December 27, 2021

Nice Teeth, Gift Horse


Nice Teeth, Gift Horse
Who says Russians don't have any holiday spirit? The Russian Life files

A recent survey conducted by Russian Standard Bank uncovered some surprising trends and desires among their customers.

Most notably, only 20% of participants said they'd be happy with a monetary or gift card gift, down from 45.5% last year.

48% said they'd rather get exactly what they request from their family and loved ones, which is perhaps a little boring but certainly efficient. By way of comparison, 31% love surprises, presumably as long as the surprises are good surprises.

The survey is conducted yearly among Standard Bank clients, and in 2021 more than 1,000 responses were recorded.

This information, we suppose, is especially useful if you're being forced to participate in office Secret Ded Moroz this year.

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A Taste of Russia

A Taste of Russia

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Fish: A History of One Migration

Fish: A History of One Migration

This mesmerizing novel from one of Russia’s most important modern authors traces the life journey of a selfless Russian everywoman. In the wake of the Soviet breakup, inexorable forces drag Vera across the breadth of the Russian empire. Facing a relentless onslaught of human and social trials, she swims against the current of life, countering adversity and pain with compassion and hope, in many ways personifying Mother Russia’s torment and resilience amid the Soviet disintegration.
Faith & Humor: Notes from Muscovy

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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.
A Taste of Chekhov

A Taste of Chekhov

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93 Untranslatable Russian Words

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.
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Maria's War: A Soldier's Autobiography

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Bears in the Caviar

Bears in the Caviar

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Dostoyevsky Bilingual

Bilingual series of short, lesser known, but highly significant works that show the traditional view of Dostoyevsky as a dour, intense, philosophical writer to be unnecessarily one-sided. 
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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