology
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READER REVIEWS
A brilliant professor and author! I highly recommend him.
Mr. Malafeev presents us here with a book of rare quality, both in the relevance of its content and in the originality of its approach.
This book challenges our preconceptions and makes us question ourselves, leading us to discover just as much within ourselves!
★★★★★ LINKEDIN An uncommon kind of book
There are all sorts of books. This one belongs to an uncommon genre. It is as interesting for the ideas it puts forward as for the approach it embodies. It offers an unusual closeness to the subject under study and makes you think and question yourself about the impact of themes such as our relationship to money, to the superfluous, to the extra-ordinary. Every term calls for a definition that is more relative than absolute.
I enjoyed it a great deal in the tradition of autoethnography, a genre far too little known and far too little used. There’s a lot to say about it; the best thing is to read it.
★★★★★ LIBRINOVA Astonishing
It’s astonishing. The narrative and the analysis fit together like a puzzle all the way through the book. It’s the first time I’ve come across a structure built in such a surprising way. I’m Russian myself. And I can say that the analyses and explanations about Russians given in the book are pretty accurate. And their quantity and quality weigh heavily in the book’s favor. I even learned a few things. Although it has to be said that the offbeat, subtle and atypical angle of the analyses is in itself enough to teach you and make you understand a great deal. His sociological and societal thinking, for those who know the author’s blog, is at its peak here. Real reflection! And on top of that, accessible to everyone. A genuine treat!
★★★★★ LIBRINOVA Communism and capitalism back to back
Behind the wheel of his chauffeur-driven luxury car, the author takes us for a ride through the wealthy western side of Paris in the company of new rich — and not only them… The narrator is obviously not there to serve up yet another sensationalist, clickbait TV report on Russia’s new billionaires and their excesses. He goes further than that.
While remaining professional, he observes, analyzes, classifies, compares, categorizes… The back seat doubles as a couch or a dissection table, the passengers being far too busy putting on haughty, contemptuous airs to realize they are objects of study. As Blondie said to Tuco in The Good, the Bad and the Ugly: “You’ll always be the big peasant you are.”
The well-referenced insertion of sociological, historical and economic passages comes at exactly the right moment and works particularly well within a narrative full of humor; little by little we are being prepared for the author’s proposal. Far from provoking jealousy or envy, in the course of the story you even feel embarrassed for these people loaded with cash yet incapable of enjoying life — uncultured bourgeois, tasteless new rich (“what if we put in some gold and marble?”). Isn’t real wealth rather a matter of fulfilling yourself, of achieving something on a personal level? On the other hand, you share the narrator’s disgust at the unspeakable waste and the hubris generated by this whole microcosm of Paris’s golden triangle. To which the writer’s ethics and humanity respond with a plea for temperance and moderation.
He refuses to take sides between communism and capitalism. From a philosophical and moral standpoint, too much is the enemy of what is right. In mythology, the temptation of excess, of rivaling the Greek gods, earned you terrible punishments from them — a lightning bolt, for instance. Anton MALAFEEV proposes another solution, one that deserves to be debated in the details of its application. And if it isn’t applied today, it will look obvious to future generations. Worth reading.
★★★★★ LIBRINOVA As a lawyer, I find his analysis spot on
Anton MALAFEEV paints a portrait of the new rich, and of the “apparatchiks” in particular. He highlights the societal and environmental value of the concrete solutions he puts forward. He also demonstrates that donations of money, especially from the wealthiest, to various causes are today more than indispensable and yet insufficient. As a lawyer with a double degree in economics and law, I find his analysis spot on.
★★★★☆ AMAZON Moving from one state of consciousness to another
Here the author shares his personal experiences and his point of view as an expatriate. Anyone who has spent time around the “new” rich will recognize the picture. This essay can lead us to think about the meaning of profusion and of contempt.
