September 21, 2022 A Sincere Appeal “I am asking you to include me on the foreign agents' list of my beloved country.” – Russian pop star Alla Pugacheva, to the Ministry of Justice of the Russian Federation Culture Dissent Media Pop Culture Women Quote
September 14, 2022 Russian Troops Set to Regroup? “All of this is very bitter." – Russian newscaster Dmitry Kiselev Film & TV Journalism Media War Quote
September 07, 2022 Я Вас Люблю "I love you." – Journalist Ivan Safronov after being sentenced to 22 years in prison for treason Dissent Espionage Government Law Quote
August 31, 2022 The Essence of Freedom “Independence Day will have a different meaning this year. Us Ukrainians love our freedom. We can say what we believe. My friends in Russia say they have a democracy. What kind of democracy is it if you cannot call a war a war?” – A Russian living in Ukraine, Tatyana Antonova History Holidays Russians Abroad War Quote
August 24, 2022 Foundations of Suspicion “What reason is there for us to do this?” – A Ukrainian official speaking on the murder of Darya Dugina Espionage Int'l Relations Moscow News War Women Quote
August 17, 2022 My God, a Symbol of Separation “There was a certain girl here who was handing out some permission to paint to artists, complete nonsense. I gave her this work, and the first thing she said was that it was a very dangerous job, because if Gorbachev saw it, he would not allow the unification of Germany and that she will send it to the senate of West Berlin, which was a different country, for approval.” – Dmitry Vrubel, the artist behind the Berlin Wall's "The Fraternal Kiss" Art Cities & Towns History News Pop Culture Quote
August 10, 2022 International without the Amnesty “[This report] does not mean that Amnesty International holds Ukrainian forces responsible for violations committed by Russian forces, or that the Ukrainian military is not taking adequate precautions in other parts of the country. We must be very clear: nothing of the actions of the Ukrainian military, which we have documented, in any way justify Russia's violations.” – From a report released by Amnesty International Journalism Military News NGOs Social Issues War Quote
August 03, 2022 Confusion Amidst the Fog “It’s unclear what happened, but you can’t bring people back to life.” – Alina Nesterenko, whose husband was a prisoner in Russian-occupied Donetsk. Government Int'l Relations Military News War Quote
July 27, 2022 A Protest for Love and Friendship “We must save the world not with blood, but with friendship and love.” – A sign by Russian activist Tatyana Mateyeva Dissent Law Moscow Social Issues Women Quote
July 20, 2022 Rain Reenters the Forecast “Today, more than ever, the citizens of Russia should have access to independent information. And therefore it is especially important for us to return to the air. We, like tens of millions of Russians, want the war to end, and Russia to return to the path of development from catastrophe and destruction.” – Editor-in-chief Tikhon Dzyadko of Dozhd TV Dissent Film & TV Journalism Media War Quote
July 13, 2022 Prone to Resist “Prone to betrayal, lies and deceit. He refused to participate in a special military operation on the territory of the LPR, DPR and Ukraine.” – A stamp on a Russian soldier's military ID after he refused to fight in Ukraine Dissent Government Men Military War Quote
July 06, 2022 "We Shall Return" “If the command of our army withdraws people from certain points of the front where the enemy has the greatest fire superiority — in particular this applies to Lysychansk — it means only one thing: we will return thanks to our tactics, thanks to the increase in the supply of modern weapons.” – Ukrainian President Zelensky, addressing the loss of Lysychansk to Russian forces Cities & Towns Geography News War Quote
April 10, 2022 to October 23, 2022 Martin Roemers: Relics of the Cold War Wende Museum | Culver City, CA On view in the Wende’s West Gallery and garden, this exhibition presents work by Dutch photographer Martin Roemers from 1998 through 2009, when he captured the structural and topographic remnants of the Cold War in both the East and West over an eleven-year period. Art Exhibit
February 03, 2022 to October 02, 2022 Tea Is For Tradition Museum of Russian Icons | Clinton, MA The objects associated with Russian tea are tactile reminders of this important tradition and evoke warmth, home, and family. Art Exhibit
February 28, 2022 to February 23, 2032 Free Russian Language Guided Tours Metropolitan Museum of Art | New York, NY Russian-speaking guides conduct tours of the museum's highlights every Monday at 11 am. Art Exhibit
May 05, 2022 to October 02, 2022 Images of Atheism: The Soviet Assault on Religion Museum of Russian Icons | Clinton, MA Exploring the role of visual propaganda in the Communist Party’s seven-decade war against religion (ca. 1920– 1990). Art Exhibit
February 22, 2022 to February 22, 2032 Russian-Language Gallery Tour Brooklyn Museum | Brooklyn, NY Russian-language tour exploring our collection in depth, second Sunday of each month at 1 pm. Free, reservations required Art Exhibit
Maria's War: A Soldier's Autobiography This astonishingly gripping autobiography by the founder of the Russian Women’s Death Battallion in World War I is an eye-opening documentary of life before, during and after the Bolshevik Revolution.
Driving Down Russia's Spine The story of the epic Spine of Russia trip, intertwining fascinating subject profiles with digressions into historical and cultural themes relevant to understanding modern Russia.
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...
The Moscow Eccentric Advance reviewers are calling this new translation "a coup" and "a remarkable achievement." This rediscovered gem of a novel by one of Russia's finest writers explores some of the thorniest issues of the early twentieth century.
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.
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.
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.
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.
Faith & Humor: Notes from Muscovy A book that dares to explore the humanity of priests and pilgrims, saints and sinners, Faith & Humor has been both a runaway bestseller in Russia and the focus of heated controversy – as often happens when a thoughtful writer takes on sacred cows. The stories, aphorisms, anecdotes, dialogues and adventures in this volume comprise an encyclopedia of modern Russian Orthodoxy, and thereby of Russian life.
Fearful Majesty This acclaimed biography of one of Russia’s most important and tyrannical rulers is not only a rich, readable biography, it is also surprisingly timely, revealing how many of the issues Russia faces today have their roots in Ivan’s reign.
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.
Russia Rules From the shores of the White Sea to Moscow and the Northern Caucasus, Russian Rules is a high-speed thriller based on actual events, terrifying possibilities, and some really stupid decisions.
March 15, 2017 Who Invented the Ancient Slavic Gods, and Why? 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
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
March 01, 2019 Crime and Punishment W.W. Norton has released a new translation, by Michael Katz, of Fyodor Dostoyevsky’s classic novel. We excerpt here the novel’s opening. Literature St. Petersburg
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
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
March 14, 2020 Coronavirus Coping: Russian Lit has the Answers Russian literature has an answer for everything. In the times of coronovirus, this is your guide. Art Literature CVSG
