January 01, 2012 The Building of Sochi Two readings in Russian on Sochi, with some questions for language learners.
January 01, 2012 Alexander Scriabin A short consideration of the life and work of Alexander Scriabin, born on Jan. 6, 1872, a composer whose life was cut tragically short, but who nonetheless set the stage for much that was to come. Music
January 01, 2012 A Soup for Seminarians A consideration of the hearty Russian mushroom soup, Pokhlyobka, and Vasily Perov's evocative painting, "Receiving the Wanderer."
December 20, 2011 6 Things Russian Babushkas Disapprove Of What comes to mind when you think of a Russian national icon? Vodka, matryoshkas, bears? Fyodor Dostoyevsky? Alla Pugacheva? Cheburashka? Surprisingly few people, including Russians themselves, mention babushkas, the omnipresent grandmothers in head scarves. Yet their influence is huge. Red Square huge. Katyusha rocket huge. So it pays to know how to please them... Culture Humor Russia File
December 12, 2011 At the Demonstration "The crowds gathered from three different directions. Every route to the square was controlled by police and troops. I had never seen such numbers of armed forces before; it was like a movie about civil war." Victor is a 21-year-old student in Moscow. In this guest post, he gives us a participant's account of the December 10 demonstration. Politics Russia File
December 09, 2011 Moscow Spring? Quite often, Russian reality is best illuminated with a joke. A couple of journalists are quizzing a candidate: “Why do you want to get elected?” “Just look what is going on in the corridors of power: officials are awash in debauchery, theft, corruption!” Politics Russia File
December 03, 2011 Chtenia 17 The next issue of Chtenia, #17, is being laid out this weekend, and as always, there's a deep satisfaction in seeing the whole team's work come to fruition. The theme of the issue is Sport, which at the moment strikes me as a great counterpoint to the winter season, when holidays and cold weather compromise one's fitness routine with such gleeful impunity. Literature Russia File
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. Religion Fiction
November 28, 2011 Contest Winners Announced The results are in for our 55th Anniversary Subscriber Contest. One in 14 entries were winners, and over $1200 in prizes are mailing out to lucky subscribers this week! Russia File
November 18, 2011 Tolstoy, Dostoyevsky and a Few Spies Reviews of some recent books on Tolstoy, Spying and the end of the USSR. And a new translation of an often overlooked work by Dostoyevsky. As published in the November/December 2011 issue of Russian Life. Int'l Relations Literature Reviews Russia File
November 16, 2011 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. Fiction
November 01, 2011 End of the USSR A ground-eye view of the end of the USSR, which took place 20 years ago this month.
