January 31, 2019

Art Theft Made Easy and Pizza vs. the New Cold War


Art Theft Made Easy and Pizza vs. the New Cold War
Air traffic controllers with their Russian Pizza. ATC Memes Facebook Page

The Best Crimes (and Gifts) are the Simplest Ones

1. A picture is worth a thousand words, which might explain why we’re speechless. This weekend, a man walked up to a painting in Moscow’s Tretyakov Gallery, plucked it off the wall, and brazenly sauntered out of the museum. The painting was a relatively low profile one – of the mountains of Crimea by the landscape painter Arkhip Kuindzhi, but luckily, it didn’t remain missing for long. Police arrested the thief and found the painting unharmed just one day later. The man has stated that he doesn’t quite remember what he was doing at that time, which, given his clear appreciation of art and creativity, we find rather uninspired.

 

2. Remember all the World Cup fans who fell in love with Russia and said they never wanted to leave? Well, it turns out not all of them did. Russian police estimate that 5,500 World Cup fans remain in Russia, enjoying the now expired visa exemption. However, they won’t be able to stay in their Russian vacation bliss for long: the police are hoping to get everyone back to their rightful place by March 31. If only getting our in-laws to leave was that easy.

3. Just when you thought there wasn’t any hope left in Russian-American relations, a story pops up to remind you that people will find a way to share their similarities, not just highlight their differences. In a show of support, Russian air traffic controllers bought pizza for their American brethren, who were working without pay thanks to the partial government shutdown. The move was inspired by Canadian air traffic controllers who did the same. To say this story gives us that warm glow might sound cheesy, but, just like our pizza, that’s the way we like it.

Air traffic controllers with Russian pizza
Air traffic controllers with Russian pizza. / ATC Memes Facebook Page

In Odder News:

  • Incredibly rare footage of endangered Siberian tiger cubs playing like the kittens they are? Yes please.
  • From “rags” to riches: read the Cinderella story of a South African print business that hit it big and decided to invest in the (apparently booming) Russian classifieds industry
  • Maybe you should count your eggs: Russians are surprised to find one less egg in their carton, thanks to rising food prices

Quote of the Week

“I hope that all of them will be expelled by March 30.”

— Andrey Kayushin, discussing the World Cup fans that overstayed their welcome

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Some of Our Books

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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.
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.
A Taste of Russia

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.
Chekhov Bilingual

Chekhov Bilingual

Some of Chekhov's most beloved stories, with English and accented Russian on facing pages throughout. 
The Latchkey Murders

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Stargorod: A Novel in Many Voices

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Turgenev Bilingual

Turgenev Bilingual

A sampling of Ivan Turgenev's masterful short stories, plays, novellas and novels. Bilingual, with English and accented Russian texts running side by side on adjoining pages.
Murder and the Muse

Murder and the Muse

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Okudzhava Bilingual

Okudzhava Bilingual

Poems, songs and autobiographical sketches by Bulat Okudzhava, the king of the Russian bards. 
Fish: A History of One Migration

Fish: A History of One Migration

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Marooned in Moscow

Marooned in Moscow

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The Frogs Who Begged for a Tsar (bilingual)

The Frogs Who Begged for a Tsar (bilingual)

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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.

 
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.

Steppe
July 15, 2022

Steppe

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.

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.

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.

Little Golden Calf
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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.

Murder at the Dacha
July 01, 2013

Murder at the Dacha

Senior Lieutenant Pavel Matyushkin has a problem. Several, actually. Not the least of them is the fact that a powerful Soviet boss has been murdered, and Matyushkin's surly commander has given him an unreasonably short time frame to close the case.

Russian Rules
November 16, 2011

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Murder and the Muse
December 12, 2016

Murder and the Muse

KGB Chief Andropov has tapped Matyushkin to solve a brazen jewel heist from Picasso’s wife at the posh Metropole Hotel. But when the case bleeds over into murder, machinations, and international intrigue, not everyone is eager to see where the clues might lead.

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