Current Moscow Time: 22:43:0218 May 2013
The world’s biggest country, in a magazine. Since 1956.
Russian Life: July/Aug 2010
Cover: Yuri Bulavintsev
7: Tragedy in Mezhdurechensk
A tragic mine explosion at Russia's largest mine in May put a damper on celebrations for the 60th anniversary of the end of World War II, and it has many wondering just what has been achieved in worker and mine safety over the past decade.
Note Book
19: Moscow Olympics
A look back at the 1980 Moscow Olympics, marred by an international boycott and the sudden death of the bard Vladimir Vysotsky.
:: Translation by Nora Favorov
Sports
21: Alexander Grin
Alexander Grin (1880-1932) had a short life filled with misfortune. His literary output has never been thought to be "classic" but it is entertaining and has enjoyed a recent resurgence of popularity.
:: Translation by Nora Favorov
Russian Calendar
23: Ruler of the East
Vladivostok, founded 150 years ago, is a rather unusual city, a city of surprises.
:: Translation by Nora Favorov
Russian Calendar
26: Lemme Tell Ya!
The fine art of linguistic shortcuts and slang.
:: Illustrations/Images by Victor Bogorad
Survival Russian
28: Kayaking in Karelia
Where we tag along with a group of 40 intrepid Russian explorers on a week-long trip through the rivers and lakes of northern Karelia, far from the lights and comforts of civilization.
Features
38: Art in Utero
St. Petersburg’s Russian Museum has inaugurated a program to acquaint pregnant women with the arts, on specially guided tours. Those who participate swear it is making them, and their children, better off.
:: Illustrations/Images by Dmitry Lovetsky
Features
42: The Spy Who Was Abel
Rudolph Abel was one of the most accomplished Soviet intelligence agents of
the post-war period - an "illegal" who was legendary, not slipshod and sloppy, like the 11 "illegals" detained in the US in June 2010. Nikolai Dolgopolov peels back the mask to give us a look at Abel’s life and profession through the eyes of his daughter.
:: Translation by Paul E. Richardson
Features
50: Involuntary Parenthood
During the recent controversy about American adoption of Russian orphans, we
learned of a small Russian village that is using adoption as a way to save its school,
and perhaps even its way of life. This is their story.
:: Translation by Paul E. Richardson
:: Illustrations/Images by Olga Ivanova
Features
60: The Tractor Drivers' Supper
Arkady Plastov's painting "The Tractor Drivers' Supper" exemplifies the Socialist Realist style, and is full of important cultural references, which lead inevitably to this issue's recipe, for Cabbage with Noodles and Poppy Seeds.
Cuisine
62: Dreams of Possession and Tolstoy
Reviews of "A Dream in Polar Fog," by Yuri Rytkheu; "The Possessed" by Elif Batuman; "Moscow Noir" edited by Natalia Smirnova and Julia Goumen; "Brief Lives: Tolstoy," by Anthony Briggs; and "The Russia Reader," edited by Adele Barker and Bruce Grant.
Literature
64: A Poet Departs
A short note on the life and work of poet Andrei Voznesensky, who passed away on June 2, 2010.
Post Script