August 11, 2021

Hell's Builders


Hell's Builders

“There is not a single builder in Paradise.”

– Stanislav Lisichenko, Russian restaurateur

On August 8, Russia celebrated its sixty-fifth “Builder’s Day.”

We know there are no builders in Paradise, it seems, because when Heaven and Hell agreed to build a bridge to connect the two “respected departments,” the Devil and his crew found an empty expanse when they reached the midpoint of the project. After calling up Heaven, they were told that not one builder had been admitted.

Staff at Russian news outlet Kommersant spoke with several businesspeople involved in Russian construction projects about the workers, who are the backbone of infrastructure, and most of them gave mixed reviews. Respondents told tales of pipes sealed with chewing gum and amazing feats, replete with stereotypes of “lazy” workers, “bunglers,” and descriptions of at turns soulful, deceptive, and respectable folk. Sergey Rak, Deputy Director of the Russian Franchising Association, repeated advice from a Russified German foreman “not to pay a dime before the workers hand over the work.”

Nikita Kruschev first proposed the holiday, which celebrates all workers involved in the construction process of buildings and infrastructure. ALL workers – not just the professionals! As Russia is facing a recent shortage of builders due to the loss of cheap migrant workers during the pandemic, they have enlisted the help of prisoners, too.

 

 

 

You Might Also Like

New GULAG?
  • July 01, 2021

New GULAG?

Russian authorities have found a new way to boost the country’s sluggish economic growth while also solving the shortage of construction workers: prison labor.
The Shtandart

The Shtandart

On the banks of the Neva River’s northernmost curve, the wooden skeleton of a great frigate is slowly taking shape.
A Stove Named Yerofeyevich
  • January 01, 2021

A Stove Named Yerofeyevich

What is a Russian home without a stove? Exactly. But how does one build one? Now that is less simple.
What Lies Beneath
  • May 01, 2021

What Lies Beneath

On the architectural heritage of Moscow that is being lost, bit by bit, though not without some resistance by dedicated scientists and activists.
The Enchantment of Kimzha
  • July 01, 2015

The Enchantment of Kimzha

William Brumfield has been tromping all over the Russian North for three decades, documenting soon-to-be-lost architecture and villages. He takes us to tiny Kimzha.
Like this post? Get a weekly email digest + member-only deals

Some of Our Books

The Latchkey Murders

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...
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.
White Magic

White Magic

The thirteen tales in this volume – all written by Russian émigrés, writers who fled their native country in the early twentieth century – contain a fair dose of magic and mysticism, of terror and the supernatural. There are Petersburg revenants, grief-stricken avengers, Lithuanian vampires, flying skeletons, murders and duels, and even a ghostly Edgar Allen Poe.
Bears in the Caviar

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.
Faith & Humor: Notes from Muscovy

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.
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.
Maria's War: A Soldier's Autobiography

Maria's War: A Soldier's Autobiography

This astonishingly gripping autobiography by the founder of the Russian Women’s Death Battallion in World War I is an eye-opening documentary of life before, during and after the Bolshevik Revolution.
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 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.

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