September 22, 2013

Checking in with Russian Bloggers


Checking in with Russian Bloggers

As we move into fall, it would appear that some of our favorite Russian bloggers – in particular the Tumblr-like photo-sharing ones – have been making the most of this great time to enjoy both the outdoors and the indoors. From the local to the exotic, from the splendor of nature to the peculiar forms of city architecture, their cameras have been recording everything.

If there’s one thing that the Russian landscape is known for, it’s expanses – they’re practically another national resource (conveniently, vistas of nearby formerly-Soviet countries count as well). Sergey Ershov, for one (who is also the featured photographer for the 2014 Russian Life Wall Calendar, has been exploring the Ukrainian Carpathians – at the end of his post he even recommends some walking routes for enjoying the scenery. And he’s by far not the first to appreciate Russia’s natural landscape: the similarity of his forest scenes to paintings by Ivan Shishkin is striking. Igor Spilenok – who is on a 3-year long quest with his wife, Laura Williams, to visit all Russia's national parks – is out in the Far East, checking out Lake Baikal and nearby nature reserves.

Many of these photographers – like many Russians in general – are travellers, much like Igor’s recent acquaintance, the German voyager Gerry the Tramp. So if they cannot find a suitable subject nearby, they are happy to find something further afield: Shadrapa’s Livejournal, for example, includes a whole sequence of posts about Southeast Asia, mixed in with more familiar territory.

Speaking of familiarity, though, there are also calls to make the familiar new and interesting, to take a different perspective. The same Shadrapa also has a post showing how people capture architecture on Instagram, with a strong focus on contrast, patterns, and composition, using the peculiar shapes of Soviet and Russian buildings. (His use of the word зафоловить caught my eye – it’s a Russification of “to follow,” in a Tumblr or Instagram sense. The Internet is a great place to find new borrowed words!) He then follows his own advice with a slightly fancier camera, taking new, interesting, and often humorous shots of familiar sculptures and larger structures in the area. Russos, on his Livejournal, follows in the same vein with his panoramas of the Mayakovskaya subway station in Moscow, playing with other, previously unconsidered angles.

With the last post, from Russos, it’s worth pointing out how easy it is to get lost in these blogs, and to end up pleasantly surprised – following a link in this post about how to view photographs, I somehow ended up at a post with cards that used cat cartoons to explain the convoluted rules of Russian grammar and spelling. This, to me, felt like the perfect encapsulation of the Russian user: someone who uses humor to play with everything – be it language, photography, or architecture.


Photo credit: Wikimedia Commons

Like this post? Get a weekly email digest + member-only deals

Some of Our Books

Russian Rules

Russian 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.
Fearful Majesty

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.
The Samovar Murders

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.
Okudzhava Bilingual

Okudzhava Bilingual

Poems, songs and autobiographical sketches by Bulat Okudzhava, the king of the Russian bards. 
Chekhov Bilingual

Chekhov Bilingual

Some of Chekhov's most beloved stories, with English and accented Russian on facing pages throughout. 
Fish: A History of One Migration

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

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 Little Humpbacked Horse (bilingual)

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.
93 Untranslatable Russian Words

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.
Moscow and Muscovites

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. 

About Us

Russian Life is a publication of a 30-year-young, award-winning publishing house that creates a bimonthly magazine, books, maps, and other products for Russophiles the world over.

Latest Posts

Our Contacts

Russian Life
73 Main Street, Suite 402
Montpelier VT 05602

802-223-4955