February 09, 2021

A Pixelated Palace for Putin


A Pixelated Palace for Putin
Your best chance of exploring Putin's palace without a confrontation with the FSB. User bte_teamcis, PlanetMinecraft.com

We've been wowed by Russian creativity in the video game Minecraft as a response to coronavirus (both in light of crushing boredom and the closure of public spaces). We've already covered an acting troupe that's been doing shows in a recreated version of their theater and an online high school that's providing all the joys of education with none of the swirlies, both of which impressed our inner gamers.

The next logical step, of course, was Putin's (alleged; he denies it's his) gaudily lavish and corruption-funded Black Sea palace, the focus of opposition leader Alexei Navalny's recent tell-all YouTube video and the catalyst for widespread protests across the country.

A group of Russian users has faithfully recreated the highlights of Navalny's video at 1:1 scale, including the performance hall, hookah bar (complete with pole, which Navalny sarcastically speculates is used for massive shawarma), "mud storeroom" adorned with pigs' heads, and the mysterious (and meme-worthy) "aquadiskoteka."

Unfortunately, some outbuildings seem to be missing, such as the amphitheater, tea house, vinyard, cave-balcony, and underground hockey rink/helipad. But we're happy to overlook those, even if Putin isn't.

Your Minecraft avatar can sip wine and watch the sunset (all while plotting the poisoning of your rivals) by downloading the world here.

If flight simulators are more your thing, you don't need to feel left out: you can also say hi to Russia's most lavish abode in your virtual plane.

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The Little Humpbacked Horse (bilingual)

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.
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.
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.
Okudzhava Bilingual

Okudzhava Bilingual

Poems, songs and autobiographical sketches by Bulat Okudzhava, the king of the Russian bards. 
Life Stories: Original Fiction By Russian Authors

Life Stories: Original Fiction By Russian Authors

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.
Turgenev Bilingual

Turgenev Bilingual

A sampling of Ivan Turgenev's masterful short stories, plays, novellas and novels. Bilingual, with English and accented Russian texts running side by side on adjoining pages.
Woe From Wit (bilingual)

Woe From Wit (bilingual)

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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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Faith & Humor: Notes from Muscovy

Faith & Humor: Notes from Muscovy

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