September 01, 2016

Yes, We're a Sexagenarian


Yes, We're a Sexagenarian
The first issue in our ancestral lineage.

Sixty years ago, bureaucrats and journalists on opposite sides of the Iron Curtain came to a remarkable agreement: our bipolarized world would be better served if we exchanged magazines to show one another how the other lived.

In October 1956, the first issue of USSR appeared. It would later be renamed Soviet Life, and after the fall of the USSR it was resurrected as Russian Life. While the Soviet Union existed, the magazine was unquestionably a propaganda tool of the Soviet Communist Party, and some of our readers (many of whom have subscribed since the Soviet Life days) have told me that copies were sometimes mailed in brown envelopes, to hide their “subversive” reading from their neighbors. 

By my count, the current September/October issue of Russian Life is the 574th in the long lineage of these magazines, and it is the 143rd we have produced since we took it over (making it free of censorship for the first time) in July 1995. 

Sixty is a proud anniversary, but don’t look for a retrospective in this issue. We did that a decade ago, when we celebrated the magazine’s 50th. The article from that issue is available here (PDF) for those interested in delving into the history of the magazine and its American counterpart, Amerika Illustrated.

So, now that the Iron Curtain is gone and the Cold War is over (sort of), is a magazine like Russian Life still necessary? And what need is there for a glossy print magazine when one can read or see anything on the internet?

We grapple constantly with these questions, with how to adapt Russian Life to new media and new opportunities. But suffice it to say we are convinced that Russian Life is as important today as it was in 1956. Mainstream media are producing little in-depth journalism on Russia. What is more, many who watch Russian affairs seem to feel that we must begin our analysis from a position of fear and paranoia, that certain forces at work beyond the Kremlin walls are relentlessly seeking to undermine and destroy our world. 

It is my contention, however, and it is a guiding principle of this magazine, that Russia-watching needs to begin from a position of engagement and investigation; that Russia is no different from any other society in having good and bad elements; and that our world will be better off if we focus more on what Russia is doing right. Does that mean we should gloss over the bad (or even dangerous) bits? Of course not. But we should no more let the bad unnecessarily darken our image of Russia than we should let the good give it a cartoonish cast. Context is everything.

And stories matter. A proper understanding of Russian motivations and actions requires that we seek out and tell the stories of people, places and things that live well behind the attention grabbing headlines. 

Constructing an enemy relies on dehumanizing him, painting him in black and white. It therefore is and will remain the job of Russian Life to show Russia in living color, in all its baffling, human complexity. 

Thankfully, we can now do this without having to use brown envelopes.


A slightly different version of this column appeared in Russian Life's Sep/Oct 2016 issue.

You Might Also Like

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

Some of our Books

Davai! The Russians and Their Vodka
November 01, 2012

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.

Life Stories
September 01, 2009

Life Stories

The Life Stories collection is a nice introduction to contemporary Russian fiction: many of the 19 authors featured here have won major Russian literary prizes and/or become bestsellers. These are life-affirming stories of love, family, hope, rebirth, mystery and imagination, masterfully translated by some of the best Russian-English translators working today. The selections reassert the power of Russian literature to affect readers of all cultures in profound and lasting ways. Best of all, 100% of the profits from the sale of this book are going to benefit Russian hospice—not-for-profit care for fellow human beings who are nearing the end of their own life stories.

Survival Russian
February 01, 2009

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.

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.

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.

 
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.

The Samovar Murders
November 01, 2019

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.

Murder at the Dacha
July 01, 2013

Murder at the Dacha

Senior Lieutenant Pavel Matyushkin has a problem. Several, actually. Not the least of them is the fact that a powerful Soviet boss has been murdered, and Matyushkin's surly commander has given him an unreasonably short time frame to close the case.

About Us

Russian Life is the 31-year-old publication of an award-winning publishing house that also creates books, 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