June 22, 2017

Soccer, Sci-Fi, Snipers, and Tsoy


Soccer, Sci-Fi, Snipers, and Tsoy
Sports, Strugatskys, and Punk-Rock Songs

1. From June 17 to July 2, Russia is hosting the Confederations Cup – essentially a dress rehearsal for next year’s World Cup. Preparations for the international football tournament have been mired in controversy, from difficulty selling tickets and worries about security and hooligans to scandals around stadiums. In particular, the Zenit stadium was completed behind schedule and over budget, with allegations of poor conditions (or worse) for the workers who constructed it. On the bright side, Russia won its first game of the tournament, defeating New Zealand 2-0.

2. Fans of sci-fi and the Strugatsky brothers have had a year of ups and downs, with plans for a TV adaptation of Roadside Picnic being picked up and then dropped – much like the planet Earth is visited by aliens and then abandoned like a haphazard picnic spot in the novel. But the supernova has a silver lining. First, the concept art, designed by Alexei Andreyev, lives on (check out his sketches). Second, the producing studio is shopping around for another outlet. Finally, if you’re really craving a dose of Strugatsky weirdness, go watch Stalker, Andrei Tarkovsky’s film adaptation of the same novel.

3. “Tsoy lives” is a favorite refrain of fans of the 1980s rock group KINO and its lead singer, Viktor Tsoy. Unfortunately, Tsoy died in a car crash in 1990 at age 28, but had he lived, June 21st would have marked his 55th birthday. During the Perestroika era, Tsoy and his music shattered norms and captured a generation’s desire for change. In honor of his birthday, read up on the Russian rocker’s cult status, vote for (and listen to) your favorite KINO song, or check out photos of young Tsoy.

In Odder News
  • Get to know famous female snipers who are little-known champions of WWII. Almost as good as their shooting are their nicknames, including “Lady Death” and “the Invisible Horror.”
  • In last week’s televised “Direct Line,” President Putin answered 70 public questions over nearly 4 hours. See some of the uncensored questions that probably weren’t supposed to show up on national TV.
  • What do you get when you cross motorcycling and soccer? It’s not a joke: it’s a dangerous and expensive sport called motoball. Maybe that’s why the Confederations Cup hasn’t sold many tickets.

Quote of the Week

"I am ready to take a blood oath that not a single person in attendance knew what sort of change he wanted, yet there was no one who did not want it…It’s problematic, of course, to yell ‘Change!’ without knowing what exactly you want.”
—Sergey Solovyov, director of the film Assa starring Viktor Tsoy, on the final scene of the movie, in which a crowd of thousands cheered and sang along as KINO performed their song “We’re Waiting for Change.”

Want more where this comes from? Give your inbox the gift of TWERF, our Thursday newsletter on the quirkiest, obscurest, and Russianest of Russian happenings of the week.

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

Some of Our Books

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.
Stargorod: A Novel in Many Voices

Stargorod: A Novel in Many Voices

Stargorod is a mid-sized provincial city that exists only in Russian metaphorical space. It has its roots in Gogol, and Ilf and Petrov, and is a place far from Moscow, but close to Russian hearts. It is a place of mystery and normality, of provincial innocence and Black Earth wisdom. Strange, inexplicable things happen in Stargorod. So do good things. And bad things. A lot like life everywhere, one might say. Only with a heavy dose of vodka, longing and mystery.
The Samovar Murders

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.
Russian Rules

Russian Rules

From the shores of the White Sea to Moscow and the Northern Caucasus, Russian Rules is a high-speed thriller based on actual events, terrifying possibilities, and some really stupid decisions.
Woe From Wit (bilingual)

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.
Moscow and Muscovites

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. 
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.
The Little Humpbacked Horse

The Little Humpbacked Horse

A beloved Russian classic about a resourceful Russian peasant, Vanya, and his miracle-working horse, who together undergo various trials, exploits and adventures at the whim of a laughable tsar, told in rich, narrative poetry.
The Frogs Who Begged for a Tsar

The Frogs Who Begged for a Tsar

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.
Survival Russian

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.
The Little Golden Calf

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.

About Us

Russian Life is a publication of a 30-year-young, award-winning publishing house that creates a bimonthly magazine, books, maps, 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