November 22, 2018

Of Ryan Gosling and the Dancing Siberians


Of Ryan Gosling and the Dancing Siberians
plastic_gosling
Turkey Day Treats from Russia

1. When every Thanksgiving dinner conversation seems to lead to a hidden minefield, sometimes a real minefield is a relief. Though only if no one missteps, of course. Local history buffs discovered a World War II era minefield at Krasnaya Gorka fort, not far from St. Petersburg. The minefield lies in the forest near what is today a busy road, and is itself prime mushroom-picking territory. Amazingly, though, no one has ever been injured by the estimated 400 improvised explosive devices buried there. Thankfully, the army aims to keep it that way by closing down that section of the woods until all mines are found and the coast is clear.

2. Sometimes the stars align, sometimes you align the stars. The editors of Moi Portal, a Tyumen-based newspaper, wanted to get Ryan Gosling something special for his birthday, and settled on a tour of the great city of Tyumen. Ryan didn’t show up, but they took him around anyway — in his plastic cutout form, at least. They treated him well, too, giving him a fur coat and graciously taking his picture in every new location. Treating the guest well even when there’s no guest: how’s that for Russian hospitality?

3. There have been a variety of videos of government workers dancing in extremely odd ways, but we certainly won’t say no to just one more. Police officers in the Sakha Republic posted a truly wonderful video of themselves as an advertisement for a police benefit talent show. We don’t want to spoil it for you, but the video includes stony faces, gyrating hips, and a little bit of magic.

Police dance

Photo: Сайт МВД России

In Odder News:
  • The Russian iCraze continues with one man paying for his iPhone with a bathtub full of coins

  • Necessity is the mother of invention: police used snowballs to put out a raging fire

  • Why would the customers of one store shop shoeless? Because the floors had just been washed, of course!

Quote of the Week:

“We decided that the best gift Ryan Gosling could get on his birthday is a stroll through the best city on Earth”

— The editors of Moi Portal, referring to the city of Tyumen

~Thank you to David Edwards for a double contribution this week!~

Want more where this comes from? Give your inbox the gift of TWERF, our Thursday newsletter on the quirkiest, obscurest, and Russianest of Russian happenings of the week.

Like this post? Get a weekly email digest + member-only deals

Some of Our Books

Russian Rules

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 Little Golden Calf

The 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.
Turgenev Bilingual

Turgenev Bilingual

A sampling of Ivan Turgenev's masterful short stories, plays, novellas and novels. Bilingual, with English and accented Russian texts running side by side on adjoining pages.
Marooned in Moscow

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.
93 Untranslatable Russian Words

93 Untranslatable Russian Words

Every language has concepts, ideas, words and idioms that are nearly impossible to translate into another language. This book looks at nearly 100 such Russian words and offers paths to their understanding and translation by way of examples from literature and everyday life. Difficult to translate words and concepts are introduced with dictionary definitions, then elucidated with citations from literature, speech and prose, helping the student of Russian comprehend the word/concept in context.
Woe From Wit (bilingual)

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.
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.
The Moscow Eccentric

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.
Stargorod: A Novel in Many Voices

Stargorod: A Novel in Many Voices

Stargorod is a mid-sized provincial city that exists only in Russian metaphorical space. It has its roots in Gogol, and Ilf and Petrov, and is a place far from Moscow, but close to Russian hearts. It is a place of mystery and normality, of provincial innocence and Black Earth wisdom. Strange, inexplicable things happen in Stargorod. So do good things. And bad things. A lot like life everywhere, one might say. Only with a heavy dose of vodka, longing and mystery.

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