December 12, 2022

What Is Born from Fire


What Is Born from Fire
A screenshot from the video. YouTube, Monetochka.

On December 6, the internet-famous Russian singer Monetochka released a music video on Youtube for her song "Gori" ("Burn") that directly criticizes pro-government propaganda.

Initially released in 2019 as "Gori, Gori, Gori" ("Burn, Burn, Burn"), the song addressed not only the wildfires in Siberia at the time but also the persecution of artists in Russia. In that video she employed the "Everything is Fine" meme, showing her surroundings in flames while she sat on a chair with a forced smile. All proceeds from the video were directed to Greenpeace's efforts to combat the wildfires.

From her exile in Lithuania, Monetochka has now released a new video for the song. In the new version, the world is grey and ordinary citizens are transformed into furniture by a missile coming from their televisions. Then, all of them are burned up by authorities, who dance around in a circle. Suddenly a new man is born from the ashes. The authorities give him a suit and he reenters society. The video is below.

Monetochka leaves us asking: when the world burns, who will be the phoenix born from its ashes?

You Might Also Like

Playing With Fire
  • October 15, 2022

Playing With Fire

Maria Yudina was a profoundly gifted pianist and teacher. And there is a certain lingering myth about her...
Too Hot for Kazakhstan
  • November 22, 2022

Too Hot for Kazakhstan

A Russian singer's Almaty concert was canceled due to her vocal support of the Russian invasion of Ukraine.
Kremlin Cancels Culture
  • August 18, 2022

Kremlin Cancels Culture

A working group of the Russian State Duma has compiled a list of cultural figures who have denounced the war in Ukraine. They can either "repent" or quit their jobs.
Like this post? Get a weekly email digest + member-only deals

Some of Our Books

Survival Russian

Survival Russian

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.
White Magic

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.
Chekhov Bilingual

Chekhov Bilingual

Some of Chekhov's most beloved stories, with English and accented Russian on facing pages throughout. 
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.
Bears in the Caviar

Bears in the Caviar

Bears in the Caviar is a hilarious and insightful memoir by a diplomat who was “present at the creation” of US-Soviet relations. Charles Thayer headed off to Russia in 1933, calculating that if he could just learn Russian and be on the spot when the US and USSR established relations, he could make himself indispensable and start a career in the foreign service. Remarkably, he pulled it of.
The Pet Hawk of the House of Abbas

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.  
The Frogs Who Begged for a Tsar (bilingual)

The Frogs Who Begged for a Tsar (bilingual)

The fables of Ivan Krylov are rich fonts of Russian cultural wisdom and experience – reading and understanding them is vital to grasping the Russian worldview. This new edition of 62 of Krylov’s tales presents them side-by-side in English and Russian. The wonderfully lyrical translations by Lydia Razran Stone are accompanied by original, whimsical color illustrations by Katya Korobkina.
Fish: A History of One Migration

Fish: A History of One Migration

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.

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