June 13, 2023

Medieval Musings


Medieval Musings
The collapse of the ceiling in the State Duma of the Russian Empire, 1907. Wikimedia Commons.

The Russian education system may see the reintroduction of Domostroy, a medieval guide to life and ethics authored by Archpriest Sylvester, Ivan the Terrible's confessor.

The proposal came from Alexei Didenko, deputy head of the Liberal Democratic Party of Russia (LDPR) faction in the State Duma. Didenko argued that Domostroy should be mandatory reading for students of all ages due to the perceived decline in the significance of marriage in contemporary Russia, where over half of registered unions result in divorce.

“This leads to a decline in the population and a crisis in the institution of the family,” Didenko said, “The return of Domostroy will help overcome this problem. This ancient guide to everyday life and family life should become a subject in schools and universities so that our citizens learn from childhood to build strong and happy families."

Domostroy is divided into three sections, each offering guidance on different aspects of life. The first section focuses on proper conduct and prayer within the church, while the second emphasizes respect for leaders. The third section covers domestic life and household management.

The book also advocates physical discipline in child-rearing, suggesting that parents should discipline their children from a young age and take pride in their courage. It also offers recommendations on how to treat wives, suggesting that they should be obedient and kept clean but advises caution when administering punishment, suggesting the polite use of a whip – while holding their hands.

Furthermore, Domostroy promotes a sense of fear and reverence towards one's leaders, considering them representatives of God on Earth.

You Might Also Like

Sweet Somethings
  • November 01, 2017

Sweet Somethings

As fall deepens and winter approaches, what could be better than a warm honey drink imbued with Russian history.
Food of the Gods
  • March 01, 2017

Food of the Gods

We look at the special place in Russian culture occupied by tvorog, and of course offer a tasty recipe...
Fugitive No. 1
  • March 18, 2023

Fugitive No. 1

Russian President and Indicted War Criminal Vladimir Putin had a bad day.
Fighting for God and Putin
  • October 04, 2022

Fighting for God and Putin

Patriarch Kirill says that Russians can fast-track their way to heaven by fighting in Ukraine.
Like this post? Get a weekly email digest + member-only deals

Some of Our Books

At the Circus (bilingual)

At the Circus (bilingual)

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.
Tolstoy Bilingual

Tolstoy Bilingual

This compact, yet surprisingly broad look at the life and work of Tolstoy spans from one of his earliest stories to one of his last, looking at works that made him famous and others that made him notorious. 
93 Untranslatable Russian Words

93 Untranslatable Russian Words

Every language has concepts, ideas, words and idioms that are nearly impossible to translate into another language. This book looks at nearly 100 such Russian words and offers paths to their understanding and translation by way of examples from literature and everyday life. Difficult to translate words and concepts are introduced with dictionary definitions, then elucidated with citations from literature, speech and prose, helping the student of Russian comprehend the word/concept in context.
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.
The Little Golden Calf

The 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.
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.
Marooned in Moscow

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.
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.
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.
A Taste of Chekhov

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.

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