That said, the author always keeps his nuances: this is not about praising the merits of a fallen communism, and rightly so. Nor is it about bashing the wealthiest. It would be more a matter of moving from one state of consciousness to another, one leaning toward more justice and more harmony. An ambitious program from an author who deserves our attention.
★★★★★ FNAC A surprising book
A first part full of humor, a little cutting and ironic, very enjoyable. The absurdity of the behaviors, handled with the author’s detachment, amplifies that comic note. But it also brings you to reflect on deeper subjects. A second part that is rather dark and realistic, even depressing, given the diagnosis of a society that is certainly sick, but counterbalanced by an optimistic and innovative approach that makes you think and bounce back.
The choice to use several angles of analysis from different fields (scientific and historical) makes for a rich read.
★★★★★ AMAZON A real pleasure to read
The first part is hilarious and hugely entertaining. Anton Malafeev tells us his story as a young Russian freshly landed in Paris and rubbing shoulders with the very wealthy.
In the second part, the author tries to push us into thinking about wealth gaps that defy comprehension. The tone is harsh at times, but the book is well worth it.
★★★★★ AMAZON Deserves a wide readership
An excellent analysis by this French-Russian author who draws on his own experience, recounts it with a humor all his own, and leads the reader to wonder about the importance of money and what kind of society he wants to live in. Without hesitation, I recommend this book, and I’d even suggest putting it in front of students: a great philosophy topic!
In fact, I passed it on to my father, a man of 80, who goes further and thinks this book should be read by as many people as possible. Good luck to this book, it’s well worth the read.
★★★★★ AMAZON A little gem!
This essay is a little gem: funny, thoroughly topical and, above all, it leads to some individual and collective soul-searching. A great moment of positive reflection on the question of wealth and poverty, with no bias and no prejudice. One for your bookshelf.
★★★★★ LIBRINOVA A fine piece of work
The first part takes us, with a lot of humor, through anecdotes the author lived through himself. They bring out social and cross-cultural differences that carry us into the second part. There we find an argument that is simply watertight, and that opens onto some fine prospects for the future.
★★★★★ LIBRINOVA Breathtakingly real
Given my line of work, this book is breathtakingly realistic. Pure joy…
Its relevance is beyond doubt, the story is funny at times, in short, you have to read it.
★★★★★ LIBRINOVA Makes you think about many aspects of our society
A great find, and a very timely read. In a world where everything is “going to shit”, an honest, pragmatic point of view.
First drawn in by the first part, packed with anecdotes each more interesting than the last, where you get to see behind the scenes of a world hidden from most people, I was surprised by how good this book is at making you think about so many aspects of our society. The author juggles skillfully between juicy real-life facts and sensible analysis. In doing so, he makes a subject that is anything but easy easy to understand.
In short, you discover, you think, you question, you laugh too… And you realize. Read it!
★★★★★ LIBRINOVA Timely, and it opens the debate on the world of tomorrow
A timely book that opens the debate on the world of tomorrow. Read it!
★★★★★ AMAZON A golden apple, what a metaphor!
The narrator, a private chauffeur, uses his own hands-on experience to give us an interesting psychological take on how an oligarchic minority behaves. He sketches the portraits of his clients with a streak of humor.
The reissue, with a “golden apple” on the cover, is a fine metaphor. An airy, concise style of writing lays bare the relationship the very wealthy have with an employee who is a stranger to their high-society circle. Excess is their madness!
An author to keep an eye on and a book to read or reread, if you want to understand the mindset of this ultra-rich class.
★★★★★ AMAZON A very interesting and instructive book
Short, well-written chapters recount episodes from the author’s life that show how the ultra-rich reason in our society. Through all these anecdotes, the author shares his thinking on, among other things, the huge importance we attach to piling up possessions and always having more money. Chapter after chapter, he develops his ideas and leads us to ask how the whole workings of the global economy could be made more ethical, fairer for the majority of us.
I recommend it.
