November 08, 2018

Our Untold Stories


Our Untold Stories

Ever wonder what we don’t publish? Well, here it is. The scraps on our cutting room floor, and last week’s fourth-best story – all collected in one wonderfully semi-interesting place. So, while these things didn’t happen last week, they are still keepers that it was a shame not to share.

One unfortunate Russian child got a 2 (equivalent to an American “D”) for not watching a movie for homework. The class? Physical education. The movie? Going Vertical, a movie about the 1972 Soviet basketball team prevailing over the US in the Olympics (to be fair, it’s an inspiring cinematic experience). Does that seem unfair to you? Luckily, some parents thought so as well, and the kid’s bad mark was removed.

Calling it art forgives everything… one Russian city councilman’s wife had the brilliant idea of making a dance video in the middle of a busy street. Her twerking was not only a bit out of place, but it literally stopped traffic (including three ambulances!). Dance responsibly, people!

After funding for a local homeless shelter fell through, a businessman in Khabarovsk had the great idea of donating his used buses to serve as temporary shelters. The buses have a bathroom, beds, and heating.

Bus shelters

Photo: Moscva News Agency

What do priests bless in Russia? Well really, the question should be what don’t priests bless in Russia? Because what they do bless includes everything from a Soyuz rocket to cats to metro cars.

After a fan brought a carpet to a FC Rostov soccer game, the natural thing occurred: the team released a limited edition carpet-themed jersey. What’s the pile? Sorry, can’t help you. But it sure does tie the room together...

Carpet jerseys

Photo: FC Rostov

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.

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Some of our Books

At the Circus
January 01, 2013

At the Circus

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.

Survival Russian
February 01, 2009

Survival Russian

Survival Russian is an intensely practical guide to conversational, colloquial and culture-rich Russian. It uses humor, current events and thematically-driven essays to deepen readers’ understanding of Russian language and culture. This enlarged Second Edition of Survival Russian includes over 90 essays and illuminates over 2000 invaluable Russian phrases and words.

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.

Faith & Humor
December 01, 2011

Faith & Humor

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
December 24, 2022

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.

The Little Humpbacked Horse
November 03, 2014

The Little Humpbacked Horse

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.

Stargorod: A Novel in Many Voices
May 01, 2013

Stargorod: A Novel in Many Voices

Stargorod is a mid-sized provincial city that exists only in Russian metaphorical space. It has its roots in Gogol, and Ilf and Petrov, and is a place far from Moscow, but close to Russian hearts. It is a place of mystery and normality, of provincial innocence and Black Earth wisdom. Strange, inexplicable things happen in Stargorod. So do good things. And bad things. A lot like life everywhere, one might say. Only with a heavy dose of vodka, longing and mystery.

Jews in Service to the Tsar
October 09, 2011

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.

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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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