Dec/Jan 1999

Russian Calendar

From the Editor

Readers comment and correct.

The latest from the travel front.

All the news that fits from all across Russia.

A look at the best and worst of 1998, including Biggest Scam, Scariest Smile, Best Poem and more.

The financial crisis of 1998 had at least one positive effect: it became more advantageous to produce and sell Russian foodstuffs at home, instead of importing food from abroad.

This column was spurred on the by the devaluation crisis of August 1998. It includes lots of useful bureaucratic language and other neologisms from the crisis era.

Kargopol is one of the richest settlements in the Russian North. William Brumfield takes us on a visit.

Duck is a traditional dish for the winter holidays. He we explore why, plus offer a tasty recipe.

A biography of Valery Chkalov, one of Russia's most famous test pilots, who perished on December 15, 1938.

A biographic profile of the incomparable Russian bard, Bulat Okudzhava.

A fascinating exploration of the links between Hollywood and the Russian film industry.

The waning of 1998 was marked by the 255th anniversary of Yekaterina Dashkova's birth and the 215th anniversary of her founding of the Russian Academy. We look at her astonishing live and work.

A profile of Anya Kurnikova, the brash 16-year-old who wants to be more than just another pretty face. She wants to be #1 female tennis player in the world.

On the bizarre return to politics of a Brezhnev.