February 07, 2018

Resilience: The Book!


Resilience: The Book!

Today, we officially put to print the book for our Children of 1917 project: Resilience: Life Stories of Centenarians Born in the Year of Revolution.

Amazingly, it was just 325 days ago, on March 19, 2017, that Kickstarter funding for the project closed successfully, with 283 generous backers pledging $31,475.

Through the spring of 2017, we dug deep into research, looking for centenarians that fit our criteria, getting all our paperwork, visas and other things in order. Then buying air and train tickets and planning itineraries. And then doing more research about the places and people we would be visiting.

By summer, the travel and meeting with centenarians had begun. It started in St. Petersburg and then moved down toward Moscow and then east, east, east, until we hopped back west and visited heroes in Poland, Belarus and Finland (all part of Russia in 1917).

In the end, we had gathered gigabytes of photos, video, and voice recordings, visiting nearly two dozen cities and towns and making countless new friends.

Then, come fall, the writing and editing, translating and layout, design and proofing was underway.

Oh, and did I mention we also created a film? RESILIENCE, the film, was released officially on the 100th anniversary of the Bolshevik Revolution, on November 7, 2017. We are still waiting for an official screening date in Moscow, but the film will premiere in the US at the Green Mountain Film Festival in Montpelier, Vermont, at the end of March.

The book is 254 pages long, has over 150 photos, and includes profiles of 22 centenarians born in 1917. It will be a softcover book, printed in full color on fine, coated stock. It should be back from the printer in a few weeks.

Frankly, this may be the most important book out little publishing house has ever assembled. Because it carries memories and life stories of individuals that otherwise would never have been known outside their families, much less their cities, towns, or country. Their stories are the saga of Russia over the past century, and yet their stories are also moving tales about the human condition. We so look forward to sharing them with you and hope you will be as moved by them as we were.

Honestly, it is difficult for me to believe all of this happened in just 325 days. It certainly could not have come off were it not for the persistence, hard work, and talent of my two co-collaborators, Mikhail Mordasov and Nadya Grebennikova. They are not only consummate professionals, but dear friends, and it is a privilege to create, argue, collaborate and travel with them.

So, if you already ordered the book, it will be coming soon. If you have not, what are you waiting for? Quantities are severely limited, and you won’t want to miss out.

Preorder your copy here.

 

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Some of Our Books

Maria's War: A Soldier's Autobiography

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.
22 Russian Crosswords

22 Russian Crosswords

Test your knowledge of the Russian language, Russian history and society with these 22 challenging puzzles taken from the pages of Russian Life magazine. Most all the clues are in English, but you must fill in the answers in Russian. If you get stumped, of course all the puzzles have answers printed at the back of the book.
Driving Down Russia's Spine

Driving Down Russia's Spine

The story of the epic Spine of Russia trip, intertwining fascinating subject profiles with digressions into historical and cultural themes relevant to understanding modern Russia. 
The Frogs Who Begged for a Tsar

The Frogs Who Begged for a Tsar

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.
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.
The Latchkey Murders

The Latchkey Murders

Senior Lieutenant Pavel Matyushkin is back on the case in this prequel to the popular mystery Murder at the Dacha, in which a serial killer is on the loose in Khrushchev’s Moscow...
Fearful Majesty

Fearful Majesty

This acclaimed biography of one of Russia’s most important and tyrannical rulers is not only a rich, readable biography, it is also surprisingly timely, revealing how many of the issues Russia faces today have their roots in Ivan’s reign.
Murder and the Muse

Murder and the Muse

KGB Chief Andropov has tapped Matyushkin to solve a brazen jewel heist from Picasso’s wife at the posh Metropole Hotel. But when the case bleeds over into murder, machinations, and international intrigue, not everyone is eager to see where the clues might lead.
Survival Russian

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.
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.

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