May 18, 2011

Coming Russian Events


For a Russophile, it can be frustrating to find out about an interesting event related to Russia after it has just happened. On the flip side, it can also be rather difficult to find out about new events far enough in advance before they happen, especially events in your area, so that one can attend.

For several years now, we have been collecting data on Russia-related events at museums, festivals, art galleries, etc. to try to maintain a clearinghouse of what is going on throughout the US on the Russian front. At first, we tried to track down and enter all the information on these events ourselves.

We soon gave up on that Sisyphean task and shifted the onus onto the event presenters, offering them a facility to easily add and update their events on our website. That has seemed to work much better. (Feel free to forward this link to anyone you hear of that is putting on a Russia-related event.) We now like to think we catch most (70-80%) of what is going on and we publish event information from our constantly updated database in our magazine if it is far enough in the future to work with editorial deadlines.

Very often, however, we hear about events so close to their occurrence that they will never make it into print. Yet we still encourage organizers to add their events to our database, hoping that readers and Russophiles will check in to the web-based database from time to time, to see what might be going on in their area (the database is searchable by state, event type, etc.).

But clearly that is not enough, so we'll be looking into ways that people can sign up to be automatically notified, or how we can send out automatic weekly updates of events happening throughout the US every week or so, be it via email, Twitter or Facebook. Any readers with constructive suggestions in this regard, please sound off! Meanwhile, here are three examples of upcoming events that we just heard about, and which are happening in major metropolitan areas in the very near future:

  • Causa Artium is putting on a series of literary events in the NY Metro area showcasing young Russian authors, several of them already famous. The first event is May 20. Here is the listing, which also links to Causa Artium's website.
  • Vladislav Lavrik, who has been hailed as Russia's finest trumpeter, will be giving a solo concert in Minneapolis (a few days after playing the National Anthem with dozens of other top world trumpeters at a Twins game) on May 26. The event info is here.
  • The Angel Orensanz Center in NY is putting on an interesting photo exhibit through the end of May devoted to Ilya Repin.

Enjoy!

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The Frogs Who Begged for a Tsar (bilingual)

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.
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Maria's War: A Soldier's Autobiography

This astonishingly gripping autobiography by the founder of the Russian Women’s Death Battallion in World War I is an eye-opening documentary of life before, during and after the Bolshevik Revolution.
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Steppe / Степь (bilingual)

Steppe / Степь (bilingual)

This is the work that made Chekhov, launching his career as a writer and playwright of national and international renown. Retranslated and updated, this new bilingual edition is a super way to improve your Russian.
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This exciting new trilogy by a Russian author – who has been compared to Orhan Pamuk and Umberto Eco – vividly recreates a lost world, yet its passions and characters are entirely relevant to the present day. Full of mystery, memorable characters, and non-stop adventure, The Pet Hawk of the House of Abbas is a must read for lovers of historical fiction and international thrillers.  
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