January 18, 2023

So Long to Kate


So Long to Kate
Riding less-than-triumphantly: a contemporary portrait of a young Catherine. The Russian Life files.

In recent weeks Odesa, Ukraine has removed its public statues of Catherine the Great, the Russian empress instrumental in founding the city.

The move comes amid the continued "de-Russification" of Ukraine. Local authorities are distancing themselves from Russian influence amid a bloody and continuing conflict. 

The statues had been repeatedly vandalized since Russia began its invasion of Ukraine on February 24, 2022. Recently, an electronic poll conducted by the city found support for removing the monuments. Over the New Year holidays, city officials did just that.

Catherine II, known to history as "the Great," ruled Russia as empress from 1762 to 1796. Her campaigns into what is now Ukraine extended Russian influence in the Black Sea area and led to the founding of Odesa, Sevastopol, and Kherson.

Through this colonization of the area, Catherine also created the idea of "New Russia," "Novorossiya," a phrase often used in Kremlin propaganda to justify the invasion of Ukraine.

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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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The Pet Hawk of the House of Abbas

This exciting new trilogy by a Russian author – who has been compared to Orhan Pamuk and Umberto Eco – vividly recreates a lost world, yet its passions and characters are entirely relevant to the present day. Full of mystery, memorable characters, and non-stop adventure, The Pet Hawk of the House of Abbas is a must read for lovers of historical fiction and international thrillers.

 
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