December 23, 2021

Bunkers, Beglov, and Bad Weather


Bunkers, Beglov, and Bad Weather
In Odder News

In this week's Odder News, Russians are an optimistic people, bunkers are coming back, and St. Petersburg's governor has been invited to Africa.

  • Polls indicate that 61% of Russians believe 2022 will be better than 2021. A journalist at Komsomolskaya Pravda concludes that Russians are a positive people after all! The survey data comes from 1,000 Russians living in both cities and villages. No doubt, Russians are tired of the almost-two-year-long pandemic and are hoping that 2022 will be the year that we move past it.
  • Among unpleasant winter weather in St. Petersburg, word of the snow not being cleared from St. Petersburg streets and sidewalks has reached the president's ears. A group of men in Africa has recorded a video telling St. Petersburg governor Alexander Beglov, "Come here, we don't have any snow you need to clear away." The men danced around with photographs of Beglov to a RockerJoker song that includes "Sanya, stay with us." Check out the hilarious video here.
  • Terje Stepaschko, a native Norwegian with Norwegian roots, cannot catch a break because of his Slavic-sounding last name. One of his sons constantly has to prove that he has the right to work in Norway and is asked what it is like being an immigrant in Norway. He thinks people should stop using the sound of a last name to determine how to treat people – which we agree with.
  • "What's good for an American is good for a Russian": Rich Russians are following mid-twentieth-century Americans in building nuclear bunkers beneath their homes. According to Komsomolskaya Pravda, these bunkers began to be constructed in the 1960s during the Cuban Missile Crisis. So-called "preppers" in America continue to build bunkers, and Russian oligarchs are copying their idea. Half a dozen Russian companies advertise these bunkers, with the basic unit starting at R7.6 million ($102,676). Check out some cool infographics outlining Russian bunker design, here.

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Some of our Books

Moscow and Muscovites
November 26, 2013

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. 

The Little Humpbacked Horse
November 03, 2014

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.

Survival Russian
February 01, 2009

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.

A Taste of Russia
November 01, 2012

A Taste of Russia

The definitive modern cookbook on Russian cuisine has been totally updated and redesigned in a 30th Anniversary Edition. Layering superbly researched recipes with informative essays on the dishes' rich historical and cultural context, A Taste of Russia includes over 200 recipes on everything from borshch to blini, from Salmon Coulibiac to Beef Stew with Rum, from Marinated Mushrooms to Walnut-honey Filled Pies. A Taste of Russia shows off the best that Russian cooking has to offer. Full of great quotes from Russian literature about Russian food and designed in a convenient wide format that stays open during use.

Fish
February 01, 2010

Fish

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.

Bears in the Caviar
May 01, 2015

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.

Life Stories
September 01, 2009

Life Stories

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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