December 07, 2017

Presidents, Olympians, and Feathered Friends


Presidents, Olympians, and Feathered Friends
Competitions: Political, Athletic, and For the Birds

1. Surprise, surprise! Present President Vladimir Putin has announced his bid to run for the presidency in 2018. This would be his fourth term, and would last until 2024. At an event for volunteers in Moscow on Wednesday, he said he would run if the people supported him. At an event later that day at the Gorky Automobile Factory in Nizhny Novgorod, he officially announced his intention to run for president.

2. It’s a sad day for Olympics lovers. Allegations that Russian athletes are guilty of doping have led to Russian athletes being banned from the 2018 winter Olympics in Pyeongchang, South Korea. The only athletes who will be permitted to take part are those with a clean record, and they’ll have to compete under a neutral flag. Debates are raging: is Russia being unfairly blamed, or rightfully punished? What do athletes have to say? And is anger at the ban warranted? If only the debates could be a new competitive sport of their own.

3. Swan Lake needs a new house. The structure dedicated to the swans of Gorky Park is rundown, and construction of a new one would cost about 4 million rubles. The Moscow Prosecutor’s Office ruled that the proposed cost for the construction was impractically high, noting that the price is not too far off from that of a Moscow apartment. Our furry and feathered friends may be lovable enough to be funded, but however much you value swan housing, that amount for a swans’ house is not for the birds.

http://translate.google.com/translate?js=n&sl=ru&tl=en&u=%20https://www.rbc.ru/society/04/12/2017/5a24f8c89a79470db4acfc68?from=main&utm_source=Russian+Life&utm_campaign=d4eba22a23-Russia_File&utm_medium=email&utm_term=0_2e99ba62b2-d4eba22a23-191272545&goal=0_2e99ba62b2-d4eba22a23-191272545&mc_cid=d4eba22a23&mc_eid=d9cedee7c1

In Odder News
  • Russia’s absence from the 2018 Olympics is disheartening, and maybe the best way to deal with disappointment is by making light of it. Here are Russian social media’s top jokes about the Olympic ban.
  • Election question: does the 8 in 2018 represent Putin’s infinite rule, Sobchak’s glasses (or female attributes), or Navalny’s criminal record? Look at the art and interpret as you will.

  • Planning on visiting St. Pete with your pooch in tow? Think again. Here’s what’s behind Russia’s airplane ban on cats and doggies.

Quote of the Week

"So, today in this room, everyone without exception supports you. Vladimir Vladimirovich, make us a gift, announce your decision. Because we are for you, GAZ is for you."
—An employee of the Gorky Automobile Plant (GAZ) imploring Vladimir Putin to run for a fourth term as president.

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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.
The Frogs Who Begged for a Tsar (bilingual)

The Frogs Who Begged for a Tsar (bilingual)

The fables of Ivan Krylov are rich fonts of Russian cultural wisdom and experience – reading and understanding them is vital to grasping the Russian worldview. This new edition of 62 of Krylov’s tales presents them side-by-side in English and Russian. The wonderfully lyrical translations by Lydia Razran Stone are accompanied by original, whimsical color illustrations by Katya Korobkina.
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93 Untranslatable Russian Words

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Turgenev Bilingual

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Bears in the Caviar
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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.

93 Untranslatable Russian Words
December 01, 2008

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.

Marooned in Moscow
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Woe From Wit (bilingual)
June 20, 2017

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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.

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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.

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