December 14, 2020

More Dead Souls


More Dead Souls
Rostec. Employees: 14 less than you'd think. Ivtorov, Wikimedia Commons

Life reflects Gogol, too often.

An executive at one of Russia's largest high-tech firms, Rostec, is under house arrest following a legal scandal.

Alla Laletina, director for legal support and corporate governance, has lost her position after it was discovered that fourteen of her employees didn't exist. Instead, she collected salaries from the nonexistent workers at Novosibirsk Artificial Fiber Plant JSC, which manufactures military equipment.

The total amount in salaries collected totals more than R5 million ($68,500), and the scheme reportedly included other beneficiaries, as well.

At least they were employees, and not serfs (or students).

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Faith & Humor
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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.

The Moscow Eccentric
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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.

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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.

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Driving Down Russia's Spine

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