The Flying Elephant: Memoirs of an Olympic Champion is the English-language memoir of Alexander Savin, a two-time Olympic medalist and one of the most respected middle blockers in volleyball history.
Published as a Kindle edition, the book brings a firsthand account of Soviet-era volleyball to English-speaking readers for the first time, translated as a family project rather than a traditional publishing deal.
What The Flying Elephant: Memoirs of an Olympic Champion Actually Is
The book is Alexander Savin’s personal account of his volleyball career, spanning his rise through the Soviet sports system to his Olympic achievements and eventual move into coaching. Unlike a conventional sports biography written by an outside author, this is a memoir in his own voice, credited directly to Savin himself as the author.
The Kindle listing describes the book as featuring more than 240 photographs pulled from private family collections and public archives, spanning five decades of volleyball history.
That photographic record includes training camps, Olympic competitions, championship matches, and personal moments with teammates, which sets it apart from a text-only autobiography.
Who Alexander Savin Actually Is
Alexander Savin is a real, well-documented figure in Olympic history rather than an unfamiliar name attached to the book after the fact. Born in 1957, he represented the Soviet Union as a volleyball player, winning a silver medal at the 1976 Montreal Olympics and a gold medal at the 1980 Moscow Olympics.
He’s recognized as a member of the International Volleyball Hall of Fame and is widely regarded as one of the strongest middle blockers the sport has produced.
His playing career included time with CSKA Moscow, one of the most successful volleyball clubs of the Soviet era, giving him a firsthand view of the training system that shaped an entire generation of national team players.
That background is what gives the memoir its specific value: it’s an insider account of a sports program that produced repeated international success during a period when Western readers had limited access to that world.
How the English Translation Came Together
The English edition exists because of a family-led translation effort rather than a mainstream publishing house picking up the project. Andrei Savine, credited as both editor and translator, and Julia Savine, credited as editor, worked on bringing the memoir into English, with Alfredo Cabero credited as an additional translator.
Peter Murphy contributed the book’s introduction.
That family involvement helps explain why the book reads as a personal project rather than a heavily polished commercial release. It also means the memoir likely retains more of Savin’s own voice and phrasing than a ghostwritten or heavily edited sports autobiography typically would.
What Readers Can Expect Inside
Based on its own listing description, the memoir moves beyond a simple record of wins and losses. Savin reflects on mentors, teammates, and other players from his era who he felt had been overlooked by history, giving the book a tone that leans toward tribute and reflection rather than pure celebration of his own accomplishments.
The heavy use of rare photography also positions this as a visual archive as much as a written narrative, appealing to readers interested in the look and feel of Soviet-era volleyball rather than just the competitive results.
For readers with a specific interest in Cold War-era sports programs, that combination of firsthand narrative and archival imagery is relatively uncommon in English-language sports literature.
Format and Where to Find It
The Flying Elephant: Memoirs of an Olympic Champion is available as a Kindle edition through Amazon, and it’s included in Kindle Unlimited in some regions, though availability can vary by country, so it’s worth checking eligibility before assuming free access.
As a digital release, it includes standard Kindle features like adjustable text size, bookmarking, and cross-device syncing.
Given the photo-heavy format, reading it on a larger screen, a tablet or computer rather than a small phone display, will likely make the visual material easier to appreciate than a standard e-ink Kindle device would.
Who This Memoir Is Really For
This book will appeal most directly to volleyball fans and sports historians with a specific interest in the Soviet Union’s international dominance during the 1970s and 80s, since that specialized subject matter is central to the memoir rather than a backdrop for a more general inspirational story.
Readers interested in Olympic history more broadly, or in athlete memoirs that emphasize teamwork and mentorship over individual glory, are also a reasonable fit.
It’s a narrower read than a mainstream celebrity sports memoir, and that’s arguably its strength: it offers a documented, firsthand perspective on a specific era of sports history that few other English-language books cover in this much personal and visual detail.
FAQs
Who wrote The Flying Elephant: Memoirs of an Olympic Champion?
Alexander Savin, a Soviet Olympic volleyball player who won silver in 1976 and gold in 1980, wrote the memoir himself.
Is this book available in English?
Yes, it was translated into English as a family project led by Andrei Savine, Savin’s brother, along with translator Alfredo Cabero.
What sport did Alexander Savin compete in?
Savin competed in volleyball, playing as a middle blocker for the Soviet Union national team and CSKA Moscow.
Is the memoir available on Kindle Unlimited?
In some regions, yes, though eligibility varies by country, so it’s worth checking your Amazon account before assuming free access.
Does the book include photographs?
Yes, the listing describes more than 240 rare photographs from private and public archives spanning roughly five decades of volleyball history.
Is Alexander Savin in the Volleyball Hall of Fame?
Yes, he’s recognized as a member of the International Volleyball Hall of Fame.
