December 5, 2001 Newsletter

Author: Linda DeLaine
Website: RL Online
Department:
Page: 1   ( 1) pages

Summary: The Real Santa, first installment of Soviet Foreign Policy, St. Petersburg photographer Valentin Baranovsky and more.

RUSSIAN LIFE'S
RUSSIAN CULTURE GUIDE NEWSLETTER

By Linda DeLaine, Editor
December 5, 2001

WHAT'S NEW

Thirty years ago, Valentin Baranovsky began to take pictures of both everyday life and major events in his home town. This became a unique one-man artistic project to document three decades of St.Petersburg life. The photographs, to be presented in book form and through exhibitions, date from 1970 to 2000. Valentin is also the official photographer for the Kirov Ballet. His work is featured everywhere from press releases to calendars and souvenir books. The Kirov will present the first of ten annual engagements at the Kennedy Center in Washington, DC, in February 2002.

Read about this superb artist and enjoy several of Valentin's photos from over the years.

IN THE SPOTLIGHT

The Real Santa
Find out how a Bishop from Turkey became the patron saint of Moscow and Santa Claus to the world. Also, Liturgical readings for St. Nicholas' day, Dec. 6.

Leading Russia
Our fifth article in the series 100 Young Russians to Watch introduces 10 more young Russian leaders whose ideas and actions are shaping Russia in the new century. Meet mega-popstar Alsou, a bell maker from Tutaev, an alpinist, an activist, a hockey player, an editor, a jazz musician and more!

Russian Icons
A discussion of this unique spiritual art form with many colorful examples.

The Twelve Chairs
In this installment of our quarterly literary insert, we present an excerpt from a wonderful translation of Ilf & Petrov's Twelve Chairs. On the occasion of the 100th anniversary of Ilf's birthday.

Dead Souls
The serf system in early 19th century Russia and writer, Nikolai Gogol.

Soviet Foreign Policy
First in a series of articles which deal with Soviet foreign policy. In Part One, we make our way through a series of treaties, pacts and secret alliances during the years leading up to WWII and Germany's attack on Russia.

And much more . . .

REGULAR FEATURES

Russian Culture Update
The 2002 Winter Olympics are not far away. Follow your favorite Russian athletes on the road to Olympic gold. As always, this page is your source for daily news headlines and features.

Today in Russia's History - December
Key events in Russian history from the debut of The Nutcracker, Stalin's birth and Yeltsin's surprise resignation.

MP3 in Russia
Listen to a variety of Russian contemporary and classical music from this collection of MP3 files.

PARTING THOUGHTS

Attention Teachers . . .
This brand-new secondary school curriculum for teaching about Russia was designed and written by 15 Russian educators for their American counterparts. After teaching for five months in American schools, these educators compiled this book, including everything American secondary teachers need to introduce their students to Russian history, culture, society and art.

Includes 10 lesson plans on literature, recent economic and political changes, folk customs, history, the arts, architecture, the Russian character and more! The curriculum is designed to last 2 to 4 weeks of class time. A full-color bilingual wall map, 17 slides and nearly a dozen handouts are included.

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"The personal life of every individual is based on secrecy, and perhaps it is partly for that reason that civilised man is so nervously anxious that personal privacy should be respected."
Anton Pavlovic Chekhov