By the age of six, Nicolai Lilin had been given his first 'pike knife' by an uncle, and by the age of twelve, he had been convicted of attempted murder . . .

Nicolai Lilin gained his 'education' as a member of the Siberian Urkas - a small and tight-knit community of 'honest criminals' in a forgotten corner of Eastern Europe . . .

Siberian Education is his tale of an extreme childhood - exotic, violent and completely unique.

Translated by: Jonathan Hunt