Russian Life: Sept/Oct 2007

7: Tempest in a Teapot Maria Antonova
A look at the present Russo-British spy spat in the context of a long bilateral history of bumpy relations.
Note Book

15: Vermont Victory Paul E. Richardson and Dale Stafford
A photo feature on the July Russian FedCup victory in Stowe, Vermont.
Note Book

19: Sputnik: The Satellite That Changed Everything Tamara Eidelman
Beep... beep... beep... In October 1957, a tiny satellite sailed round and round the Earth. Launched from Russia, it kicked off the Space Race and changed how we viewed our world and Russian science.
:: Translation by Nora Favorov
Russian Calendar

21: An Inspired Publisher: Alexander Smirdin Tamara Eidelman
Alexander Smirdin was one of Russia's first, great publishers. He loved books more than money and that may have brought about his ruin.
:: Translation by Nora Favorov
Russian Calendar

23: Kaluga's Rocket Scientist Tamara Eidelman
Konstantin Tsiolkovsky was the father of Russian space travel. A quirky, half-deaf teacher, he inspired generations with his idealistic views of the age to come.
:: Translation by Nora Favorov
Russian Calendar

26: The Best Dandruff Cure Mikhail Ivanov
The language of hair is, well, a bit knotty...
:: Illustrations/Images by Victor Bogorad
Survival Russian

28: Saving the Amur Tiger Amanda Feldon
The magisterial tigers of Russia's Far East are on the brink of extinction. Threats to their survival are legion: from poachers to Chinese "healers" to nervous villagers to corrupt bureaucrats. All told, just a few hundred Amur Tigers remain in the wild.
Features

34: Sochi 2014: Russia's New National Idea Mikhail Ivanov
Some 90 years after the first modern Winter Olympics, Russia, likely the country most identified with winter, will finally host its first Winter Olympic Games. Now it's time to get building.
Features

40: Borshch For the Russian Soul Alex Lupis
Russia has ever been suspicious of modern psychotherapy, and the Soviet regime had its own way of dealing with (and defining) mental illness, which made it something of an international pariah. Luckily, those days are behind us... or are they?
Features

48: Colonial Russia Paul E. Richardson
Perched on the rocky cliffs of California's Pacific coast is Fort Ross, a National Park commemorating the southernmost point of Russian colonial settlement in the Americas. Each July, thousands flock to the Fort for an annual celebration.
Photo Feature

52: The Poet of Passions Irma Kudrova
Marina Tsvetaeva was born to wealth, but her adult life was shaped by hardship and tragedy. For this reason, her literary work is all the more passionate and enthralling.
Features

60: Space Food Darra Goldstein
The history of food in space, through Russian eyes. Plus a great recipe for an Apple Zefir so light and ethereral it will make you feel like it floats.
Cuisine

61: Russian Worldview, Rafting, and Sophia Tolstaya Paul E. Richardson
We review a new book on Sophia Tolstoy's photography hobby, an excellent translation of Andrei Sinyavsky's book on Russian folk belief, and a great armchair travel book on rafting down one of the world's wildest rivers.
Under Review

64: An Animating Genius Maria Antonova
A look back at the life of Alexander Tatarsky, a genius of Russian animation who passed away this summer.
Post Script