October 21, 2020 Dancing Less and School Issues “Let's dance and hug a little less, and give less work to our healthcare system.” – Yevgeny Yelin, vice-governor of St. Petersburg, on a recent proposal to close restaurants in the city at 11 PM. Education Health Quote
October 15, 2020 Putin's Birthday, Teachers, and Dirt This week, Putin gets a cool new birthday present; an official broadcasts his workout regimen; and strange sediment puzzles scientists. Education Environment Health Military Social Issues Odder News
September 24, 2020 Cave Bears, Corruption, and Life on Venus This week, education is worth fighting for; corrupt officials go for all-or-nothing; and Lenin's mausoleum makeover is cancelled. Animals Cities & Towns Economy Education Government History Law Moscow Regions Science Social Issues Urban Life Odder News
September 17, 2020 Odder News for Radical Dudes This week, we're abandoning all pretense of mature adulthood. We've got cool shotguns, exploding caves, and a teacher who just couldn't wait. Gosh, mom, get out of my room! Cities & Towns Education Government Internet Law Military Pop Culture Regions Social Issues Urban Life Odder News
September 10, 2020 Meet the New Minister, Meat in a Sausage, Mete Out a Fine This week: education! Tests for hopeful investors, savings for college, and learning what exactly is in sausage. Cities & Towns Culture Economy Education Food & Drink Moscow Social Issues Odder News
September 07, 2020 Murder, He Meowed A library's famous cat now resides with the big yarn ball in the sky, thanks to foul play. Animals Cities & Towns Education Rural Life Russia File
September 01, 2020 Day of Knowledge and the Start of School September 1 is not only the start of the school year in Russia, but also a time to celebrate knowledge and wisdom. Children Culture Education Russia File
July 29, 2020 Protest Poems and Start of School “Are all these really mercenaries? // In Moscow, their voices are heard already! // The column went more and more powerfully. // They do not ask or pray, // They want the will to reach // All the ears of the people. // And there is no task to borrow, // No, it’s not their roof that is sliding. // ‘We are not stupid, we are not stupid!’ // Ah, those who don't want to hear them.” – Sergei Shnurov, leader of the band Leningrad, and a politician and producer, who used a poem on Instagram to announce his arrival in Khabarovsk to check out the protests occuring there in response to the arrest of governor Sergei Furgal Cities & Towns Education Quote
July 09, 2020 (Almost) Jet Ski Season, (Almost) Presidents, and Online (Almost) Learning This week, Russia's government grapples with the ins-and-outs of distance learning, the Ministry of Economic Development is nonplussed by the effects of coronavirus, and we know what side of the bread a shipbuilder's head's butter is on. Education Internet Politics Regions Social Issues Sports Odder News
July 03, 2020 Next on your Summer Reading List: Putin If Russia has its way, German history students could be reading a new article by none other than the president himself. Education History Holidays Politics War Russia File
June 23, 2020 Even Russians Make Typos School certificates in the city of Tolyatti were declared void due to spelling errors. Cities & Towns Education Language Russia File
June 16, 2020 A Feather in Petersburg's Cap St. Petersburg's deputy governor put forth a compelling reason for his city's more lax coronavirus regulations, compared to Moscow's. Education Government Health St. Petersburg Russia File
June 09, 2024 Songs of Faith, Love and Delight! June 9 Star of the Sea Church | San Francisco, California San Francisco's Slavyanka Chorus invites you to a concert featuring a colorful tapestry of folk songs and sacred hymns by renowned women composers. Music
June 07, 2024 Songs of Faith, Love and Delight! June 7 St. Mark's Episcopal Church | Berkeley, California San Francisco's Slavyanka Chorus invites you to a concert featuring a colorful tapestry of folk songs and sacred hymns by renowned women composers. Music
November 11, 2023 to September 15, 2024 Visions of Transcendence: Creating Space in East and West Wende Museum | Culver City, CA This exhibit highlights the resilience and creative power of people deprived of their freedom or their own place to live. Art Exhibit
June 15, 2024 Roma Rhapsody Capital One Hall | Tysons, Virginia The Washington Balalaika Society Orchestra's Spring Concert, Roma Rhapsody, will be at 7:30 pm on Saturday June 15, 2024. Music
June 08, 2024 Songs of Faith, Love and Delight! June 8 First Congregational Church | Palo Alto, California San Francisco's Slavyanka Chorus invites you to a concert featuring a colorful tapestry of folk songs and sacred hymns by renowned women composers. Music
Fish: A History of One Migration This mesmerizing novel from one of Russia’s most important modern authors traces the life journey of a selfless Russian everywoman. In the wake of the Soviet breakup, inexorable forces drag Vera across the breadth of the Russian empire. Facing a relentless onslaught of human and social trials, she swims against the current of life, countering adversity and pain with compassion and hope, in many ways personifying Mother Russia’s torment and resilience amid the Soviet disintegration.
