June 21, 2018

Russia Makes Hay in Moscow and Surmounts in St. Petersburg


Russia Makes Hay in Moscow and Surmounts in St. Petersburg
World Cup Double Whammy

1. Russian fans around the world just died and went to heaven. Against the naysayers and the disbelievers (among which you may count this shamefaced newsletter), Russia not only won its first World Cup match against Saudi Arabia with a stunning 5-0 final score, but continued to impress with a 3-1 victory against Egypt. This virtually ensures that Russia will play in the Round of 16, but before that they will play their final group of four game against Uruguay on Monday, June 25. Who could have predicted this result, if not your favorite newsletter? Well, try one of eleven oracles that Russia boasts, from the famous Achilles the Cat (famous to us, at least) to a Beluga whale named Puziryok. Maybe TWERF can’t correctly predict World Cup outcomes, but surely at least one of our animal friends can.

2. American mixed martial artist Jeff Monson is running for City Council in Krasnogorsk, Russia (no eye-catching hook necessary for this story). Or rather, Russian-American mixed martial artist, as Monson recently received his Russian citizenship. The fighter just won the United Russia primary, making him a virtual shoo-in for the general election, which is scheduled for September. Check out this interview with Monson to learn what his platform is (more opportunities for kids), how much Russian Monson knows (not much), and if he plans to win (yes).

Photo: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oa5165ecE1E

3. Zabivaka, the 2018 World Cup mascot, will light up your night and even your skyline, if you happen to live in Kaliningrad. For those of you not as World Cup crazy as TWERF, Zabivaka is a friendly and energetic wolf who loves to play soccer. In Kaliningrad, a bright Zabivaka stands 37 meters tall, glows in the dark, and is a stylized part of a power line. Constructing this cheery structure was no mean feat: it consists of 2,000 small parts and 3,500 nuts and bolts!

In odder news:

Photo: branconegra

  • Flying saucer spotted: a rocket exhaust trail looks suspiciously like E.T.’s new ride

  • It happens to everybody: a taxi driver blames his crash in Moscow on mixing up the pedals

  • Setting sail for the World Cup, literally: one Brit sailed to Volgograd from Europe for the World Cup

Quote of the Week:

“Maybe [the UFO is] coming to watch the World Cup. Why not? We welcome all guests.”

— The Russian Embassy in Britain on the possible UFO sighting

Want more where this comes from? Give your inbox the gift of TWERF, our Thursday newsletter on the quirkiest, obscurest, and Russianest of Russian happenings of the week.

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Some of Our Books

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.
At the Circus (bilingual)

At the Circus (bilingual)

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.
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.  
The Frogs Who Begged for a Tsar (bilingual)

The Frogs Who Begged for a Tsar (bilingual)

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.
Davai! The Russians and Their Vodka

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.
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.
Dostoyevsky Bilingual

Dostoyevsky Bilingual

Bilingual series of short, lesser known, but highly significant works that show the traditional view of Dostoyevsky as a dour, intense, philosophical writer to be unnecessarily one-sided. 
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. 
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.
Tolstoy Bilingual

Tolstoy Bilingual

This compact, yet surprisingly broad look at the life and work of Tolstoy spans from one of his earliest stories to one of his last, looking at works that made him famous and others that made him notorious. 
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. 

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