January 15, 2022

(NOT) Morgenshtern


(NOT) Morgenshtern
Sounds like Russian Life has a bit of competition.  Photo by Okras via Wikimedia Commons (CC BY-SA 4.0

Russian rapper Morgenshtern is looking to disrupt the media industry by debuting his own media and news company cleverly titled “Not Morgenshtern.” 

The rapper announced this new business venture on his Instagram story explaining that he was uninspired by the current quality of the Russian language news he saw on the internet and wanted to produce something that could offer Russians more. Not only does he promise his readers hard-hitting news stories but also (and perhaps most importantly) memes

The project is still actively looking to hire members for pretty much every aspect of production (writers, editors, even “meme-models”), but that hasn’t stopped them from producing content already. You can get a taste for the style of writing that Morgenshtern is going after by scrolling through the new project’s Telegram page; most of the articles appear to be satirical takes on real news events, sort of like a Russian Onion but with more blatant sarcasm and memes. 

As for the unusual name of this side hustle, Morgenshtern wanted to be sure that his dubious connections to the Russian state (he recently left the country after being accused for supposed “drug charges” and is living in America indefinitely) wouldn’t get in the way of the young media company’s ability to publish. He promises that the name will help clear any connections he has to the company that of course, the top rapper himself is creating. 

You Might Also Like

Bling Defiantly!
  • May 25, 2021

Bling Defiantly!

How to counter the "shameful" designation of "foreign agent"? With some bling, of course.
Like this post? Get a weekly email digest + member-only deals

Some of our Books

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.

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.

Russian Rules
November 16, 2011

Russian Rules

From the shores of the White Sea to Moscow and the Northern Caucasus, Russian Rules is a high-speed thriller based on actual events, terrifying possibilities, and some really stupid decisions.

The Moscow Eccentric
December 01, 2016

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.

Jews in Service to the Tsar
October 09, 2011

Jews in Service to the Tsar

Benjamin Disraeli advised, “Read no history: nothing but biography, for that is life without theory.” With Jews in Service to the Tsar, Lev Berdnikov offers us 28 biographies spanning five centuries of Russian Jewish history, and each portrait opens a new window onto the history of Eastern Europe’s Jews, illuminating dark corners and challenging widely-held conceptions about the role of Jews in Russian history.

Steppe
July 15, 2022

Steppe

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.

Marooned in Moscow
May 01, 2011

Marooned in Moscow

This gripping autobiography plays out against the backdrop of Russia's bloody Civil War, and was one of the first Western eyewitness accounts of life in post-revolutionary Russia. Marooned in Moscow provides a fascinating account of one woman's entry into war-torn Russia in early 1920, first-person impressions of many in the top Soviet leadership, and accounts of the author's increasingly dangerous work as a journalist and spy, to say nothing of her work on behalf of prisoners, her two arrests, and her eventual ten-month-long imprisonment, including in the infamous Lubyanka prison. It is a veritable encyclopedia of life in Russia in the early 1920s.

About Us

Russian Life is a publication of a 30-year-young, award-winning publishing house that creates a bimonthly magazine, books, maps, and other products for Russophiles the world over.

Latest Posts

Our Contacts

Russian Life
73 Main Street, Suite 402
Montpelier VT 05602

802-223-4955