February 15, 2020

St. Petersburg Hold-'em, or Russian Roulette?


St. Petersburg Hold-'em, or Russian Roulette?
We've only ever seen this in movies. We think it's a roulette wheel? Wikimedia Commons, Tori Lozano

A leader of a city precinct of St. Petersburg has resigned after authorities discovered an illegal casino in his apartment

Oleg Kalyadin, of Putin's "United Russia" party, had his apartment burst into by police officers. Inside, they discovered a dozen slot machines, roulette wheels, and poker tables, comprising a delightfully oxymoronic high-rise underground casino.

In response, Kalyadin asserted that he was renting out the property and had no knowledge of the seedy underbelly of his apartment. According to United Russia, he has resigned and his position was taken by another party member.

It's amazing what you can do with small spaces these days. No word if Ikea is planning on launching a new SPELA line (that's Swedish for "gamble," in case you were wondering).

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Murder at the Dacha

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Little Golden Calf
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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 Little Humpbacked Horse
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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.

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White Magic

The thirteen tales in this volume – all written by Russian émigrés, writers who fled their native country in the early twentieth century – contain a fair dose of magic and mysticism, of terror and the supernatural. There are Petersburg revenants, grief-stricken avengers, Lithuanian vampires, flying skeletons, murders and duels, and even a ghostly Edgar Allen Poe.

Jews in Service to the Tsar
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Jews in Service to the Tsar

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The Moscow Eccentric
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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.

At the Circus
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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.

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