Artyom Zhizhkin, musician Artyom Zhizhkin, 16, was accepted at Musical School #1841 on one condition: he had to take up the oboe, and only the oboe. It seems that Zhizhkin’s first teacher, Yevgeny Komarov, tested Zhizhkin’s breathing and labial skills and realized he was ideally suited for this melancholy-sounding instrument. 100 Young Russians
Timur Bashkaev, architect The recent exhibition “Arch Moscow” prompted architectural expert Grigory Revzin sound the death knell for the Moscow style of architecture, with its towers and excessive decoration. “…It has finally withered and died,” Revzin wrote. “A new elite is now on the scene…" 100 Young Russians
Olga Brusnikina, athlete Ten years ago, when journalists asked a Russian synchronous swimmer whether the Russians could ever beat North Americans or the Japanese in this discipline, she quipped: “Only if they all drown.” That was before Olga Brusnikina came on the scene. 100 Young Russians
Olga Budina, actor Olga Budina went down many blind alleys before joining the ranks of Russian cinema stars: she sang in a choir, worked as a school teacher, she sang in a pop group, and even won her city district’s accordion contest (she can interpret Bach on the squeeze box). In fact, the frail Budina still bears a light impression in her skin from the belt of her heavy accordion. 100 Young Russians
Olga Dergunova, businessperson It cannot be a bad feeling to have the President of Russia tell you “I think you are right” on national television. This was in fact Vladimir Putin’s reply when Olga Dergunova said in a recent televised roundtable that state functionaries’ computer literacy leaves much to be desired. 100 Young Russians
Tatyana Kalinina, architect At 14, Tatyana Kalinina, the daughter of two architects, wrote a letter swearing she would never follow in the footsteps of her parents. Thankfully, she did not follow through on her oath. 100 Young Russians
Igor Koshelev, scientist Igor Koshelev is just 16-years old. But he has already made his “First Step Toward the Nobel Prize.” 100 Young Russians
Sergei Krikalyov, cosmonaut On May 19, 1991, cosmonaut Sergei Krikalyov blasted off for the Mir Space Station for what was supposed to be a 160-day tour. But, while he was aloft, the country which had sent him into space—the Soviet Union—disintegrated. 100 Young Russians
Sergei Makarenkov, publisher Even though he was once a great sprinter (winning the title Champion of Moscow), Sergei Makarenkov could not run away from his fate in publishing. 100 Young Russians
Alexei Ratmansky, choreographer Alexei Ratmansky has been in ballet troupes in Kiev, Canada and Copenhagen. And while he says he is, “of course, Russian,” he also says he really does not feel like he has found his “ballet home” yet. 100 Young Russians
Arkady Volozh, scientist For a scientist who climbed a classic Soviet career ladder, Arkady Volozh has shown a remarkable ability to adapt to ever-changing circumstances and a highly developed flair for new business opportunities. 100 Young Russians
Valery Bliznyuk, photographer A love of nature developed in Valery Bliznyuk from an early age. His family lived on Sakhalin—amidst taiga, volcanoes, rivers and lakes—when he was between 3 and 7 years old. Spending such formative years amidst such stark natural beauty, Bliznyuk said, led him to a life as an artist. 100 Young Russians
February 28, 2022 to February 23, 2032 Free Russian Language Guided Tours Metropolitan Museum of Art | New York, NY Russian-speaking guides conduct tours of the museum's highlights every Monday at 11 am. Art Exhibit
May 26, 2022 to July 24, 2022 Pysanka: Symbol of Renewal Museum of Russian Icons | Clinton, MA Maine-based contemporary artist Lesia Sochor's exhibition inspired by the beautiful tradition of intricately decorated Ukrainian Easter egg painting. Art Exhibit
February 03, 2022 to October 02, 2022 Tea Is For Tradition Museum of Russian Icons | Clinton, MA The objects associated with Russian tea are tactile reminders of this important tradition and evoke warmth, home, and family. Art Exhibit
February 22, 2022 to February 22, 2032 Russian-Language Gallery Tour Brooklyn Museum | Brooklyn, NY Russian-language tour exploring our collection in depth, second Sunday of each month at 1 pm. Free, reservations required Art Exhibit
May 05, 2022 to October 02, 2022 Images of Atheism: The Soviet Assault on Religion Museum of Russian Icons | Clinton, MA Exploring the role of visual propaganda in the Communist Party’s seven-decade war against religion (ca. 1920– 1990). Art Exhibit
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 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.
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...
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.
Survival Russian Survival Russian is an intensely practical guide to conversational, colloquial and culture-rich Russian. It uses humor, current events and thematically-driven essays to deepen readers’ understanding of Russian language and culture. This enlarged Second Edition of Survival Russian includes over 90 essays and illuminates over 2000 invaluable Russian phrases and words.
White Magic The thirteen tales in this volume – all written by Russian émigrés, writers who fled their native country in the early twentieth century – contain a fair dose of magic and mysticism, of terror and the supernatural. There are Petersburg revenants, grief-stricken avengers, Lithuanian vampires, flying skeletons, murders and duels, and even a ghostly Edgar Allen Poe.
Stargorod: A Novel in Many Voices Stargorod is a mid-sized provincial city that exists only in Russian metaphorical space. It has its roots in Gogol, and Ilf and Petrov, and is a place far from Moscow, but close to Russian hearts. It is a place of mystery and normality, of provincial innocence and Black Earth wisdom. Strange, inexplicable things happen in Stargorod. So do good things. And bad things. A lot like life everywhere, one might say. Only with a heavy dose of vodka, longing and mystery.
Resilience: Life Stories of Centenarians Born in the Year of Revolution 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.
Davai! The Russians and Their Vodka In this comprehensive, quixotic and addictive book, Edwin Trommelen explores all facets of the Russian obsession with vodka. Peering chiefly through the lenses of history and literature, Trommelen offers up an appropriately complex, rich and bittersweet portrait, based on great respect for Russian culture.
Jews in Service to the Tsar Benjamin Disraeli advised, “Read no history: nothing but biography, for that is life without theory.” With Jews in Service to the Tsar, Lev Berdnikov offers us 28 biographies spanning five centuries of Russian Jewish history, and each portrait opens a new window onto the history of Eastern Europe’s Jews, illuminating dark corners and challenging widely-held conceptions about the role of Jews in Russian history.
Murder and the Muse KGB Chief Andropov has tapped Matyushkin to solve a brazen jewel heist from Picasso’s wife at the posh Metropole Hotel. But when the case bleeds over into murder, machinations, and international intrigue, not everyone is eager to see where the clues might lead.
May 07, 2015 The Most Useful Russian Inventions What do radio, television, the periodic table, and helicopters have in common? Russians were involved in developing all of them – and more! Reference Science
March 01, 2019 Crime and Punishment W.W. Norton has released a new translation, by Michael Katz, of Fyodor Dostoyevsky’s classic novel. We excerpt here the novel’s opening. Literature St. Petersburg
December 19, 2016 10 Things (And 5 Jokes) You Didn't Know About Brezhnev Soviet leader Leonid Ilyich Brezhnev would have been 110 on December 19. There are plenty of fun facts and surprising jokes behind the eyebrows. History Humor Politics
June 22, 2020 Why Invading Russia was Hitler's Downfall 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 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
May 31, 2020 Inside Brighton Beach's Babushka Beauty Pageant A lovely short film on Brighton Beach's Your Highness Babushka Beauty Contest. Culture Pop Culture Russians Abroad Women Video of the Week Russia File
