October 01, 2011

Contest Anyone?


Contest Anyone?

It's our anniversary, so we're celebrating with a contest!

Fifty-five years is a long time for a magazine to be bumping around this uncertain world. And while we've only been stewarding Russian Life for the past 16 years, we do take unmeasured pride in the fullness of our heritage, even those wayward years when the magazine (then known as Soviet Life) was overcome with propagandistic fervor (oh, wayward youth!)...

In any event, to celebrate our 55th anniversary, we're holding a contest. Appropriately, there will be 55 prizes, including a Kindle (pictured, right) as the Grand Prize. That means some pretty good odds of winning for everyone.

How do you enter? Simple, between October 1, 2011 and October 31, 2011:

It's that easy. What is more, if you do more than one of these things, each one gets you a new entry. So, for example, if you come on as a new subscriber and buy a gift for someone else, you will get two entries and your friend will get one!

The prizes are an amazing array of gifts that are of interest and value to Russophiles, readers and travelers. We are still compiling the final list, and will drop it in here as soon as it is complete (with photos and links!). But here's an initial taste:

  • New generation Amazon Kindle with built-in wi-fi
  • Fine Russian linens, courtesy of Russia House Collection
  • Newly published works of Russia-related non-fiction and fiction
  • Tshirts and totebags (with Russian imprints, of course!)
  • Vermont maple syrup from Morse Farm, just 5 minutes up the road from us (personally, we consider this to be the top prize!)
  • Little Pim's Wake up Smiling language learning DVD for children
  • Oxford Russian-English Picture Dictionary
  • DVDs of Russian films (with subtitles)
  • Music CDs
  • The last laminated Russia Wall Map in the known world
  • ...and much, much more!

Enter early and often! And help us spread the word through Facebook and the Twitterverse!

{The full, official rules are posted here...}

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Some of our Books

Little Golden Calf
February 01, 2010

Little Golden Calf

Our edition of The Little Golden Calf, one of the greatest Russian satires ever, is the first new translation of this classic novel in nearly fifty years. It is also the first unabridged, uncensored English translation ever, and is 100% true to the original 1931 serial publication in the Russian journal 30 Dnei. Anne O. Fisher’s translation is copiously annotated, and includes an introduction by Alexandra Ilf, the daughter of one of the book’s two co-authors.

Woe From Wit (bilingual)
June 20, 2017

Woe From Wit (bilingual)

One of the most famous works of Russian literature, the four-act comedy in verse Woe from Wit skewers staid, nineteenth century Russian society, and it positively teems with “winged phrases” that are essential colloquialisms for students of Russian and Russian culture.

Steppe
July 15, 2022

Steppe

This is the work that made Chekhov, launching his career as a writer and playwright of national and international renown. Retranslated and updated, this new bilingual edition is a super way to improve your Russian.

A Taste of Russia
November 01, 2012

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.

The Pet Hawk of the House of Abbas
October 01, 2013

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.

 
A Taste of Chekhov
December 24, 2022

A Taste of Chekhov

This compact volume is an introduction to the works of Chekhov the master storyteller, via nine stories spanning the last twenty years of his life.

Bears in the Caviar
May 01, 2015

Bears in the Caviar

Bears in the Caviar is a hilarious and insightful memoir by a diplomat who was “present at the creation” of US-Soviet relations. Charles Thayer headed off to Russia in 1933, calculating that if he could just learn Russian and be on the spot when the US and USSR established relations, he could make himself indispensable and start a career in the foreign service. Remarkably, he pulled it of.

How Russia Got That Way
September 20, 2025

How Russia Got That Way

A fast-paced crash course in Russian history, from Norsemen to Navalny, that explores the ways the Kremlin uses history to achieve its ends.

Faith & Humor
December 01, 2011

Faith & Humor

A book that dares to explore the humanity of priests and pilgrims, saints and sinners, Faith & Humor has been both a runaway bestseller in Russia and the focus of heated controversy – as often happens when a thoughtful writer takes on sacred cows. The stories, aphorisms, anecdotes, dialogues and adventures in this volume comprise an encyclopedia of modern Russian Orthodoxy, and thereby of Russian life.

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.

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Russian Life
73 Main Street, Suite 402
Montpelier VT 05602

802-223-4955