May 11, 2017

Victory Day and cheeky chess pieces


Victory Day and cheeky chess pieces

Soldiers, Chessmen, Doctors, Geese

1. May 9th is Russia’s grandest national holiday: the celebration of the Nazi surrender to Soviet forces and the end of World War II, or as Russians call it, the Great Patriotic War. Victory Day is observed with massive military parades on land and in the air – though this year, Moscow’s air show was canceled due to weather. President Vladimir Putin spoke about the importance of unity in defeating the Nazis and the need to expand Russia’s military. The message highlighted Russia’s strength, but some say it could signal further distance between Russia and its neighbors.

2. Finally: a day for archaeology buffs, chess buffs, and numismatics alike to come together in celebration. A chess piece dated to Ivan the Terrible’s reign has been unearthed in Moscow, and it contains a stash of sixteenth-century silver coins. They add up to just a few pennies, but according to experts, that could have bought at least ten geese back in the sixteenth century. Discovered by road workers on Prechistenka Street, the chess piece is a second archaeological find in two months, with the discovery of a sixteenth-century “spy room” in late March.

3. The Russian military may be boosting its presence in the Arctic, what with new, shamrock-shaped military bases and the impressive display of Arctic missiles in this week’s Victory Day parade. But for many people who live in Russia’s Far North year-round, day-to-day concerns are often of higher importance than the shape of the country’s newest and northernmost military base. Here’s the story of the only doctor within many miles, who travels on a homemade vehicle to care for patients across the Arctic.

In Odder News

  • Salt might have different health impacts than previously believed, based on a study of Russian cosmonauts. And they’re the salt of the Earth.
  • The Simpsons have a tricky relationship with Russia: most recently, with the refusal to broadcast an episode featuring Homer playing Pokemon Go in a church. Too close to home.
  • Victory Day is one of Russia’s biggest celebrations. Here are the numbers behind the military transports, decorations, and of course, rain prevention.

Quote of the Week

"The Russian Federation's armed forces are able to stand against any challenge — but to fight terrorism, the consolidation of the entire international community is needed."
—President Vladimir Putin in his Victory Day speech.

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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.
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At the Circus (bilingual)

This wonderful novella by Alexander Kuprin tells the story of the wrestler Arbuzov and his battle against a renowned American wrestler. Rich in detail and characterization, At the Circus brims with excitement and life. You can smell the sawdust in the big top, see the vivid and colorful characters, sense the tension build as Arbuzov readies to face off against the American.
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The 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.
Marooned in Moscow

Marooned in Moscow

This gripping autobiography plays out against the backdrop of Russia's bloody Civil War, and was one of the first Western eyewitness accounts of life in post-revolutionary Russia. Marooned in Moscow provides a fascinating account of one woman's entry into war-torn Russia in early 1920, first-person impressions of many in the top Soviet leadership, and accounts of the author's increasingly dangerous work as a journalist and spy, to say nothing of her work on behalf of prisoners, her two arrests, and her eventual ten-month-long imprisonment, including in the infamous Lubyanka prison. It is a veritable encyclopedia of life in Russia in the early 1920s.
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Murder and the Muse

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The Frogs Who Begged for a Tsar (bilingual)

The Frogs Who Begged for a Tsar (bilingual)

The fables of Ivan Krylov are rich fonts of Russian cultural wisdom and experience – reading and understanding them is vital to grasping the Russian worldview. This new edition of 62 of Krylov’s tales presents them side-by-side in English and Russian. The wonderfully lyrical translations by Lydia Razran Stone are accompanied by original, whimsical color illustrations by Katya Korobkina.
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Moscow and Muscovites

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Murder at the Dacha

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