October 18, 2018

Of Rockets and Ruptures


Of Rockets and Ruptures
Skyfall (the not-so-good type)

1. Baikonur, we have a problem. A Russian Soyuz rocket launch failure led to an emergency landing this week. It is not known what triggered a failure signal inside the shuttle, but once the system registered failure, the emergency landing procedure automatically began. Luckily, the emergency landing was successful and the crew, one Russian and one American, both heading for the International Space Station, escaped without a scratch. However, the failure has put future Russian launches on hold, thwarting American short-term ambitions in space as well. Instead of a giant leap, this is a not-so-small step back.

Astronauts safe

Photo: NASA

2. What job is so appealing that 80 people will apply for it (and no, the money’s not great)? Being the official town cat chief! Zelenogradsk recently decided to hire a person to take care of the town’s beloved stray cats. This town’s feline fixation isn’t new; it already has Murarium, a museum entirely devoted to cats. In this new role the town’s cat chief, Svetlana Logunova, is to feed the cats, pet them all they want, and even give them rides in her official bicycle. In addition to her bicycle, Svetlana’s uniform consists of a bright green jacket, black bow tie, and a hat. Everything about this is absolutely purr-fect.

Cat lady for hire

Photo: Kristina Cheryomushkina

3. The Orthodox Church is going through a nasty family feud. This week the Russian Orthodox Church announced that it was severing all relations with the Ecumenical Patriarchate of Constantinople, which is the seat of the global spiritual leader of Orthodox Christians. This break is in response to Constantinople’s approval of an independent Ukrainian church that is separate from the Russian one. The split is itself largely a response to Russia’s annexation of Crimea, an act that, suffice it to say, soured Russian-Ukrainian relations.

In Odder News:

Trump, help!

Photo: FlashNord

  • In Trump We Trust: One Russian politician asked US President Donald Trump for help in a business dispute

  • Have you ever thought about all the similarities among Russian cities? Well, you’re not alone.

  • Remember Russia’s iPhone obsession? Well, here’s another example: Dagestan is offering an iPhone to the person who can report the most hate speech on the internet

Quote of the Week:

"I alone cannot care for every single one and a helping hand would go a long way”

— Zelenogradsk cat chief Svetlana Logunova, making an offer we suspect few will refuse

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Survival Russian

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.
Marooned in Moscow

Marooned in Moscow

This gripping autobiography plays out against the backdrop of Russia's bloody Civil War, and was one of the first Western eyewitness accounts of life in post-revolutionary Russia. Marooned in Moscow provides a fascinating account of one woman's entry into war-torn Russia in early 1920, first-person impressions of many in the top Soviet leadership, and accounts of the author's increasingly dangerous work as a journalist and spy, to say nothing of her work on behalf of prisoners, her two arrests, and her eventual ten-month-long imprisonment, including in the infamous Lubyanka prison. It is a veritable encyclopedia of life in Russia in the early 1920s.
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. 
Steppe / Степь (bilingual)

Steppe / Степь (bilingual)

This is the work that made Chekhov, launching his career as a writer and playwright of national and international renown. Retranslated and updated, this new bilingual edition is a super way to improve your Russian.
The Pet Hawk of the House of Abbas

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.  
Driving Down Russia's Spine

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. 
Woe From Wit (bilingual)

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.
Survival Russian
February 01, 2009

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.

A Taste of Russia
November 01, 2012

A Taste of Russia

The definitive modern cookbook on Russian cuisine has been totally updated and redesigned in a 30th Anniversary Edition. Layering superbly researched recipes with informative essays on the dishes' rich historical and cultural context, A Taste of Russia includes over 200 recipes on everything from borshch to blini, from Salmon Coulibiac to Beef Stew with Rum, from Marinated Mushrooms to Walnut-honey Filled Pies. A Taste of Russia shows off the best that Russian cooking has to offer. Full of great quotes from Russian literature about Russian food and designed in a convenient wide format that stays open during use.

The Little Humpbacked Horse
November 03, 2014

The Little Humpbacked Horse

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.

The Moscow Eccentric
December 01, 2016

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.

Driving Down Russia's Spine
June 01, 2016

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. 

The Latchkey Murders
July 01, 2015

The Latchkey Murders

Senior Lieutenant Pavel Matyushkin is back on the case in this prequel to the popular mystery Murder at the Dacha, in which a serial killer is on the loose in Khrushchev’s Moscow...

Marooned in Moscow
May 01, 2011

Marooned in Moscow

This gripping autobiography plays out against the backdrop of Russia's bloody Civil War, and was one of the first Western eyewitness accounts of life in post-revolutionary Russia. Marooned in Moscow provides a fascinating account of one woman's entry into war-torn Russia in early 1920, first-person impressions of many in the top Soviet leadership, and accounts of the author's increasingly dangerous work as a journalist and spy, to say nothing of her work on behalf of prisoners, her two arrests, and her eventual ten-month-long imprisonment, including in the infamous Lubyanka prison. It is a veritable encyclopedia of life in Russia in the early 1920s.

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