November 03, 2020

The Emperor Has No Clothes


The Emperor Has No Clothes
No, this isn't the naked photo you're looking for. Public domain

Russian emperors: they're just like us, butts and all.

In case you were in doubt about monarchs' humanity, take a gander at these recently-resurfaced photos of Nicholas II enjoying a skinny-dip on the Finnish coast in 1912.

The Moscow Times reports that digital photo colorist Marina Amaral came across the images while working on a recent project. Since tweeting out her salacious findings, the photos have spread throughout cyberspace.

Many have commented on Nicholas' physique, which is impressive even by 21st-century standards; if nothing else, these photos should serve as motivation for your morning workout.

Our hope is that the photos are soon colorized, so we can giggle at them in even more realistic glory. See them for yourself here, if the idea of looking at Romanov ass-cheeks is appealing to you (which it definitely is, of course).

 

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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.

A Taste of Russia
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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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Vladimir Gilyarovsky's classic portrait of the Russian capital is one of Russians’ most beloved books. Yet it has never before been translated into English. Until now! It is a spectactular verbal pastiche: conversation, from gutter gibberish to the drawing room; oratory, from illiterates to aristocrats; prose, from boilerplate to Tolstoy; poetry, from earthy humor to Pushkin. 

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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.

Steppe
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