June 09, 2020

Testing, Testing, One, Two, Three...


Testing, Testing, One, Two, Three...
Vaccines used to be a family affair. Fortunately they're a little more sanitary today. Louis Boilly, La vaccine ou Le préjugé vaincu au Wellcome Institute for the History of Medecine de Londres. Public Domain.

Coronavirus got you down? Not to worry; there's a light at the end of the tunnel. A clinical study of a Russian vaccine for the disease is set to begin, using human subjects to test its effectiveness.

50 members of the general public are to be selected via a sign-up form (now closed) that was circulated on social media. Participants can earn as much as R100,000 (about $1450) for their trouble. Test subjects will be isolated in the town of Zvenigorod, not far from Moscow. Troops, too, from the Ministry of Defense, are set to participate.

Despite this obvious progress, Russia has struggled amid the pandemic, with a high death toll and Victory Day celebrations upended. So a working, tried-and-true vaccine may be a long way off.

In the meantime, here's a love story to keep you sated.

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Some of our Books

Murder and the Muse
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Murder and the Muse

KGB Chief Andropov has tapped Matyushkin to solve a brazen jewel heist from Picasso’s wife at the posh Metropole Hotel. But when the case bleeds over into murder, machinations, and international intrigue, not everyone is eager to see where the clues might lead.

Faith & Humor
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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.

Russian Rules
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Russian Rules

From the shores of the White Sea to Moscow and the Northern Caucasus, Russian Rules is a high-speed thriller based on actual events, terrifying possibilities, and some really stupid decisions.

Davai! The Russians and Their Vodka
November 01, 2012

Davai! The Russians and Their Vodka

In this comprehensive, quixotic and addictive book, Edwin Trommelen explores all facets of the Russian obsession with vodka. Peering chiefly through the lenses of history and literature, Trommelen offers up an appropriately complex, rich and bittersweet portrait, based on great respect for Russian culture.

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.

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