One hundred and fifty years ago, Tsarist Russia expelled some 400,000 Circassians from their homeland in the Caucasus. Now some of them – caught in the middle of the Syrian Civil War – want to return.
For the past 175 years, railways have bound together the sprawling Russian state, enabling industrialization, social mobility and contact with the outside world. Yet they have also been an important cultural and literary touchpoint.
This year marks the 400th anniversary of the beginning of the Romanov dynasty in Russia. A Washington museum is using the anniversary to show off some of its unique holdings, including several amazing coronation albums.
Actor and director Konstantin Stanislavsky, born a century and a half ago this month, probably had more impact on twentieth century theater, movies and acting than any single individual.
Like many frequent travelers to Russia, I have countless train-related memories of Russia, most of them positive.
Readers write back.
In response to the US Congress' passage of the Magnitsky Act, Russian legislators are planning a bit of list making of their own.
Rumors flew this fall when President Putin stopped taking trips abroad. Just a bout of anxious Kremlinology, or is there something to it?
In 1703 Peter the Great founded the first Russian newspaper. This is what it looked like and what it covered.
On January 13, 1863, the "eminent poet" Kozma Petrovich Prutkov passed away. Except he never really was alive.
They could not have known it at the time, but they were on the edge of the abyss. Revolution, war, and again war and revolution were just around the corner. But in February 1903, a grand ball was held to commemorate the 290th anniversary of the Romanov dynasty.
Orest Kiprensky was one of Russia's finest early nineteenth-century painters. We share a painting he created in 1813.
Extract from Anna Akhmatova's "Poem Without a Hero", in which she eulogized the year 1913.
In 1963, a remarkable, bright, beloved film was released, launching the careers of Nikita Mikhalkov and Georgy Danilya: Walking the Streets of Moscow.
The head of the CIA and the Russian Defense Minister both fell from grace within weeks of one another, and both because of infidelity scandals. Sounds like a good pretext for a column...
In this issue's installment of Uchites, we look at two folk tales of Circassian origin (in connection with our lead story on this ethnic group).
Kozuli: these fragrant, decorative cookies have their origin in the Russian North, in Arkhangelsk, to be more specific. And they are perfect for a holiday celebration.
Reviews of three works of history and one collection of fiction.
A look back at the life and contribution of opera singer, actress and dissident Galina Vishnevskaya, who passed away in December.
Russian Life is a publication of a 30-year-young, award-winning publishing house that creates a bimonthly magazine, books, maps, and other products for Russophiles the world over.
Russian Life 73 Main Street, Suite 402 Montpelier VT 05602
802-223-4955
[email protected]
