June 22, 2017

Soccer, Sci-Fi, Snipers, and Tsoy


Soccer, Sci-Fi, Snipers, and Tsoy
Sports, Strugatskys, and Punk-Rock Songs

1. From June 17 to July 2, Russia is hosting the Confederations Cup – essentially a dress rehearsal for next year’s World Cup. Preparations for the international football tournament have been mired in controversy, from difficulty selling tickets and worries about security and hooligans to scandals around stadiums. In particular, the Zenit stadium was completed behind schedule and over budget, with allegations of poor conditions (or worse) for the workers who constructed it. On the bright side, Russia won its first game of the tournament, defeating New Zealand 2-0.

2. Fans of sci-fi and the Strugatsky brothers have had a year of ups and downs, with plans for a TV adaptation of Roadside Picnic being picked up and then dropped – much like the planet Earth is visited by aliens and then abandoned like a haphazard picnic spot in the novel. But the supernova has a silver lining. First, the concept art, designed by Alexei Andreyev, lives on (check out his sketches). Second, the producing studio is shopping around for another outlet. Finally, if you’re really craving a dose of Strugatsky weirdness, go watch Stalker, Andrei Tarkovsky’s film adaptation of the same novel.

3. “Tsoy lives” is a favorite refrain of fans of the 1980s rock group KINO and its lead singer, Viktor Tsoy. Unfortunately, Tsoy died in a car crash in 1990 at age 28, but had he lived, June 21st would have marked his 55th birthday. During the Perestroika era, Tsoy and his music shattered norms and captured a generation’s desire for change. In honor of his birthday, read up on the Russian rocker’s cult status, vote for (and listen to) your favorite KINO song, or check out photos of young Tsoy.

In Odder News
  • Get to know famous female snipers who are little-known champions of WWII. Almost as good as their shooting are their nicknames, including “Lady Death” and “the Invisible Horror.”
  • In last week’s televised “Direct Line,” President Putin answered 70 public questions over nearly 4 hours. See some of the uncensored questions that probably weren’t supposed to show up on national TV.
  • What do you get when you cross motorcycling and soccer? It’s not a joke: it’s a dangerous and expensive sport called motoball. Maybe that’s why the Confederations Cup hasn’t sold many tickets.

Quote of the Week

"I am ready to take a blood oath that not a single person in attendance knew what sort of change he wanted, yet there was no one who did not want it…It’s problematic, of course, to yell ‘Change!’ without knowing what exactly you want.”
—Sergey Solovyov, director of the film Assa starring Viktor Tsoy, on the final scene of the movie, in which a crowd of thousands cheered and sang along as KINO performed their song “We’re Waiting for Change.”

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Turgenev Bilingual

Turgenev Bilingual

A sampling of Ivan Turgenev's masterful short stories, plays, novellas and novels. Bilingual, with English and accented Russian texts running side by side on adjoining pages.
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Okudzhava Bilingual

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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.  
A Taste of Russia

A Taste of Russia

The definitive modern cookbook on Russian cuisine has been totally updated and redesigned in a 30th Anniversary Edition. Layering superbly researched recipes with informative essays on the dishes' rich historical and cultural context, A Taste of Russia includes over 200 recipes on everything from borshch to blini, from Salmon Coulibiac to Beef Stew with Rum, from Marinated Mushrooms to Walnut-honey Filled Pies. A Taste of Russia shows off the best that Russian cooking has to offer. Full of great quotes from Russian literature about Russian food and designed in a convenient wide format that stays open during use.
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The Frogs Who Begged for a Tsar (bilingual)

The Frogs Who Begged for a Tsar (bilingual)

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Davai! The Russians and Their Vodka
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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.

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