May 13, 2020

A New Role for Kioski?


A New Role for Kioski?
Old ladies sweeping sawdust need some help in keeping the metro safe and clean. The RussianLife files

In the face of the coronavirus pandemic, Moscow's metro is taking on the challenge of fighting the disease.

In addition to passcards, travelers can now pick up masks and gloves at metro ticket stalls. 

Subway passengers can protect themselves from coronavirus by purchasing these at any metro station, some with multiple locations, bringing the kiosk total to 966. Thousands of masks and gloves have been distributed in anticipation of the implementation of a rule on May 12 requiring masks on public transport.

Here's secretly hoping that this will encourage the rebirth of the once-ubiquitous kioski that once lined underground corridors and sold everything from hats to cameras to lingerie. It would be easy to add a couple more products to their lineup.

 

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This compact volume is an introduction to the works of Chekhov the master storyteller, via nine stories spanning the last twenty years of his life.
Turgenev Bilingual

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Bears in the Caviar

Bears in the Caviar

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Maria's War: A Soldier's Autobiography

Maria's War: A Soldier's Autobiography

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The Pet Hawk of the House of Abbas

The Pet Hawk of the House of Abbas

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The Little Humpbacked Horse (bilingual)

The Little Humpbacked Horse (bilingual)

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Jews in Service to the Tsar
October 09, 2011

Jews in Service to the Tsar

Benjamin Disraeli advised, “Read no history: nothing but biography, for that is life without theory.” With Jews in Service to the Tsar, Lev Berdnikov offers us 28 biographies spanning five centuries of Russian Jewish history, and each portrait opens a new window onto the history of Eastern Europe’s Jews, illuminating dark corners and challenging widely-held conceptions about the role of Jews in Russian history.

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Fearful Majesty

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Steppe
July 15, 2022

Steppe

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Faith & Humor
December 01, 2011

Faith & Humor

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.

How Russia Got That Way
September 20, 2025

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A fast-paced crash course in Russian history, from Norsemen to Navalny, that explores the ways the Kremlin uses history to achieve its ends.

A Taste of Chekhov
December 24, 2022

A Taste of Chekhov

This compact volume is an introduction to the works of Chekhov the master storyteller, via nine stories spanning the last twenty years of his life.

Bears in the Caviar
May 01, 2015

Bears in the Caviar

Bears in the Caviar is a hilarious and insightful memoir by a diplomat who was “present at the creation” of US-Soviet relations. Charles Thayer headed off to Russia in 1933, calculating that if he could just learn Russian and be on the spot when the US and USSR established relations, he could make himself indispensable and start a career in the foreign service. Remarkably, he pulled it of.

At the Circus
January 01, 2013

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.

The Pet Hawk of the House of Abbas
October 01, 2013

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.

 

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