November 16, 2017

Lions and Lawyers and Baba Yaga, Oh My!


Lions and Lawyers and Baba Yaga, Oh My!
Extinct Creatures and Fairytale Creatures

1. Quit lion around! Easier said than done for a cave lion cub that has been lying encased in permafrost since the Ice Age. The cub, whose remains were discovered in the permanently frozen ground of Yakutia in Russia’s far northeast, belongs to a species of cave lions now extinct. The remains are in relatively good condition, so there’s talk of trying to clone the cub – though of course, debates about resurrecting extinct animals is a matter of hot debate. This particular cave cat may have been lyin’ in ice for 10,000 years or more.

2. How well do you know your Slavic folk heroes? Well enough to get by if you were magically transported to a fairytale alternate universe? That’s the task before the 21st-century hero of the new film The Last Bogatyr. The movie is a team effort by Disney and the Russian company Yellow, Black, and White, and it’s one of Russia’s top box office hits of the year. Consider yourself warned: if you’re dying for a selfie with Baba Yaga or Koshchei the Deathless, make sure you watch your back. (And brush up on who they are here).

3. In a rough day for non-Russian journalism, Russian lawmakers have voted unanimously to make foreign media outlets report on their activities and submit to financial inspections. The move is a response to the United States’ application of the label of “foreign agent” to the Kremlin-backed news source RT. The U.S. calls it safeguarding against propaganda; the Russian government calls it an attack on Russian media abroad, and this latest law is a retaliation against the United States that will make it harder for foreign media like Radio Liberty and CNN to operate in Russia. Where's a folk hero to save the day when you need one?

In Odder News
  • Want to hone your Russian art knowledge? How about the whole 20th century in 25 minutes? Arzamas can help you with that.
  • Dachas are a distinctly Russian phenomenon. Find out why weekend trips to dig up veggies in the countryside are more than meet the eye.
  • Whoopsy-daisy: the Russian Defense Ministry accidentally showed video game footage and said it was the U.S. helping terrorists. It could happen to anyone, right?
Quote of the Week

“I wouldn’t exaggerate the significance of this error...Mistakes happen and it’s no big deal if they’re corrected in a timely manner.”
—Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov on the accidental use of video game footage as proof of U.S. forces supporting terrorists in the Middle East.

Want more where this comes from? Give your inbox the gift of TWERF, our Thursday newsletter on the quirkiest, obscurest, and Russianest of Russian happenings of the week.

Like this post? Get a weekly email digest + member-only deals

Some of Our Books

A Taste of Russia

A Taste of Russia

The definitive modern cookbook on Russian cuisine has been totally updated and redesigned in a 30th Anniversary Edition. Layering superbly researched recipes with informative essays on the dishes' rich historical and cultural context, A Taste of Russia includes over 200 recipes on everything from borshch to blini, from Salmon Coulibiac to Beef Stew with Rum, from Marinated Mushrooms to Walnut-honey Filled Pies. A Taste of Russia shows off the best that Russian cooking has to offer. Full of great quotes from Russian literature about Russian food and designed in a convenient wide format that stays open during use.
Okudzhava Bilingual

Okudzhava Bilingual

Poems, songs and autobiographical sketches by Bulat Okudzhava, the king of the Russian bards. 
Survival Russian

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.
Turgenev Bilingual

Turgenev Bilingual

A sampling of Ivan Turgenev's masterful short stories, plays, novellas and novels. Bilingual, with English and accented Russian texts running side by side on adjoining pages.
The Latchkey Murders

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...
The Pet Hawk of the House of Abbas

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 Little Humpbacked Horse (bilingual)

The Little Humpbacked Horse (bilingual)

A beloved Russian classic about a resourceful Russian peasant, Vanya, and his miracle-working horse, who together undergo various trials, exploits and adventures at the whim of a laughable tsar, told in rich, narrative poetry.
The Moscow Eccentric

The Moscow Eccentric

Advance reviewers are calling this new translation "a coup" and "a remarkable achievement." This rediscovered gem of a novel by one of Russia's finest writers explores some of the thorniest issues of the early twentieth century.
The Samovar Murders

The Samovar Murders

The murder of a poet is always more than a murder. When a famous writer is brutally stabbed on the campus of Moscow’s Lumumba University, the son of a recently deposed African president confesses, and the case assumes political implications that no one wants any part of.

About Us

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.

Latest Posts

Our Contacts

Russian Life
73 Main Street, Suite 402
Montpelier VT 05602

802-223-4955