April 12, 2020

Russians Share Window Views


Russians Share Window Views
Don't try this view at home. @ohagolovoha

Many who are stuck at home due to the coronavirus pandemic are trying to find ways to make the best of their situation. To help them in this, the Shchusev State Museum of Architecture in Moscow issued a challenge to continue the hashtag #theworldfrommywindow, as first started in Italy.

In their press announcement, the Museum invited anyone who wanted to participate in the “flash mob” to post a picture on any social media site with the hashtag #миризмоегоокна (“the world from my window”).

The announcement also draws attention to the importance of architecture in our lives, and highlights the many different styles of architecture evident in Russia:

Basmanaya Museum
The Basmanaya Museum window image could stand in for all of Russia.

“In the conditions of self-isolation, the world around us, limited by the views from the windows, has emerged in a completely different light. Every day we see the same picture, whose color palette varies depending on the time of day and weather conditions. And the main character of this picture is architecture. Involuntarily, we pay attention to the appearance of neighboring houses that we have not noticed before. What kind of house is this? Experimental housing of the 1960s or the daring avant-garde of the 1920s? Maybe you are lucky enough to live next to a monument of architecture from the Art Nouveau era or an apartment building of historicism? Or in a new residential complex with a game of colors on the exterior?”

Russians are responding to the challenge and posting beautiful pictures on social media.

So if you’re stuck at home, why not make the most of your situation and join in with a view from your own window!

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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.

Moscow and Muscovites
November 26, 2013

Moscow and Muscovites

Vladimir Gilyarovsky's classic portrait of the Russian capital is one of Russians’ most beloved books. Yet it has never before been translated into English. Until now! It is a spectactular verbal pastiche: conversation, from gutter gibberish to the drawing room; oratory, from illiterates to aristocrats; prose, from boilerplate to Tolstoy; poetry, from earthy humor to Pushkin. 

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.

The Moscow Eccentric
December 01, 2016

The Moscow Eccentric

Advance reviewers are calling this new translation "a coup" and "a remarkable achievement." This rediscovered gem of a novel by one of Russia's finest writers explores some of the thorniest issues of the early twentieth century.

At the Circus
January 01, 2013

At the Circus

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.

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.

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.

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