February 23, 2017

100 Years Ago, In a Monarchy Far, Far Away...


100 Years Ago, In a Monarchy Far, Far Away...

1917, 2017, 1945

1. The February Revolution bears that name because it began on February 23. At least, in the Julian calendar it did. By the Gregorian calendar – used by much of the world, including Russia after early 1918 – the riots and strikes that led to a new world order began on March 8. Still, in honor of that day in late February, here’s a head start on the people who led the rallies that changed the face of the world, the role of World War I, and how the tsar himself was feeling as he saw his country collapsing around him. 

2. Antsy for a jaunt into space? Soon you’ll be able to book your ticket to the cosmos with S7, Russia’s most successful private airline. After receiving a license for space operations in Russia, S7 Group’s affiliated aerospace company plans to launch a Zenit-M rocket later in 2017 from Baikonur in Kazakhstan. After that, the company will use a floating launch platform called Sea Launch, forecasted to service 70 launches over the next 15 years. It’s T minus soon until the commercial space race blasts off.

3. Forget giving Goofy a hug or riding a rollercoaster: Russia’s Patriot Park is building a miniature Reichstag building for storming practice. Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu announced that the scaled-down replica will grant the Russian Youth Army (Yunarmia) the opportunity "to storm a specific location, not something abstract." The new building, along with other military attractions, is meant to bolster young folks’ patriotism by giving them a taste of World War II.

In Dogger News

  • Rumors are flying of a dog trekking around Russia and saving children in buses. Is it really the same dog? Hard to say. Is it a good story? Da, darling.
  • The U.S. has the Renaissance Fair. In Russia, there are at least five festivals that give you a true medieval experience, from jousting to log-throwing to hen football. Yes, hen football.
rbth.com
  • If you want to test your prowess but don’t go for medieval pursuits, try burying yourself in a coffin for 24 hours. That’s what one blogger did, and he’s stronger for it (at least, so he says).

Quote of the Week

“Why are we doing this? Just because it is beautiful.”
—S7 chief Vladislav Filyov on the decision to resurrect the Sea Launch initiative, with the goal of sending commercial flights into space. 

Cover image: A.M. Gerasimov, Skobelev Square during the February Revolution. Source: wikimedia.org

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.

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

Some of Our Books

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.
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. 
Okudzhava Bilingual

Okudzhava Bilingual

Poems, songs and autobiographical sketches by Bulat Okudzhava, the king of the Russian bards. 
The Moscow Eccentric

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.
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. 
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.
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.
Stargorod: A Novel in Many Voices

Stargorod: A Novel in Many Voices

Stargorod is a mid-sized provincial city that exists only in Russian metaphorical space. It has its roots in Gogol, and Ilf and Petrov, and is a place far from Moscow, but close to Russian hearts. It is a place of mystery and normality, of provincial innocence and Black Earth wisdom. Strange, inexplicable things happen in Stargorod. So do good things. And bad things. A lot like life everywhere, one might say. Only with a heavy dose of vodka, longing and mystery.
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. 
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.

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