May 25, 2017

Russian Youth, Then and Now


Russian Youth, Then and Now
From Pioneers to Generation Z 

1. This week marks the 95th anniversary of the founding of the Pioneers – the rough Soviet equivalent of Girl Scouts and Boy Scouts, but with a heavy dose of communist ideology. The Pioneers were disbanded in 1991, and some  former members feel deeply nostalgic for the red bandanas and sense of community that scouting imparted. Branches of the Communist Party hosted events last weekend to celebrate the anniversary, while less nostalgic former members auctioned off their Pioneer tie clips and books.

2. Tsentennials, the Russian version of Millenials, do not have Pioneer scouting or communist ideology to unite them. Instead, as new studies of the first members of “Generation Z” to graduate university are demonstrating, they have a deep love of games, smart phones, rap, and video bloggers. Research into their political lives shows that they’re not too politicized, but are moved by ideas of justice and anti-corruption, while studies of their work habits show that different motivations move them than did their X and Y predecessors. It’s a good guess red bandanas have nothing to do with it.

3. Centennials know their memes. The same is not always true for well-meaning citizens. Novosibirsk resident Anton Burmintsev tries to spice up anti-litter and pro-sobriety signs with pictures of pop culture icons like Iron Man or cartoon characters. But his latest sign, which features a sarcastic-looking man meant to be mocking poor decisions, has itself been mocked for its unironic appeal to folks to pick up their trash. Social media users rushed to offer more appropriately ironic slogans.

Quote of the Week

“There won’t be litter in the apartments’ courtyard if the apartments have no courtyard!”
—One of the suggestions for an ironic anti-littering slogan to accompany the photograph of a man sardonically pointing at his temple as an appeal to Novosibirsk residents to pick up after themselves.

In Odder News
  • Historians unearthed more than a billion Soviet rubles in abandoned missile silos. There’s no treasure like moldy, obsolete banknotes.
  • What would Jesus do? Accept a pricey new Land Cruiser as a gift, according to Russian Orthodox bishop who, coincidentally, just accepted a pricey new Land Cruiser as a gift. 
  • A bear helps plant potatoes, and it’s pretty adorable. Yep, that’s the whole story.

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Steppe / Степь

Steppe / Степь

This is the work that made Chekhov, launching his career as a writer and playwright of national and international renown. Retranslated and updated, this new bilingual edition is a super way to improve your Russian.
A Taste of Russia

A Taste of Russia

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Survival Russian

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Maria's War: A Soldier's Autobiography

Maria's War: A Soldier's Autobiography

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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.
The Moscow Eccentric

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.
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.
Driving Down Russia's Spine

Driving Down Russia's Spine

The story of the epic Spine of Russia trip, intertwining fascinating subject profiles with digressions into historical and cultural themes relevant to understanding modern Russia. 
Murder and the Muse

Murder and the Muse

KGB Chief Andropov has tapped Matyushkin to solve a brazen jewel heist from Picasso’s wife at the posh Metropole Hotel. But when the case bleeds over into murder, machinations, and international intrigue, not everyone is eager to see where the clues might lead.
Bears in the Caviar

Bears in the Caviar

Bears in the Caviar is a hilarious and insightful memoir by a diplomat who was “present at the creation” of US-Soviet relations. Charles Thayer headed off to Russia in 1933, calculating that if he could just learn Russian and be on the spot when the US and USSR established relations, he could make himself indispensable and start a career in the foreign service. Remarkably, he pulled it of.
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.
Murder at the Dacha

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.

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