February 07, 2023

What Is Fair in Love and War?


What Is Fair in Love and War?
Olympic rings in front of the Hôtel de Ville, Paris's city hall.  Wikimedia Commons, DiscoA340.

The possibility of Russian and Belarusian participation in the 2024 Olympic Games has been under serious consideration by both the International Olympic Committee (IOC) and spectators in response to the two countries' (mostly Russia's) aggression in Ukraine.

Thomas Bach, the current president of the IOC, said that athletes should not be punished for holding Russian passports. Bach's position provoked a resentful response from multiple EU countries as well as Ukraine.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky adamantly said that neutrality is not possible if you are opening the door for oppressors. Vadym Guttzeit, Ukraine's sports minister, said, "If we are not heard, I do not rule out the possibility that we will boycott and refuse participation in the Olympics."

In response, the IOC said that "a boycott is a violation of the Olympic charter, which obliges all NOCs [national Olympic committees] to 'participate in the Games of the Olympiad by sending athletes.' As history has shown, previous boycotts did not achieve their political ends and served only to punish the athletes of the boycotting NOCs."

Since January 25, the IOC Executive Committee has been deliberating various alternatives for participation by Russian and Belarusian athletes, all of which would require: not representing their country (or any organization relative to their country) in any way, abiding by all anti-doping rules, and only accepting athletes who have not opposed the IOC's mission to promote peace.

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Little Golden Calf
February 01, 2010

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.

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October 09, 2011

Jews in Service to the Tsar

Benjamin Disraeli advised, “Read no history: nothing but biography, for that is life without theory.” With Jews in Service to the Tsar, Lev Berdnikov offers us 28 biographies spanning five centuries of Russian Jewish history, and each portrait opens a new window onto the history of Eastern Europe’s Jews, illuminating dark corners and challenging widely-held conceptions about the role of Jews in Russian history.

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December 01, 2011

Faith & Humor

A book that dares to explore the humanity of priests and pilgrims, saints and sinners, Faith & Humor has been both a runaway bestseller in Russia and the focus of heated controversy – as often happens when a thoughtful writer takes on sacred cows. The stories, aphorisms, anecdotes, dialogues and adventures in this volume comprise an encyclopedia of modern Russian Orthodoxy, and thereby of Russian life.

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.

Driving Down Russia's Spine
June 01, 2016

Driving Down Russia's Spine

The story of the epic Spine of Russia trip, intertwining fascinating subject profiles with digressions into historical and cultural themes relevant to understanding modern Russia. 

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January 01, 2013

At the Circus

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