Reflecting on Russian: Tips from a Seven-Year Veteran A few insights to help you make it through Russian 101, from someone who's got a little experience. Education Humor Language Opinion Russia File
The Great Stone Bridge An excerpt from a new novel about an infamous murder case in Moscow that revealed a horrific layer of elite corruption and bigotry. The excerpt introduces the scene of the crime, looking at the history and mystery of this great bridge. History
The Mouse A poignant autobiographical story of how a writer fell in love with a TV-loving mouse. Humor
The Diary of a Superfluous Man Turgenev's melancholy novella in which he first coined the phrase "superfluous man" that was so to influence Russian literature. Literature
Anne Applebaum The American journalist and historian with Belarusian roots learned Russian after being assigned to the region in the 1990s. She spent a semester in Leningrad during college, and has said that shaped her views significantly. Russia File
About Those Sogdians A few starting points for exploring and understanding the rich culture of Sogdia, homeland of the protagonist in The Pet Hawk of the House of Abbas. History Regions
Khor and Kalinych Turgenev's story of two peasants: the enterprising Khor and the dreamy Kalinych. Literature
Clear Ponds A truly wonderful memoir of life growing up along Moscow's boulevard, by a writer hardly published in English. Memoir
Ivan Sergeyevich An introduction to this bilingual issue on one of Russia's finest prose artists. Literature
The Moscow Eccentric A fascinating look at life in post-revolutionary Moscow, in this never-before-translated excerpt from Bely's little known novel about the capital. All the more amazing for the fact that it is written (and translated) in metered prose. Presented here in our bilingual format (English and Russian on facing pages) Literature
