Russian Life: Sep/Oct 2008

Cover: Denis Petrulenkov

7: Russian Woodstocks Maria Antonova
With each passing year, Russia's summer festivals are gaining ground as alternatives to the stifled city music scene...
Practical Traveler

19: October Days Tamara Eidelman
A look back at the tumultuous battle between President Yeltsin and the recalcitrant Duma of 1993, which lead to the shelling of parliament.
:: Translation by Nora Favorov
Russian Calendar

23: Lyceum Day Tamara Eidelman
Each year, on October 19, students in Russia celebrate the beginning of higher education in the country, in 1811.
:: Translation by Nora Favorov
Russian Calendar

25: Aleksei Fyodorovich Losev Tamara Eidelman
The philosopher and historian who captivated young Soviet minds... and his inexplicable beliefs.
:: Translation by Nora Favorov
Russian Calendar

28: Knees Made for Dancing Mikhail Ivanov
Where we consider the role of knees in the Russian language. Very important, just ask Nikita Sergeyevich...
:: Illustrations/Images by Victor Bogorad
Survival Russian

30: Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn Paul E. Richardson
Reclusive, frank, astoundingly industrious and uncompromising, Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn was the most influential writer of his age, and he did more to topple the Soviet Union than any other individual in the 20th century. We spoke with his wife just a few months before his death.
Interview

36: Russian Art Boom Jane Friedman
It may seem like the latest fad, yet the explosion of interest in Russian art has been 20 years in the making. And has far from peaked...
Features

45: Tsar David Ilya Ovchinnikov
This is the centennial of David Oistrakh, who some way was the greatest violinist of the 20th century.
Features

48: The First Ambassador Mary Claffey and Sara Sikes
America sent its first ambassador to Russia 200 years ago. He would go on to become the sixth U.S. president.
:: Translation by Alan Myers and Alan Myers
Features

58: Bottling Dreams John Varoli
French champagne is bubbling on the Black Sea coast. A hundred-year-old winery strives to make a respectable vintage in time for the 2014 Olympic games.
Features

60: Simple Gifts Maria Antonova and Darra Goldstein
Sorrel Soup is this issue's recipe, provided by a Moscow restaurant that believes simple is better...
Cuisine

62: Secret Histories Paul E. Richardson

Under Review

64: One Century in the Life of Aleksandr Isayevich Lev Rubinstein
A nostalgic look back on the life of Solzhenitsyn, and how it affected one Russian writer.
:: Translation by Maria Antonova
Post Script