December 15, 2016

Of mutts and men


Of mutts and men

Dogs, doping, and dirty words

1. Who would say no to a gift of a friendly, fluffy puppy? President Vladimir Putin would, but for political reasons, not hound-hating ones. Is the declined dog a sign of ruff relations between Russia and Japan? Putin has said that there are no territorial disputes between the countries, but the decades-long disagreement over the Kuril Islands shows there’s no puppy love between them. With neither country keen to relinquish the land, one of the leaders will have to throw the other one a bone.

2. There’s a skeleton in the closet, and it’s Russia’s upcoming bobsled competition. The International Bobsleigh and Skeleton Federation announced that it’s moving the championship tournament out of Sochi. The announcement came on the heels of the latest World Anti-Doping Agency report on doping by Russian athletes, and even though the report didn’t directly accuse Russian sledders, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov called the move a "politicized decision.” He’s right to be worried: push out the bobsled, and it’s a downhill slide from there.

3. A foreign diplomat is generally responsible for fielding debates, making deals, and occasionally, swearing at reporters. At least, that’s what Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov did at a Council of Foreign Ministers meeting this past week, barking “What do you want?” at a Reuters cameraman and then whispering “debily,” which loosely (and politely) translates to “morons.” It’s not the first time Lavrov has been caught on tape saying naughty words, either. Someone needs to wash his mouth out with soap.

In Odder News

  • It takes a lot of holiday spirit to do winter photography in Moscow. But it’s worth it for the views.
mymodernmet.com
  • Upping the oyster: the last year has seen mussel and oyster production in Russia double.
  • Times New Roman is out of time in Russia: Russian agencies are being deprived of it and other popular fonts due to sanctions. A font of knowledge can’t always be a font of fonts.

Quote of the Week

"Unfortunately, we heard from our counterparts, and our hope to present a bridegroom was dashed."
—Japanese MP Koichi Hagiuda on the news that Japan’s offer of a new dog for President Putin was rejected.

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

Bears in the Caviar

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.
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. 
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. 
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.
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.
Life Stories: Original Fiction By Russian Authors

Life Stories: Original Fiction By Russian Authors

The Life Stories collection is a nice introduction to contemporary Russian fiction: many of the 19 authors featured here have won major Russian literary prizes and/or become bestsellers. These are life-affirming stories of love, family, hope, rebirth, mystery and imagination, masterfully translated by some of the best Russian-English translators working today. The selections reassert the power of Russian literature to affect readers of all cultures in profound and lasting ways. Best of all, 100% of the profits from the sale of this book are going to benefit Russian hospice—not-for-profit care for fellow human beings who are nearing the end of their own life stories.
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. 
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.
Jews in Service to the Tsar

Jews in Service to the Tsar

Benjamin Disraeli advised, “Read no history: nothing but biography, for that is life without theory.” With Jews in Service to the Tsar, Lev Berdnikov offers us 28 biographies spanning five centuries of Russian Jewish history, and each portrait opens a new window onto the history of Eastern Europe’s Jews, illuminating dark corners and challenging widely-held conceptions about the role of Jews in Russian history.
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.

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