February 20, 2020

From Russia With Love, and Coronavirus


From Russia With Love, and Coronavirus
Apparently quarantine has been a good place to meet potential partners for a long time, as this 1911 London News illustration of a restricted Romanian village demonstrates. Frédéric De Haenen (1853-1928) based on sketches by Rook Carnegie (1860-1908), Wikimedia Commons

Forbidden love? Romantic. Russia? Romantic, sometimes. Quarantine from a deadly epidemic? Decidedly unromantic. But that hasn't stopped two Russian teenagers.

Inna Savintseva and Daniil Parfenovich, both eighteen, reportedly met while waiting for the evacuation plane from Wuhan, China. Sent to Tyumen for quarantine, their love has apparently blossomed, and, of course, been documented on social media.

While they were, sadly, unable to spend Valentine's Day together (what with the, y'know, quarantine and all), they do have plans to unite outside the hospital and explore the city once their isolation is lifted. Ah, young love.

Russia has had a very severe response to the coronavirus crisis, closing its border with China and imposing strict measures to prevent the spread of the disease. That hasn't, however, stopped another young Russian from escaping imposed medical custody.

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Some of our Books

Woe From Wit (bilingual)
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Woe From Wit (bilingual)

One of the most famous works of Russian literature, the four-act comedy in verse Woe from Wit skewers staid, nineteenth century Russian society, and it positively teems with “winged phrases” that are essential colloquialisms for students of Russian and Russian culture.

Murder at the Dacha
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Murder at the Dacha

Senior Lieutenant Pavel Matyushkin has a problem. Several, actually. Not the least of them is the fact that a powerful Soviet boss has been murdered, and Matyushkin's surly commander has given him an unreasonably short time frame to close the case.

At the Circus
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At the Circus

This wonderful novella by Alexander Kuprin tells the story of the wrestler Arbuzov and his battle against a renowned American wrestler. Rich in detail and characterization, At the Circus brims with excitement and life. You can smell the sawdust in the big top, see the vivid and colorful characters, sense the tension build as Arbuzov readies to face off against the American.

Little Golden Calf
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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.

The Little Humpbacked Horse
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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.

The Moscow Eccentric
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The Moscow Eccentric

Advance reviewers are calling this new translation "a coup" and "a remarkable achievement." This rediscovered gem of a novel by one of Russia's finest writers explores some of the thorniest issues of the early twentieth century.

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