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 20, 2021 Doses Down the Drain By Griffin Edwards While most Russians aren't known to shy away from free shots (vaccine or otherwise), one administrator is under investigation for selling documents sans immunizations. Cities & Towns Government Health Russia File
July 10, 2021 Tourism for Tykes By Amanda Shirnina Youthful tourism ambassadors might be coming to a Russian region near you. Children Cities & Towns Regions Travel Russia File
July 09, 2021 New York, Back on the Map By Griffin Edwards After sixty years of going by another name, New York, Ukraine, is back in action. Cities & Towns Geography Government Regions Russia File
June 28, 2021 Let There Be Light By Alexandra Curtis A policeman had a bright idea for how to use his money to help his native village. Cities & Towns Gifts Regions Rural Life Russia File
June 26, 2021 Soccer Takes Over St. Petersburg By Amanda Shirnina St. Petersburg hosts one-eleventh of the UEFA Euro 2020 tournament this summer. Cities & Towns Sports St. Petersburg Urban Life Russia File
June 23, 2021 Crossing the Line By Alexandra Curtis With a bucket of paint and a dream, this Russian pensioner did what city officials wouldn't, but she may have had to cross a line to do it. Cities & Towns Transportation Urban Life Russia File
June 14, 2021 A Furry Fugitive By Griffin Edwards In America, people go to country clubs to escape from the drudgery they bear. In Russia, bears escape from country clubs. Animals Cities & Towns Moscow Sports Russia File
June 07, 2021 Flooded with Fun By Alexandra Curtis Citizens of Krasnoyarsk are figuring out how to make the best out of a pretty water-logged situation. Cities & Towns Sports Russia File
June 04, 2021 Russia Goes Running By Amanda Shirnina Russia hosted the world's largest synchronized footrace at the end of May. Cities & Towns Health Sports St. Petersburg Russia File
May 20, 2021 Teletubbies, TikTok Tinder, and TikTok Mayor By Amanda Shirnina In this week's Odder News, a city mayor uses TikTok and Grand Theft Auto to communicate with his constituents, the Teletubbies show up in Norilsk, and a Perm barn is sacrificed to TikTok. Cities & Towns Geography Pop Culture Sports Odder News
May 12, 2021 A Monument to The Alien By Alexandra Curtis Alien or art? Scary sculptures are invading Kurgan. Art Cities & Towns Film & TV Russia File
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
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
The Spine of Russia This coffee table book is the photographic journal of an epic 6000-kilometer road trip. The book includes over 200 compelling images of Russians and Russian places met along the way, plus a dozen texts (in both English and Russian) on everything from business to education, from roads to fools.
93 Untranslatable Russian Words Every language has concepts, ideas, words and idioms that are nearly impossible to translate into another language. This book looks at nearly 100 such Russian words and offers paths to their understanding and translation by way of examples from literature and everyday life. Difficult to translate words and concepts are introduced with dictionary definitions, then elucidated with citations from literature, speech and prose, helping the student of Russian comprehend the word/concept in context.
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.
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.
Survival Russian Survival Russian is an intensely practical guide to conversational, colloquial and culture-rich Russian. It uses humor, current events and thematically-driven essays to deepen readers’ understanding of Russian language and culture. This enlarged Second Edition of Survival Russian includes over 90 essays and illuminates over 2000 invaluable Russian phrases and words.
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.
The Pet Hawk of the House of Abbas This exciting new trilogy by a Russian author – who has been compared to Orhan Pamuk and Umberto Eco – vividly recreates a lost world, yet its passions and characters are entirely relevant to the present day. Full of mystery, memorable characters, and non-stop adventure, The Pet Hawk of the House of Abbas is a must read for lovers of historical fiction and international thrillers.
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...
Murder and the Muse KGB Chief Andropov has tapped Matyushkin to solve a brazen jewel heist from Picasso’s wife at the posh Metropole Hotel. But when the case bleeds over into murder, machinations, and international intrigue, not everyone is eager to see where the clues might lead.
Jews in Service to the Tsar Benjamin Disraeli advised, “Read no history: nothing but biography, for that is life without theory.” With Jews in Service to the Tsar, Lev Berdnikov offers us 28 biographies spanning five centuries of Russian Jewish history, and each portrait opens a new window onto the history of Eastern Europe’s Jews, illuminating dark corners and challenging widely-held conceptions about the role of Jews in Russian history.
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.
At the Circus 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.
October 14, 2016 Five Wild Facts about St. Basil's Cathedral By Alice E.M. Underwood 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
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
September 01, 2019 Bite Marks By Paul E. Richardson Is Russia somehow different from other nations, or is it just like any other? History Int'l Relations
September 01, 2019 Returning from Afar By Benson Bobrick An excerpt from Benson Bobrick’s new book, a memoir of his life and work as a writer. Memoir Travel
July 01, 2021 Two Days By Paul E. Richardson On spy films, summits, and finding a way to live together. Espionage History Int'l Relations
March 17, 2019 When Russian Cuisine Turns Georgian By Tiffany Zhu Why is Georgian food so popular in Russia? Turns out there's more to it than deliciousness. Culture Food & Drink History
