November 02, 2017

Slavic-Style Spooks


Slavic-Style Spooks
Trick or Travesty

Russia’s got a bone to pick with Halloween. Since it falls on the eve of All Saints’ Day, the celebration’s focus on candy and costumes rankles some Russian Orthodox believers. Still, some young folks dress up and celebrate for fun. Many Russians either ignore the holiday, considering it a Western sort of spook, while others decry the candy binge it often entails for tender-toothed youngsters. Wherever you fall, here are some scary and spooky stories to give you a shiver.

In Haunter News

1. Think twice before you don that tiger skin or mount a mammoth tusk for your costume: endangered species face internet trafficking as well as illegal hunting. Luckily, officials have barred over 1000 such websites.

2. Is a severed pig’s head engraved with a pentagram a Halloween costume gone wrong or the start of a barnyard horror movie? Since it was left on the door of a supporter of anti-corruption activist and presidential hopeful Alexey Navalny, there’s a slight chance it’s also a political statement.

3. Hallowon’t? If you change your mind and want a Russian-themed costume, here are ideas for DIY creations to represent Russia in your wicked wardrobe.

Quote of the Week 

"Despite being widely known, Halloween has failed to be absorbed into Russia’s (culture) – only three percent of those familiar with Halloween plan to celebrate it."
—A survey by the All-Russia Public Opinion Research Center on Russians’ attention to Halloween this year.

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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.
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Stargorod: A Novel in Many Voices

Stargorod is a mid-sized provincial city that exists only in Russian metaphorical space. It has its roots in Gogol, and Ilf and Petrov, and is a place far from Moscow, but close to Russian hearts. It is a place of mystery and normality, of provincial innocence and Black Earth wisdom. Strange, inexplicable things happen in Stargorod. So do good things. And bad things. A lot like life everywhere, one might say. Only with a heavy dose of vodka, longing and mystery.
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Russian Rules

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At the Circus (bilingual)

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Chekhov Bilingual

Chekhov Bilingual

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93 Untranslatable Russian Words

Every language has concepts, ideas, words and idioms that are nearly impossible to translate into another language. This book looks at nearly 100 such Russian words and offers paths to their understanding and translation by way of examples from literature and everyday life. Difficult to translate words and concepts are introduced with dictionary definitions, then elucidated with citations from literature, speech and prose, helping the student of Russian comprehend the word/concept in context.
Fearful Majesty

Fearful Majesty

This acclaimed biography of one of Russia’s most important and tyrannical rulers is not only a rich, readable biography, it is also surprisingly timely, revealing how many of the issues Russia faces today have their roots in Ivan’s reign.
Davai! The Russians and Their Vodka

Davai! The Russians and Their Vodka

In this comprehensive, quixotic and addictive book, Edwin Trommelen explores all facets of the Russian obsession with vodka. Peering chiefly through the lenses of history and literature, Trommelen offers up an appropriately complex, rich and bittersweet portrait, based on great respect for Russian culture.

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