March 26, 2020

A Putin a Day Keeps Coronavirus Away


A Putin a Day Keeps Coronavirus Away
If you prick Putin, does he not bleed? Alexei Druzhinin, RIA Novosti

President Putin can now add touring a coronavirus ward to his prestigious and wide-ranging CV.

The Russian president took the time to inspect a hospital dedicated to combating the COVID-19 virus in the Kommunarka suburb of Moscow. He was joined by several other officials, including the mayor of Moscow, the deputy prime minister, and the minister of health.

According to official sources, there have been 495 Russian cases; of these, 290 have occurred in Moscow. That's surprisingly (suspiciously?) low compared to other countries, especially given the quarantine shenanigans that have been plaguing the Russian response (pun intended).

Putin appeared to be wearing much more extensive protective gear than his colleagues when touring the hospital. And his yellow suit has spawned countless riffs, proving that memes, like the virus, are contagious.

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Some of Our Books

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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.
White Magic

White Magic

The thirteen tales in this volume – all written by Russian émigrés, writers who fled their native country in the early twentieth century – contain a fair dose of magic and mysticism, of terror and the supernatural. There are Petersburg revenants, grief-stricken avengers, Lithuanian vampires, flying skeletons, murders and duels, and even a ghostly Edgar Allen Poe.
Tolstoy Bilingual

Tolstoy Bilingual

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How Russia Got That Way

A fast-paced crash course in Russian history, from Norsemen to Navalny, that explores the ways the Kremlin uses history to achieve its ends.
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.
Marooned in Moscow

Marooned in Moscow

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Maria's War: A Soldier's Autobiography

Maria's War: A Soldier's Autobiography

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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. 

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