January 28, 2020 No problem too small By The Editors “We creatively solve any problems: from opening a bottle to paying taxes.” – Russian musician Sergei Shnurov, on the Russian people. Culture Humor Quote
January 24, 2020 Panda Becomes Moscow Grinch By Katrina Keegan A panda in the Moscow zoo destroyed a pine tree. It was anything but an accident. Holidays Humor Moscow Russia File
January 20, 2020 You'll Spritz Your Eye Out: Testing Putin Cologne By Griffin Edwards All I want for Christmas is to smell like Putin. (Unboxing a mysterious Putin-esque cologne.) Government Humor Men
January 15, 2020 Jogs Good, Like Camel Should By Griffin Edwards A camel in southern Russia, out for a jog, caused severe rail delays. Animals Humor Transportation Russia File
January 09, 2020 Of pigs and cussing and parachutes By The Editors This week's Odder News, we cover everything from mummies to hogs, from cussing to bows and arrows. Oh, and skyscraper jumping... Animals Customs Humor Odder News
January 08, 2020 Statistics are Stubborn By The Editors “Statistics are a stubborn thing, and even with my diagnosis you have a chance to get better! Just believe in it! I was just unlucky :)" – A beloved and influential Russian oncologist, in his last Facebook post before he died of cancer. Humor Science Quote
December 29, 2019 Snowboarder v. Snowbird By The Editors Snowboarder and filmmaker Igor Popelyukh was enjoying himself off-piste at Sheregesh Ski Resort in Kemerovo Region when a large grouse got seriously pissed off. Animals Humor Sports Russia File
December 27, 2019 Putin's Front Opens Tik-Tok Account By Katrina Keegan The All-Russia People’s Front, an organization founded by Russian President Vladimir Putin, apparently counts teenagers as part of all Russian people. Health History Humor Russia File
December 26, 2019 Best of The Russia File 2019 By Tiffany Zhu We re-share some of our favorite stories from 2019. They may not be the most noteworthy or newsworthy stories, but we felt they were the most fun. Humor Int'l Relations Music The Weekly Russia File
December 26, 2019 Kazan Witnesses Transgender Marriage By Katrina Keegan The bride said that they encountered no problems because they had already changed their appearance to look like a traditional man and woman, and had received new documents that reflect their gender identity. Humor Social Issues Russia File
December 19, 2019 Tik-Tok Goes the Progress Clock By Katrina Keegan Political entities and 97-year-old veterans on social media, transgender marriage, and sushi at office parties show Russia is ready for 2020 Humor Internet News The Weekly Russia File
December 12, 2019 Exorcising the Spirit of Upside-Down Christmas By Tiffany Zhu Ded Moroz and kindergarten parents conceive of the Christmas spirit very differently. Also, Russians may have domesticated the first dog. Holidays Humor Science The Weekly Russia File
May 01, 2021 to May 31, 2021 20th Annual Russian Arts and Culture Festival Virtual | N/A, N/A The City of West Hollywood administration invites everyone to join a virtual celebration of Russian Arts and Culture this May. An array of musical events, activities for kids, workshops, virtual tours, concerts, contests, interviews with interesting people, and much more will comprise a month-long celebration. The program of our events will be published on the website of the festival and in the Facebook group. Festival
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.
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...
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.
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 Pet Hawk of the House of Abbas This exciting new trilogy by a Russian author – who has been compared to Orhan Pamuk and Umberto Eco – vividly recreates a lost world, yet its passions and characters are entirely relevant to the present day. Full of mystery, memorable characters, and non-stop adventure, The Pet Hawk of the House of Abbas is a must read for lovers of historical fiction and international thrillers.
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.
Woe From Wit (bilingual) One of the most famous works of Russian literature, the four-act comedy in verse Woe from Wit skewers staid, nineteenth century Russian society, and it positively teems with “winged phrases” that are essential colloquialisms for students of Russian and Russian culture.
The Frogs Who Begged for a Tsar The fables of Ivan Krylov are rich fonts of Russian cultural wisdom and experience – reading and understanding them is vital to grasping the Russian worldview. This new edition of 62 of Krylov’s tales presents them side-by-side in English and Russian. The wonderfully lyrical translations by Lydia Razran Stone are accompanied by original, whimsical color illustrations by Katya Korobkina.
Resilience ~ The Russian Version (Переживем) Call it resilience, grit, or just perseverance – it takes a special sort of person to have survived the last 100 years of Russian and Soviet history.
The Samovar Murders The murder of a poet is always more than a murder. When a famous writer is brutally stabbed on the campus of Moscow’s Lumumba University, the son of a recently deposed African president confesses, and the case assumes political implications that no one wants any part of.
Moscow and Muscovites Vladimir Gilyarovsky's classic portrait of the Russian capital is one of Russians’ most beloved books. Yet it has never before been translated into English. Until now! It is a spectactular verbal pastiche: conversation, from gutter gibberish to the drawing room; oratory, from illiterates to aristocrats; prose, from boilerplate to Tolstoy; poetry, from earthy humor to Pushkin.
22 Russian Crosswords Test your knowledge of the Russian language, Russian history and society with these 22 challenging puzzles taken from the pages of Russian Life magazine. Most all the clues are in English, but you must fill in the answers in Russian. If you get stumped, of course all the puzzles have answers printed at the back of the book.
June 22, 2020 Why Invading Russia was Hitler's Downfall By Alice E.M. Underwood June 22, 2020, marks the 79th anniversary of Operation Barbarossa, the Nazi invasion of Russia that changed the course of WWII and, perhaps, history itself. History Social Issues War
October 31, 2016 Why Stalin's Corpse Was Exhumed on Halloween By Alice E.M. Underwood The body of Joseph Stalin was removed from the mausoleum on Red Square on October 31, 1961. It may not be as spooky as Halloween, but the former leader still haunts Russia today. History Politics Social Issues
January 28, 2020 Meet Russia's favorite sable By Maria Antonova Siberian sable fur was once Russia's biggest luxury export, but now we can't get enough of Instagram star Umora, the sable inspiring Russians to never look at fur coats again. Animals Internet Interview
November 18, 2016 Famous Americans with Russian Roots By Letitia Rydjeski America is a land built by immigrants. We researched famous Americans with Russian roots and offer this compilation. History Reference Russians Abroad
September 01, 2019 Returning from Afar By Benson Bobrick An excerpt from Benson Bobrick’s new book, a memoir of his life and work as a writer. Memoir Travel
February 20, 2014 Russian Genealogy By Ginny Audet A comprehensive listing of resources, online and off, for researching your Russian roots, courtesy of Ginny Audet. History Reference
