June 16, 2020

A Feather in Petersburg's Cap


A Feather in Petersburg's Cap
Just looking at this photo makes us feel smart. Alexander Savin, Wikimedia Commons

The Moscow-Petersburg rivalry gained a new chapter this week, thanks to the words of a city administrator.

While discussing developments in Russia's coronavirus response – especially the lifting of regulations and stay-at-home ordersSt. Petersburg Deputy Governor Yevgeny Yelin posited that St. Petersburg "has a more educated population." Thus, it could afford to avoid the stringent measures introduced in Moscow and open up at a more deliberate pace.

Yelin qualified his statement, saying that Petersburgers are not necessarily intrinsically "smarter," but rather "better prepared" and "more qualified." Plus, of course, coronavirus hit Moscow much earlier, and the capital has seen a much higher rate of infection.

We have no doubt that Peter the Great would be flattered.

 

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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.

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