February 06, 2023

Tolstoy and Pushkin, the New Foreign Agents


Tolstoy and Pushkin, the New Foreign Agents
Tolstoy is listed as a "declared foreign agent on the territory of the Russian Federation" on Labirint's website. Ostorozhno, Novosty, Telegram

Last December, the Russian government passed laws banning books that contained "gay propaganda" and forced booksellers to label many authors as foreign agents. In response, the well-known Russian online bookstore Labirint seems to have listed Alexander Pushkin, Lev Tolstoy, and Samuil Marshak, some of Russian literature's most famous names, as inoagenty ("foreign agents").

The news site Ostorozhno, Novosty contacted a Labirint saleswoman, who said that it was all just a technical glitch and that they would refresh the page. Suddenly, the inoagenty labels disappeared. After that, the representative reportedly said: "Here, look at what a sorceress I am, just call me. Bye-bye." 

Ostorozhno, Novosty suspects this episode was an "internal riot" by a bookstore employee. However, the chaos generated by government censorship in the Russian book-publishing industry is undeniable. Recent literature organizations have been scrambling to decide which books to ban, sometimes with surprising conclusions.

 

 

You Might Also Like

Memes For Our Times

Memes For Our Times

We explain ten recent memes that best capture the current sociopolitical mood across a large subset of Russian society.
A Ban on Russian
  • February 01, 2023

A Ban on Russian

Kyiv-Mohlya Academy has banned the Russian language inside the institution.
Game Over
  • January 30, 2023

Game Over

The Russian government has asked the prosecutor's office to create a list of banned video games.
A Word is Not a Sparrow
  • December 27, 2022

A Word is Not a Sparrow

Russian graffiti artist Ffchw uses stenciled words to make his point. "No one has a right to be silent now," he says.
Art and Punishment
  • December 18, 2022

Art and Punishment

Unearthed archival documents show that Vladimir Putin investigated a dissident artist as a junior KGB agent in Leningrad.
Like this post? Get a weekly email digest + member-only deals

Some of our Books

Fish
February 01, 2010

Fish

This mesmerizing novel from one of Russia’s most important modern authors traces the life journey of a selfless Russian everywoman. In the wake of the Soviet breakup, inexorable forces drag Vera across the breadth of the Russian empire. Facing a relentless onslaught of human and social trials, she swims against the current of life, countering adversity and pain with compassion and hope, in many ways personifying Mother Russia’s torment and resilience amid the Soviet disintegration.

Steppe
July 15, 2022

Steppe

This is the work that made Chekhov, launching his career as a writer and playwright of national and international renown. Retranslated and updated, this new bilingual edition is a super way to improve your Russian.

Murder at the Dacha
July 01, 2013

Murder at the Dacha

Senior Lieutenant Pavel Matyushkin has a problem. Several, actually. Not the least of them is the fact that a powerful Soviet boss has been murdered, and Matyushkin's surly commander has given him an unreasonably short time frame to close the case.

The Moscow Eccentric
December 01, 2016

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 Samovar Murders
November 01, 2019

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.

White Magic
June 01, 2021

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.

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