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.

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

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.
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 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.
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.
The Latchkey Murders

The Latchkey Murders

Senior Lieutenant Pavel Matyushkin is back on the case in this prequel to the popular mystery Murder at the Dacha, in which a serial killer is on the loose in Khrushchev’s Moscow...
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. 
Survival Russian

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.
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.
Davai! The Russians and Their Vodka

Davai! The Russians and Their Vodka

In this comprehensive, quixotic and addictive book, Edwin Trommelen explores all facets of the Russian obsession with vodka. Peering chiefly through the lenses of history and literature, Trommelen offers up an appropriately complex, rich and bittersweet portrait, based on great respect for Russian culture.
The Samovar Murders

The Samovar Murders

The murder of a poet is always more than a murder. When a famous writer is brutally stabbed on the campus of Moscow’s Lumumba University, the son of a recently deposed African president confesses, and the case assumes political implications that no one wants any part of.
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.
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.

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