RNO What better gift than the gift of music? And surely you want to go with the best? The Russian National Orchestra is Russia's (some say the world's) finest symphony orchestra. You can purchase the RNO's recordings on their site here, read reviews and even sample some of the music. Orders ship from the US, so service is quick. Gifts
The Crocodile Dostoyevsky's hilarious story about a man swallowed by a crocodile, which was also a brilliant satire on political economy and the importation of Western ideas to Russia. Humor
Smoke The novel after Fathers and Sons, in which Turgenev skewered Westernizers and Slavophiles alike. Literature
Middlebury College Middlebury College offers intensive instruction at the undergraduate and graduate levels at the Russian School in Vermont (summers) and at the School in Russia in Moscow, Irkutsk, Voronezh, and Yaroslavl (September to June).
Masha is Lying on the Table A diary entry Dostoyevsky wrote on the death of his first wife, which became an extraordinary and impassioned meditation on death, immortality and human relationships. Memoir
The Private Life of Alexander Pushkin A touching autobiographical story of the author's first year as a teacher, far from the glittering lights of the capital. Humor
Fathers and Sons A short excerpt from the novel that brought Turgenev world renown, with its dissection of the divide between the liberals of the 1840s and the radicals of the 1860s. Literature
Letter Before Exile A letter the author wrote to his brother, immediately before his transport into Siberian exile. Memoir
A Great Honor Sometimes unexpected things happen when you are asked to speak and perform in the provinces. Humor
On the Eve Turgenev's third novel, set on the eve of the Crimean War, discusses the destiny of Russia through the story of a young woman named Elena, who marries a foreign revolutionary. Literature
The Petersburg Feuilletons A journalistic piece from 1847, in which Fyodor Mikhailovich lambasts "the dreamer" omnipresent in St. Petersburg life. Literature
On Tverskoy Boulevard A run in with a traffic cop gives the author some perspective on the importance of literature. Humor
