September/October 2006

From the Editor

Readers comment and correct.

The latest from the travel front.

All the news that fits from all across Russia.

There are really two Moscows: one for expats and one for residents, but both are expensive.

A short biography of the composer whose life was continually challenged by the Powers That Be.

The "discovery" of the Bering Strait happened well before Vitus Bering passed through its icy narrows.

Dog lingo litters Russian language and literature.

Where we look back on the first five decades of this magazine’s publishing history, from USSR, through Soviet Life, to the present day. [Download article as PDF.]

A snapshot of the year of our magazine’s birth: a time of Virgin Lands, upheaval in Eastern Europe and friendship with China.

Fyodor Tolstoy was loud, eccentric and legendary, always at the center of scandal. So infamous were his life and escapades, that he was immortalized in some of the most famous works of Russian literature.

A century and a half ago, stereotypes of Russia were first being formed in the American media – in political cartoons.

What happens when a tabloid goes in search of the “typical” Russian family? A short story by a popular contemporary novelist.

A consideration of how much Russian cuisine has changed since the Soviet era, when the magazine was founded.

A review of a new "biography" of Moscow during WWII and a photo book on Russia.

Looking back on how the first day of school (and the school year) has changed since the Soviet era.