March 31, 2021 Tram Takes on a Life of Its Own By Alexandra Curtis A viral video documents an out-of-control tram in Barnaul, and its hapless driver. Cities & Towns Internet Transportation Russia File
March 08, 2021 The Tram from Hell By Alexandra Curtis Leave it to Russia to come up with the absolutely most punk-rock way to remove snow. Humor Transportation Urban Life Russia File
March 04, 2021 Poisonous Furniture, Rugs, and Rail Carts By Amanda Shirnina In this week's Odder News, report yourself to the police for easy snow removal, watch out for poison in your sofa, and don't forget to wipe your feet on the rug on the way in. Int'l Relations News Transportation Odder News
February 14, 2021 An Ode to the Hovercraft By Griffin Edwards Russia is a land of many mysteries. The greatest of all, of course, is this: What's the deal with Russians and their hovercraft? Geography Government Transportation Travel
February 10, 2021 Thanks, Doc By Alexandra Curtis Moscovites are thanking medical professionals during the Coronavirus pandemic the best way they know how to: colorful Metro trains. Health Moscow Transportation Russia File
January 28, 2021 Whatever Floats Russia's Boats By Haley Bader It’s plain sailing for the Russian Federation along the Northern Sea Route, thanks to melting ice caps. Economy Environment Transportation Russia File
January 20, 2021 Opposition, not Operation Barbarossa By Haley Bader “Don’t feel sorry for us, we’re simply working. We adequately “met” the airplanes from Germany in 1941, and we will meet all aircraft in the year 2021. This year we will be 80 and we have already seen and survived a lot.” – The Twitter account of Moscow's Vnukovo Airport, on the controversy surrounding the detention of opposition leader Alexei Navalny upon his arrival, drawing parallels to the Second World War. History Moscow Politics Transportation Quote
January 19, 2021 Cat's Got Your Train By Alexandra Curtis Felix the cat is on the right track: instead of catching mice, he catches trains to get his daily supper. Animals Transportation Russia File
January 18, 2021 Not-So Smart Crosswalks By Alexandra Curtis When the Russian city of Salekhard tried to upgrade its pedestrian crosswalks, crisscrossed chaos ensued. Transportation Urban Life Russia File
January 15, 2021 The Fast and the Broomiest By Griffin Edwards A bus driver in Kaliningrad has become internet-famous after video surfaced of them changing gears with what looks like a mop. Cities & Towns Internet Transportation Urban Life Russia File
January 11, 2021 Women Can Be Metro Drivers, Too By Griffin Edwards A relaxing of workplace regulations means that Russian women can now drive the Moscow Metro. Law Moscow Transportation Women Russia File
December 31, 2020 Taxis, Guns, and Scams By Griffin Edwards This week, we mark the end of 2020 with transportation stats, social media monitoring, and preparations for wild celebrations. Holidays Internet Law Military Moscow Social Issues Transportation 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
September 01, 2021 to October 17, 2021 Communism Through the Lens: Everyday Life Captured by Women Photographers in the Dodge Collection Dodge Wing Lower Level | New Brunswick, NJ Spanning almost the entirety of the Soviet Union's history from the 1920s through the 1990s, this exhibition of rarely seen images explores themes of political art, documentary photography, and gender, offering a historical look at how women photographers interpreted life in the communist state. Art Exhibit
October 15, 2021 to April 03, 2022 Icons for Our Time: Orthodox Art from Around the World Museum of Russian Icons | Clinton, MA Fifteen contemporary icons from fifteen countries explore iconography today. Presented in celebration of the museum's 15th Anniversary. Art Exhibit
October 01, 2021 to October 01, 2021 Virtual Lecture: Dr. Erika Wolf on Soviet Photography Zimmerli Art Museum | New Brunswick, NJ The Zimmerli welcomes Erika Wolf, presenting a lecture about Soviet photography in print, focusing on the work of women photographers and artists. This event is held in conjunction with the Zimmerli's exhibition "Communism Through the Lens: Everyday Life Captured by Women Photographers in the Dodge Collection." Please register. Lecture
October 01, 2021 to October 09, 2021 Tchaikovsky's The Maid of Orleans Town Hall Theater | Middlebury, VT Opera Company of Middlebury (VT) will present an operatic rarity – Tchaikovsky's version of the Joan of Arc story, Orleanskaya deva or The Maid of Orleans. It will be sung in Russian with English subtitles. A sweeping tale in the style of French grand opera, it offers stunning orchestral passages, vibrant choruses, and a heroic role for the young mezzo-soprano playing Joan, sung here by Annie Rosen. Opera
Resilience: Life Stories of Centenarians Born in the Year of Revolution 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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
The Frogs Who Begged for a Tsar The fables of Ivan Krylov are rich fonts of Russian cultural wisdom and experience – reading and understanding them is vital to grasping the Russian worldview. This new edition of 62 of Krylov’s tales presents them side-by-side in English and Russian. The wonderfully lyrical translations by Lydia Razran Stone are accompanied by original, whimsical color illustrations by Katya Korobkina.
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.
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.
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.
May 26, 2016 Two Miracles of Russian Love Poetry By Anatoly Liberman On the occasion of Pushkin's birthday, we offer a post on the challenge of translating his most famous love lyrics, "Я вас любил," with a bonus look at Innokenty Annensky's "Среди миров." Literature
January 28, 2020 Meet Russia's favorite sable By Maria Antonova Siberian sable fur was once Russia's biggest luxury export, but now we can't get enough of Instagram star Umora, the sable inspiring Russians to never look at fur coats again. Animals Internet Interview
January 10, 2014 Why Don't Russians Smile? By The Editors 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
August 22, 2016 Magical Kefir By Philip Seifi Kefir is the most popular fermented milk in Russia. But it did not get there overnight. Kefir and Russia have a long history... Food & Drink History
February 03, 2018 12 Myths/Truths About Russians and Vodka By The Editors Think you know your vodka? Take this True/False quiz (just 12 items) about Russians and their vodka and see if you are right about that... Food & Drink
March 14, 2020 Coronavirus Coping: Russian Lit has the Answers By The Editors Russian literature has an answer for everything. In the times of coronovirus, this is your guide. Art Literature CVSG