The Little Golden Calf Our edition of The Little Golden Calf, one of the greatest Russian satires ever, is the first new translation of this classic novel in nearly fifty years. It is also the first unabridged, uncensored English translation ever, and is 100% true to the original 1931 serial publication in the Russian journal 30 Dnei. Anne O. Fisher’s translation is copiously annotated, and includes an introduction by Alexandra Ilf, the daughter of one of the book’s two co-authors.
Murder at the Dacha Senior Lieutenant Pavel Matyushkin has a problem. Several, actually. Not the least of them is the fact that a powerful Soviet boss has been murdered, and Matyushkin's surly commander has given him an unreasonably short time frame to close the case.
Moscow and Muscovites Vladimir Gilyarovsky's classic portrait of the Russian capital is one of Russians’ most beloved books. Yet it has never before been translated into English. Until now! It is a spectactular verbal pastiche: conversation, from gutter gibberish to the drawing room; oratory, from illiterates to aristocrats; prose, from boilerplate to Tolstoy; poetry, from earthy humor to Pushkin.
The Little Humpbacked Horse (bilingual) A beloved Russian classic about a resourceful Russian peasant, Vanya, and his miracle-working horse, who together undergo various trials, exploits and adventures at the whim of a laughable tsar, told in rich, narrative poetry.
Red Star Tales: A Century of Russian and Soviet Science Fiction For over 100 years, most of the science fiction produced by the world’s largest country has been beyond the reach of Western readers. This new collection changes that, bringing a large body of influential works into the English orbit.
A Taste of Chekhov This compact volume is an introduction to the works of Chekhov the master storyteller, via nine stories spanning the last twenty years of his life.
At the Circus (bilingual) This wonderful novella by Alexander Kuprin tells the story of the wrestler Arbuzov and his battle against a renowned American wrestler. Rich in detail and characterization, At the Circus brims with excitement and life. You can smell the sawdust in the big top, see the vivid and colorful characters, sense the tension build as Arbuzov readies to face off against the American.
Kashtanka – A Bilingual Reader A bilingual presentation of one of the great classics of Russian literature.
East of the Sun: The Epic Conquest and Tragic History of Siberia The very word Siberia evokes a history and reputation as awesome as it is enthralling. In this acclaimed book on Russia’s conquest of its eastern realms, Benson Bobrick offers a story that is both rich and subtle, broad and deep.
Turgenev Bilingual A sampling of Ivan Turgenev's masterful short stories, plays, novellas and novels. Bilingual, with English and accented Russian texts running side by side on adjoining pages.
Davai! The Russians and Their Vodka In this comprehensive, quixotic and addictive book, Edwin Trommelen explores all facets of the Russian obsession with vodka. Peering chiefly through the lenses of history and literature, Trommelen offers up an appropriately complex, rich and bittersweet portrait, based on great respect for Russian culture.
October 14, 2016 Five Wild Facts about St. Basil's Cathedral On October 14, 1991, St. Basil’s Cathedral was reopened after six decades. Here are five fun facts in honor of the 25th anniversary of the Cathedral’s rebirth. Culture History Religion Russia File
October 30, 2021 Happy 200th, Dostoyevsky! On this, the occasion of the great writer's 200th birthday, we offer some links to stories we have published about him over the years, as well as some cool videos. Happy reading and viewing! History Literature Russia File
January 10, 2014 Why Don't Russians Smile? It is a common trope that Russians never smile. Which of course is interpreted to mean they are unfriendly, gloomy, sullen – positively Dostoyevskian. This, of course, is a complete misreading of body language and cultural norms. Culture Humor Language Russia File
May 09, 2020 Russian/Soviet War Movies You Can Stream Some of the best Russian and Soviet films about World War II that you can stream online. Film & TV Reference War Culture Through Film CVSG Russia File
June 22, 2020 Why Invading Russia was Hitler's Downfall June 22, 2020, marks the 79th anniversary of Operation Barbarossa, the Nazi invasion of Russia that changed the course of WWII and, perhaps, history itself. History Social Issues War Russia File
October 31, 2016 Why Stalin's Corpse Was Exhumed on Halloween The body of Joseph Stalin was removed from the mausoleum on Red Square on October 31, 1961. It may not be as spooky as Halloween, but the former leader still haunts Russia today. History Politics Social Issues Russia File