February 01, 1997 War Without Peace A review of Sergei Bodrov's film, "A Prisoner of the Caucasus," starring Oleg Menshikov.
March 01, 2004 The Oligarchs and the President The vital subtext for March’s election is the battle between the Kremlin and the oligarchs. We walk back through recent history and provide up-to-date profiles of Russia’s weakened robber-barons.
January 01, 1998 Russia's Political Tool December 20, 1997 is the 80th anniversary of the KGB. We look back at the sordid history of this nefarious institution.
September 01, 2002 Putin's Russia On the occasion of President Vladimir Putin's 50th birthday, we look back at how far Russia has come since January 1, 2000, and where it appears to be going.
November 01, 2004 Chechnya: A Gordian Knot In the wake of the Beslan tragedy, we asked noted expert on Chechnya, Alexei Malashenko, to offer some insights on where the conflict is headed and how Russia can solve this problem in the near or long term.
February 24, 2022 An Appalling, Illegal Act We are appalled by the Russian government’s illegal aggression against Ukraine.
March 20, 2022 Russian Perspectives on the War in Ukraine An exploration of Russian perspectives on the war in Ukraine.
June 23, 2022 Facts and Figures From the War: Losses and Ukrainian Refugees A round-up of some facts and figures regarding fleeing civilians and lost material from the Russian war on Ukraine.
April 06, 2022 More Facts and Figures from the War Yet another round-up of some facts and figures from the Russian War on Ukraine.
March 24, 2022 More Facts and Figures from the War Another round-up of some facts and figures from the Russian War on Ukraine.
March 08, 2022 Facts and Figures from the War A round-up of some facts and figures from the Russian War on Ukraine.
March 01, 2022 Facts and Figures from the War In which we share a few illustrative facts and figures from the war in Ukraine.
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.
Dostoyevsky Bilingual Bilingual series of short, lesser known, but highly significant works that show the traditional view of Dostoyevsky as a dour, intense, philosophical writer to be unnecessarily one-sided.
Red Star Tales: A Century of Russian and Soviet Science Fiction For over 100 years, most of the science fiction produced by the world’s largest country has been beyond the reach of Western readers. This new collection changes that, bringing a large body of influential works into the English orbit.
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.
A Taste of Russia The definitive modern cookbook on Russian cuisine has been totally updated and redesigned in a 30th Anniversary Edition. Layering superbly researched recipes with informative essays on the dishes' rich historical and cultural context, A Taste of Russia includes over 200 recipes on everything from borshch to blini, from Salmon Coulibiac to Beef Stew with Rum, from Marinated Mushrooms to Walnut-honey Filled Pies. A Taste of Russia shows off the best that Russian cooking has to offer. Full of great quotes from Russian literature about Russian food and designed in a convenient wide format that stays open during use.
Davai! The Russians and Their Vodka In this comprehensive, quixotic and addictive book, Edwin Trommelen explores all facets of the Russian obsession with vodka. Peering chiefly through the lenses of history and literature, Trommelen offers up an appropriately complex, rich and bittersweet portrait, based on great respect for Russian culture.
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.
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.
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.
The Little Humpbacked Horse (bilingual) 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.
Moscow and Muscovites Vladimir Gilyarovsky's classic portrait of the Russian capital is one of Russians’ most beloved books. Yet it has never before been translated into English. Until now! It is a spectactular verbal pastiche: conversation, from gutter gibberish to the drawing room; oratory, from illiterates to aristocrats; prose, from boilerplate to Tolstoy; poetry, from earthy humor to Pushkin.
The Samovar Murders The murder of a poet is always more than a murder. When a famous writer is brutally stabbed on the campus of Moscow’s Lumumba University, the son of a recently deposed African president confesses, and the case assumes political implications that no one wants any part of.