November 01, 2015 The Hedgehog The news is filled with stories of refugees, migrants and barbed wire, to say nothing of xenophobic laws and sanctions. So when we came across this award-winning comic book tale by a Yekaterinburg-based artist, we had to share it. Social Issues
November 01, 2015 Alexander's Constitution Why did Tsar Alexander I grant a constitution to Poland, a subject state of the Empire, and not Russia? History
October 30, 2015 Stars and Purges Eighty years ago, the Kremlin towers acquired their first stars, gleaming with gold and diamonds. But meticulously collected records show that on those same days, people were being arrested and sentenced across the country. On this Day of Memory for Victims of Political Repression, we recall a few of their names. History Russia File
October 21, 2015 Venedikt Erofeev's Art of Alcoholism Vodka gets its fair share of PR as far as Russia is concerned. But is it always for the right reasons? October 24 marks the birth of Venedikt Erofeev, at least as well known for his drinking and vagrancy as for his writing. Food & Drink Humor Literature Russia File
October 16, 2015 The Other Russian Revolution What do you know about the Russian Revolution of 1905? Are you surprised to hear that there was one in 1905, not just in 1917? Then this article is for you! History Russia File
October 15, 2015 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. Fiction
September 30, 2015 Translator's Note: Bulat Okudzhava It's one thing to become famous as a writer or poet in your own country. But what does it take to earn yourself a spot in world literature? By describing the promise of Soviet poet, songwriter, and classic Bulat Okudzhava, translators offer us some insight. Literature Russia File
September 08, 2015 City Under Siege The Siege of Leningrad started 74 years ago, September 8, 1941. Over 70 years after the defeat of the Axis powers, we look back at the deadliest siege in human history. History Russia File
September 01, 2015 Tsars, War and Komiks Books we liked, including Dominc Lieven's "The End of Tsarist Russia," Anthony Marra's "The Tsar of Love and Techno," Denise Youngblood's "Bondarchuk's War and Peace," and Jose Alaniz's "Komiks: Comic Art in Russia."
September 01, 2015 How the Upper Crust Dined The nineteenth-century St. Petersburg aristocrat Petr Pavlovich Durnovo regularly entertained at his mansion on the city’s fashionable English Embankment. Thanks to a trove of his dinner menus from 1857-1858, we can get a good sense of the foods that the mid-century aristocracy enjoyed.
September 01, 2015 Roaming Russia All of the feature stories in this issue in some way or another focus on travel.
