Vladimir Mayakovsky, "Good and Bad"

The many ways that spitting has worked its way into the language.

Blackface and bananas raise racist concerns ahead of soccer match, a linguist links Siberian Ket and Navajo languages, and video bloggers bring bubbles and pets to parliament. 

Known as a female Chekhov and skilled at painting the human condition as hilarious and hideous in one stroke, Teffi is a little-known author you should get to know. 

In this issue’s Uchites, we look at Vladimir Vysotsky and read one of his poems. 

A look at the many ways of taking a break, linguistically speaking.

A random query led us down a rabbit hole to see how online translation engines are humming these days. Won't you join us?

Donald Trump sounds very different in English and in Russian. We investigate the why, and it's huge!

In this issue, Uchites looks at the Russian custom of affixing people with three different names.

In honor of Alexander Pushkin's 217th birthday, here's a small sample of his poems to show that his writing isn't just pretty and witty – it can help you through almost any situation.

As a metal, Silver means second place; as a period of poetic production in Russia, the Silver Age is unparalleled. The years 1890-1925 (give or take) stand out for the explosion of poetic voices, forms, and innovations. With help from the recently published Russian Silver Age Poetry, we explore what sets that period apart.

There's plenty of talk about how Russia is dark and dismal, its writers pathologically depressed, and the general mood among the populace about as cheery as a Siberian winter. These stereotypes give short shrift to Russian humor...