Time and Space

The measure of time and space encompassed by this issue is rather unusual.

We go back in time to look at spring rites dating to well before the Christian era (page 44), with stops along the way (in our Calendar section) in 1921, 1901 and 1811. We travel out into space with Gagarin on the fiftieth anniversary of his historic flight (page 28). We dive to the bottom of the Black Sea to dredge up sunken ships and mysterious legends (page 38). And of course we traverse the breadth of Russia with a couple of intrepid American cyclists (page 32).

Now I don’t mention all this to brag (ok, maybe just a little), but simply because this is the peculiarity I noticed about this issue as it was coming together. You see, each issue of Russian Life has its own character, its own unique mix of subjects and personalities. Some of this is shaped by design, with stories planned a year or more in advance to coincide with a significant anniversary of an historical event. And some of this is brought about by happenstance: an article arrives unexpectedly and we can’t wait to run it; events sidetrack a planned story; photos don’t pan out and we must delay. You get the picture.

As the date of an issue’s publication draws near and its character starts to come into focus, I begin to notice unplanned connections and serendipitous juxtapositions (which I have written about here before), character traits that I had not suspected months previous. So it is with this issue’s remarkable spread of stories over time and space.

Such a breadth and depth of stories is largely attributable to the massive scale and historical experience of Russia. Yet I have to also note that we could not dare to present such a broad range of stories, were our readership not as inquisitive and thoughtful as it is. Now I don’t mention this to flatter you (ok, maybe just a little), but to state clearly that what makes this magazine different is not the people creating it, but the people reading it. In a world increasingly dominated by sensationalist, superficial, endlessly distracted journalism, you represent a heartening counter-trend: people who read, who are curious about the world around them, who want to understand issues, events, and personalities in depth. I would like to hope that there are many more like you out there (and certainly we add dozens of new readers to our rolls each week), for the sake of our informed society at the least. And I hope we continue to challenge and inspire you with the stories we bring to each issue. If not, please be sure to tell us so. And don’t hesitate to email us with story ideas. Some of our best ideas come from our readers!

On another front, I want to congratulate Anne O. Fisher, whose excellent translation of Ilf and Petrov’s The Little Golden Calf  (which we published last year) won the 2010 prize for the best translation into English from any Slavic language. The award is from AATSEEL (the national association of Slavic and East European language teachers, so you know they don’t make such judgements lightly). It’s a big honor, but one well deserved, as anyone reading Anne’s fluent translation will attest. Bravo, Anne!

Enjoy the issue!