The Rise and Fall of Turkmen Boschie

In 2006, when New Yorker writer Paul Theroux visited Turkmenistan, the people of the country had just spontaneously declared their leader than national prophet. A common image showed him chin on hand, squinting an insincere bonhomie,. like a lounge singer, a heavy drinker and a bully. He claimed his love of smiles had been inspired by his sainted mother.