July 14, 2024

Out of Time(s)?


Out of Time(s)?
In other news... The Russian Life files

The Moscow Times, Russia's cornerstone English-language news outlet, has finally been labeled an "undesirable" organization by the Russian state.

In November 2023, The Moscow Times was branded a "foreign agent," which throttled its publication and placed it under scrutiny. The new designation of "undesirable," given on July 10, outright bans The Times' reporting in Russia and forbids Russians from working with the organization.

The Moscow Times has been Russia's premier independent post-Soviet English-language newspaper and web news source, familiar to travelers and expats. In more recent years, the Times has published from the Netherlands to avoid growing crackdowns from the Kremlin in the wake of Russia's invasion of Ukraine.

While it's likely the Times will continue its online editions, this new sanction on their activities is yet another example of Russia's ongoing repression.

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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.

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Life Stories
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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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