Anastasia Volochkova, ballet dancer There is a Russian proverb “It is better to be born happy than pretty.” Bolshoi Prima Ballerina Anastasia Volochkova, 26, is lucky enough to be both. And young to boot. 100 Young Russians
Nikolai Tsvetkov, businessperson NIKoil’s success is due to its 41-year-old president, Nikolai Tsvetkov. Tsvetkov is not what they call here a “golden boy,” someone who had life served up to him on a silver platter: special schools and jobs made from patronage. Instead, Tsvetkov is a self-made man, Russian-style. 100 Young Russians
Alexei Svistunov, publisher The 38-year-old Alexei Svistunov is the head of PARI agency, an independent company which seeks to spread the word about Russian records which the rest of the world ignores. 100 Young Russians
Sergei Pashin, judge The motto of Emeritus Jurist of Russia Sergei Pashin is encapsulated in a quote by Fyodor Dostoevsky: “Let us enter the court with the realization that we too are at fault.” 100 Young Russians
Vyacheslav Nikonov, historian Vyacheslav Nikonov, 45, boasts a rather impressive academic and political career. In 1989 he became the youngest doctor of history ever in the USSR. 100 Young Russians
Alexander Klimov, politician Puchezh District Mayor Alexander Klimov is admired both at home and abroad. US Representative Charles Taylor assessed the work of Klimov’s administration with just one short phrase: “This is the way to Russia’s prosperity.” 100 Young Russians
Svetlana Khorkina, athlete At first glance, Svetlana Khorkina would seem an unlikely choice for Russian Life’s list of rising stars. After all, her star began rising long ago by modern gymnastics standards. 100 Young Russians
Marat Izmaylov, athlete A journalist from Moskovsky Komsomolets once quoted a female Italian soccer fan as saying: “Oh, Izmaylov ... Izmaylov is my love.” The word play on Marat Izmaylov’s last name (“Is-my-love”) was surely accidental, but the sympathy was nonetheless sincere. 100 Young Russians
Vera Grigorieva, scientist At the Gorky (now Nizhny Novgorod) Medical School Anna and Vera Zeitlin’s schoolmates would often mix up the twin sisters. But it quickly became apparent that the twin sisters (Anna is profiled on the opposite page) more than just looked alike. 100 Young Russians
Pavel Fomenko, environmentalist Pavel Fomenko was the first Russian to receive the title “Hero of the Planet,” awarded by TIME with the support of the Ford Foundation. 100 Young Russians
Mikhail Butov, writer Mikhail Butov's novel Svoboda (Liberty) won the 1999 Smirnoff-Booker prize. It is a generational novel—telling the story of Russia’s first “liberated” generation. 100 Young Russians
Roman Sludnov, athlete Breaststroker Roman Sludnov has been practicing hard all the 300 days which passed since he had to resign to a bronze medal at the Sydney Olympics. For he and his mother-coach Natalia Roschina believe there is only one place on the pedestal worth fighting for - the #1 spot. 100 Young Russians
February 28, 2022 to December 31, 2024 Free Russian Language Guided Tours Metropolitan Museum of Art | New York, NY Russian-speaking guides conduct tours of the museum's highlights every Monday at 11 am. Art Exhibit
November 11, 2023 to September 15, 2024 Visions of Transcendence: Creating Space in East and West Wende Museum | Culver City, CA This exhibit highlights the resilience and creative power of people deprived of their freedom or their own place to live. Art Exhibit
At the Circus This wonderful novella by Alexander Kuprin tells the story of the wrestler Arbuzov and his battle against a renowned American wrestler. Rich in detail and characterization, At the Circus brims with excitement and life. You can smell the sawdust in the big top, see the vivid and colorful characters, sense the tension build as Arbuzov readies to face off against the American.
Faith & Humor: Notes from Muscovy 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.
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.
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.
Red Star Tales: A Century of Russian and Soviet Science Fiction For over 100 years, most of the science fiction produced by the world’s largest country has been beyond the reach of Western readers. This new collection changes that, bringing a large body of influential works into the English orbit.
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.
Russia 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.
The Latchkey Murders Senior Lieutenant Pavel Matyushkin is back on the case in this prequel to the popular mystery Murder at the Dacha, in which a serial killer is on the loose in Khrushchev’s Moscow...
East of the Sun: The Epic Conquest and Tragic History of Siberia The very word Siberia evokes a history and reputation as awesome as it is enthralling. In this acclaimed book on Russia’s conquest of its eastern realms, Benson Bobrick offers a story that is both rich and subtle, broad and deep.
93 Untranslatable Russian Words Every language has concepts, ideas, words and idioms that are nearly impossible to translate into another language. This book looks at nearly 100 such Russian words and offers paths to their understanding and translation by way of examples from literature and everyday life. Difficult to translate words and concepts are introduced with dictionary definitions, then elucidated with citations from literature, speech and prose, helping the student of Russian comprehend the word/concept in context.
Marooned in Moscow This gripping autobiography plays out against the backdrop of Russia's bloody Civil War, and was one of the first Western eyewitness accounts of life in post-revolutionary Russia. Marooned in Moscow provides a fascinating account of one woman's entry into war-torn Russia in early 1920, first-person impressions of many in the top Soviet leadership, and accounts of the author's increasingly dangerous work as a journalist and spy, to say nothing of her work on behalf of prisoners, her two arrests, and her eventual ten-month-long imprisonment, including in the infamous Lubyanka prison. It is a veritable encyclopedia of life in Russia in the early 1920s.
Life Stories: Original Fiction By Russian Authors The Life Stories collection is a nice introduction to contemporary Russian fiction: many of the 19 authors featured here have won major Russian literary prizes and/or become bestsellers. These are life-affirming stories of love, family, hope, rebirth, mystery and imagination, masterfully translated by some of the best Russian-English translators working today. The selections reassert the power of Russian literature to affect readers of all cultures in profound and lasting ways. Best of all, 100% of the profits from the sale of this book are going to benefit Russian hospice—not-for-profit care for fellow human beings who are nearing the end of their own life stories.
September 07, 2021 Using Laughter to Cope These eight outstanding Soviet comedies show some of what has made Russians laugh over the past century. Most are still watched today. (First in our new series on learning about Russia through its films.) Culture Through Film Russia File
August 22, 2020 Sad Smiles and Kremlin Corruption Recounting a 2008 meeting with activist Alexei Navalny, before he rose to prominence. Government Politics Russia File
October 14, 2016 Five Wild Facts about St. Basil's Cathedral On October 14, 1991, St. Basil’s Cathedral was reopened after six decades. Here are five fun facts in honor of the 25th anniversary of the Cathedral’s rebirth. Culture History Religion Russia File
September 14, 2019 Eight Russian Desserts To Make Your Mouth Water Forget vodka – dessert is the best part of Russian meals. Culture Food & Drink Russia File
February 03, 2018 12 Myths/Truths About Russians and Vodka Think you know your vodka? Take this True/False quiz (just 12 items) about Russians and their vodka and see if you are right about that... Food & Drink Russia File
May 26, 2016 Two Miracles of Russian Love Poetry On the occasion of Pushkin's birthday, we offer a post on the challenge of translating his most famous love lyrics, "Я вас любил," with a bonus look at Innokenty Annensky's "Среди миров." Literature Russia File