★★★★★ AMAZON Essential to any thinking about how our world works
A fine take on what’s broken in our society. The author’s adventures make this book a real pleasure to read. And his polished language adds to the richness of the content. The description says this book is not fictionalized. Indeed, it rests on real facts, references included, and on stories the author lived through himself. All of which makes for smooth reading.
The new rich are taken apart with humor. A noble idea is skillfully put forward to pull our society out of its self-destruction. A solution at a time when the future looks so dark, yet everything is still possible. A great book, carrying a seed worth planting in every head.
★★★★★ KOBO A very dense and interesting analysis!
This is probably the first time I’ve read a book by an author who isn’t a historian or a diplomat (those are my usual subjects). I don’t buy books at random, or for their cover. But I’d been following Anton on his blog and his YouTube channel for a few years. And as soon as I heard about his book…
His book is the result of research and of thinking well backed up by contemporary authors and by a range of philosophers, which really adds value to this comparative analysis. The book brings several sciences together. And it was fascinating to watch this crossover of sociology, psychology, history and economics handled so lightly and fluidly! Your attention is held, incredibly, from start to finish. That approach gives the book both density and quality.
The author’s good sense of humor was also so spot-on in the anecdotes describing the “new rich”, Russians in particular, that I had some very good laughs. I recognized myself in certain passages, because as a student I too did odd jobs in service, where you learn an enormous amount about our society. As a Russian, I was also glad to see the author’s “ecological responsibility” side and the way he writes about it…
In short! Anton, I wish you all the best in your work as a contemporary writer, and I can’t wait to read your next book!
★★★★★ AMAZON Funny, staggering and serious all at once
Beyond the author’s psychological dissection, what comes through in this book is experience and an empirical approach.
The author manages to step back and analyze the absurd behavior he observed, and to deliver a well-supported, scathing analysis of the irrationality and arrogance of his former clients, intellectually idle as they were.
A read to be lived in “storytelling” mode…
★★★★★ LIBRINOVA Original and gripping!
The book is funny, playful and packed with hard-hitting psychological, economic and philosophical analyses of the new rich and their relationship with money.
I enjoyed reading it, not least because the author, Russian by birth, has a more than remarkable command of the French language, in the richness of his vocabulary and semantics of course, but also of the many philosophical, psychological and economic concepts he uses so effectively to tell his personal story as an expatriate in France. Which makes it an original and gripping narrative.
Very enjoyable and satisfying, like a big chocolate cake I took my time savoring! I’m impatiently waiting for the next one…
★★★★★ GOODREADS Argument and humor
To be read and read again, the book is that rich. Several very relevant subjects to think about regarding today’s world. Argument and humor are both there, which makes the book a pleasure from beginning to end. All my encouragement to this author, who looks very promising.
★★★★★ AMAZON Reads like a novel, with incredible characters and plots
A pretty interesting read, in which the author describes, with a lot of humor and wit, his encounters with a category of people known as the “new rich”. I enjoyed this part of the book, which is a genuine first-hand account, but which can be read like a novel with incredible characters and plots. A few other chapters are devoted to the author’s economic and political thinking. His analysis, surprising as it is, is interesting and quite well documented. Overall a very enjoyable book, and one that makes you think.
★★★★★ KOBO Original, interesting, very well written
I read somewhere, from the author himself, that he can’t draw, but when I read the descriptions in his book, I can “see” what he’s talking about. It really takes some doing: unable to draw with a pencil, but drawing with words! On top of that, the analyses are clear and well argued. He makes you think through satire and offers a concrete, optimistic solution. Highly recommended!
★★★★★ LIBRINOVA Edifying
I find the thinking both timely and interesting. The narrative teaches you something through the real events the author lived through, most of them comical and astonishing situations. Plenty of figures and relevant comparisons. His idea, which may look utopian at first glance, strikes me as lucid and entirely feasible once you’ve followed his reasoning. In short, a book worth the effort.