June 24, 2013

Fiction Contest: Summer 2013


Fiction Contest: Summer 2013

We’re holding a contest!

The cover image for our July/August 2013 issue (click on the thumbnail at right for larger view) was lost for 80 years. It bore the simple inscription “Soldiers at Omsk Train Station,” yet it seems to us to contain huge potential for a short story. It was, after all, taken in late 1918, as Russia lurched from World War to Civil War, from monarchy to proletarian dictatorship. What is this man’s story?

So we are sponsoring a short story contest. Here are the rules.

  1. All stories must be submitted in electronic format, via email (with text or MS Word attachment) to [email protected]
  2. Stories may be a maxium of 500 words. Maximum two entries per person.
  3. Stories must be submitted in English. All entries must include entrant’s full name, address, and email address.
  4. Stories will be judged on their literary merit and on how well they interpret or are inspired by the cover image for this issue, or the full image printed on page 28. Judges’ decisions will be final. Judges may decide that there are no winners to the contest or multiple winners.
  5. Stories may not have been previously published in any form.
  6. The deadline for submissions is September 1, 2013, at midnight Eastern Time. Winners will be announced in the November/December issue of the magazine.
  7. No one associated with the magazine by employment or by relation is eligible for participation in the contest. Freelance article authors are eligible.
  8. By submitting an entry to the contest, you agree to have your essay published without compensation, should you be chosen by the judges as a winner.

The cover image is actually only part of the full image. Subscribers to the print edition will see the full image in the opening spread of the article on John Rahill's Magic Lantern. You do not, however, need to be a subscriber to Russian Life to partake in the contest. Here is a web resolution version of the image to give non-subscribers a better idea of all it includes.

Prizes

The chief prize for winning this contest is seeing your story published in a future issue of Russian Life. But we are also sweetening the pot. Winners will receive a box full of Russian Life swag, meaning books and other goodies, valued at between $50 and $100.

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Some of our Books

Fearful Majesty
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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.

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.

 
Little Golden Calf
February 01, 2010

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.

Woe From Wit (bilingual)
June 20, 2017

Woe From Wit (bilingual)

One of the most famous works of Russian literature, the four-act comedy in verse Woe from Wit skewers staid, nineteenth century Russian society, and it positively teems with “winged phrases” that are essential colloquialisms for students of Russian and Russian culture.

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.

How Russia Got That Way
September 20, 2025

How Russia Got That Way

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

White Magic
June 01, 2021

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.

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.

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