Russian Life: Nov/Dec 2003

Does Russia Matter? Paul E. Richardson
Just how important is Russia in the world?
Editorial

11: Duma Mania Lina Rozovskaya
An update on the latest power shifts and shiftiness in the Duma campaign.
Note Book

12: Chechnya Votes Eric Helque
Where we offer a ground's eye view from Chechnya, during this fall's less-than-contentious election there.
Note Book

24: Moving Pictures Dina Goder
The masters of Russian and Soviet animation rank among the world's greatest artists of the genre. But not many outside the industry know their names or have ever seen their work.
Features

32: We Once Had a Poet Called Tyutchev Anatoly Liberman
Many consider his lyrics to be the best ever written in Russian. On the 200th anniversary of Tyutchev's birth, we offer a tribute.
Features

35: A Tale of Three Sandpipers Lina Rozovskaya
Where we explore the language of drink and drinking in Russia.
Survival Russian

36: Tolkuchka in Turkmenistan Darra Goldstein
An exploration of Russian food in Turkmeninstan and Turkmen influences on Russian food. The featured recipe is Baked Stuffed Pumpkin.
Cuisine

37: Realm of the Sacred Raven Ilya Stogoff
In the second installment of Ilya Stogoff's travels in the Russian Far East, the author explores the steamy side of Kamchatka.
Travel

42: (Very) Old Ladoga Vasily Latenko and Lev Lurie
It was, for a time (a millenium or so ago) Russia's capital. But that title passed to another, helping to preserve a bit of the history of this idyllic, 1250-year-old northern town.
Features

48: Kustodiev's Art World Anna Tolstova
His art was a Volga thing, a devil-may-care, reckless thing, full of sun and music, with fairs and farces, troikas, traktirs and banyas, samovars from Tula and trays from Zhostov -- it was motley as lubok and as subtle as a Flemish painting.
Features

56: Descendants of the Swan J. Lee Jacobson
In the remote, open landd southeast of Lake Baikal, beyond typical tourist itineraries, where Genghis Khan once roamed, live most of Russia's 370,000 Buryats. We decided to pay them a visit.
Features

64: Promises, Promises ... Lina Rozovskaya
What won't the political candidates for the Duma promise to get elected?
Post Script