July 21, 2021 Let Sleeping Bears Lie By Alexandra Curtis A Russian zoo will open its very first exhibit to allow the observation of hibernating bears, but will it allow the bears to get some good shut-eye? Animals Cities & Towns Environment Russia File
July 15, 2021 Robodogs, Space Movies, and Skydiving By Amanda Shirnina In this week's Odder News, a skydiver plunges into family breakfast, Russian and American actors fly into space, and robots are taking over. Environment Science Space Odder News
July 14, 2021 Putting the Buzz in Buzzed By Alexandra Curtis Bees and people aren't really that different after all: Apparently, both get a little disoriented when the weather gets too hot and they have had a little bit too much to drink. Animals Environment Russia File
July 07, 2021 Cloudy With a Chance of Milkshakes By Alexandra Curtis A usual weather phenomenon called "Milky Rain" occurred recently in the Moscow region, but it wasn't nearly as delicious as it sounds. Environment Moscow Russia File
June 21, 2021 You've Gotta Be Kitten Me By Alexandra Curtis A viral video shows some sleepy and very rare kittens in the Altai region. Animals Environment Regions Russia File
May 27, 2021 Quadruplets, Stickers, and Jellyfish in Your Pants By Amanda Shirnina In this week's Odder News, Russia jumps on the organic bandwagon, Russians get circus tickets and stickers for vaccinating, and quadruplets are more common than you would think. Animals Environment Food & Drink Health Odder News
May 17, 2021 Waste Not, Unless You Want to Support Russia's Disposal Services By Haley Bader The Russian Government has invested in quite a mess! Economy Environment Government Russia File
May 05, 2021 Shashlik Responsibly By Alexandra Curtis Grilled meat on a stick and fire safety have never been good friends, but Russian officials are trying to change that relationship. Environment Food & Drink Moscow Russia File
May 01, 2021 News Notes By The Editors The latest under the radar news from all across Russia. Animals Architecture Environment Music Politics
April 29, 2021 Pelmeni, Rogue Rivers, and Military Bands By Amanda Shirnina In this week's Odder News, a military band delights a kindergarten class with songs from cartoons, Russian food might be able to make it in New York, and a Moscow nurse has had enough of this pandemic. Children Environment Military Russians Abroad Urban Life Odder News
April 27, 2021 A Romantic Russian River Cruise By Griffin Edwards A romantic shoreline walk turned into a romantic ice floe ride in Archangelsk, whisking away a pair of in-love teenagers on a Russian adventure. Environment Regions Urban Life Russia File
April 01, 2021 Earth Hour, Eurovision, and Eggs By Amanda Shirnina In this week's Odder News, the lights go out for Earth Hour; egg sandwiches get their due; and a huge crack opens up in a St. Petersburg apartment building. Environment Food & Drink Health Pop Culture Odder News
November 01, 2021 to November 30, 2021 Yuri Gorbachev's 18th Annual Exhibition at the Byrne Gallery in Middleburg, Virginia The Byrne Gallery | Middleburg, VA Susan Byrne and Bill Byrne are celebrating their Gallery's 26th anniversary this year in Middleburg with a celebration and exhibition of the vivid oil and enamel paintings of internationally-acclaimed artist Yuri Gorbachev. Art Exhibit
June 28, 2021 to August 08, 2021 Atomic Alert!: Confronting "The Bomb" in the New Atomic Age The Museum of Russian Icons | Clinton, MA The exhibition explores the U.S. government’s Cold War era efforts, in the 1950s, to educate Americans about what to do before an atomic attack, how to react to a sudden blinding flash, and what action to take in the aftermath of a catastrophic blast. Exhibit, Other
Life Stories: Original Fiction By Russian Authors The Life Stories collection is a nice introduction to contemporary Russian fiction: many of the 19 authors featured here have won major Russian literary prizes and/or become bestsellers. These are life-affirming stories of love, family, hope, rebirth, mystery and imagination, masterfully translated by some of the best Russian-English translators working today. The selections reassert the power of Russian literature to affect readers of all cultures in profound and lasting ways. Best of all, 100% of the profits from the sale of this book are going to benefit Russian hospice—not-for-profit care for fellow human beings who are nearing the end of their own life stories.
301 Things Everyone Should Know About Russia How do you begin to get a handle on the world's largest country? This colorful, illustrated guide will get you started...
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.
Resilience ~ The Russian Version (Переживем) Call it resilience, grit, or just perseverance – it takes a special sort of person to have survived the last 100 years of Russian and Soviet history.
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.
Stargorod: A Novel in Many Voices Stargorod is a mid-sized provincial city that exists only in Russian metaphorical space. It has its roots in Gogol, and Ilf and Petrov, and is a place far from Moscow, but close to Russian hearts. It is a place of mystery and normality, of provincial innocence and Black Earth wisdom. Strange, inexplicable things happen in Stargorod. So do good things. And bad things. A lot like life everywhere, one might say. Only with a heavy dose of vodka, longing and mystery.
Bears in the Caviar Bears in the Caviar is a hilarious and insightful memoir by a diplomat who was “present at the creation” of US-Soviet relations. Charles Thayer headed off to Russia in 1933, calculating that if he could just learn Russian and be on the spot when the US and USSR established relations, he could make himself indispensable and start a career in the foreign service. Remarkably, he pulled it of.
The Samovar Murders The murder of a poet is always more than a murder. When a famous writer is brutally stabbed on the campus of Moscow’s Lumumba University, the son of a recently deposed African president confesses, and the case assumes political implications that no one wants any part of.
The Best of Russian Life We culled through 15 years of Russian Life to select readers’ and editors’ favorite stories and biographies for inclusion in a special two-volume collection. Totalling over 1100 pages, these two volumes encompass some of the best writing we have published over the last two decades, and include the most timeless stories and biographies – those that can be read again and again.
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.
Woe From Wit (bilingual) One of the most famous works of Russian literature, the four-act comedy in verse Woe from Wit skewers staid, nineteenth century Russian society, and it positively teems with “winged phrases” that are essential colloquialisms for students of Russian and Russian culture.
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.
September 14, 2019 Eight Russian Desserts To Make Your Mouth Water By Tiffany Zhu Forget vodka – dessert is the best part of Russian meals. Culture Food & Drink
March 20, 2020 Vodka vs. Coronavirus By Margaret Godwin-Jones Russia’s Ministry of Health discussed ways vodka can affect the coronavirus (spoiler alert: not much). Food & Drink Health CVSG Russia File
April 06, 2020 A Russian Gift By Mark C. Medish A look at how the Jesuits, Pope Francis, and Georgetown University all share an interesting connection to Russia. History Int'l Relations Religion
November 01, 2020 Tsarina: In the Winter Palace By Ellen Alpsten Catherine I finds herself at a turning point upon the death of her husband, Peter the Great. History Literature
March 15, 2017 Who Invented the Ancient Slavic Gods, and Why? By Kasya Denisevich How it was that in the eighteenth century Russian mythology was trumped-up in the Western manner? Who wanted it? And where did we get Lel, Yarilo and Zimtserla? We explain everything you'd want to know about Russian fakelore. Culture History Literature Religion
June 22, 2020 Why Invading Russia was Hitler's Downfall By Alice E.M. Underwood 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
