May 25, 2017

Russian Youth, Then and Now


Russian Youth, Then and Now
From Pioneers to Generation Z 

1. This week marks the 95th anniversary of the founding of the Pioneers – the rough Soviet equivalent of Girl Scouts and Boy Scouts, but with a heavy dose of communist ideology. The Pioneers were disbanded in 1991, and some  former members feel deeply nostalgic for the red bandanas and sense of community that scouting imparted. Branches of the Communist Party hosted events last weekend to celebrate the anniversary, while less nostalgic former members auctioned off their Pioneer tie clips and books.

2. Tsentennials, the Russian version of Millenials, do not have Pioneer scouting or communist ideology to unite them. Instead, as new studies of the first members of “Generation Z” to graduate university are demonstrating, they have a deep love of games, smart phones, rap, and video bloggers. Research into their political lives shows that they’re not too politicized, but are moved by ideas of justice and anti-corruption, while studies of their work habits show that different motivations move them than did their X and Y predecessors. It’s a good guess red bandanas have nothing to do with it.

3. Centennials know their memes. The same is not always true for well-meaning citizens. Novosibirsk resident Anton Burmintsev tries to spice up anti-litter and pro-sobriety signs with pictures of pop culture icons like Iron Man or cartoon characters. But his latest sign, which features a sarcastic-looking man meant to be mocking poor decisions, has itself been mocked for its unironic appeal to folks to pick up their trash. Social media users rushed to offer more appropriately ironic slogans.

Quote of the Week

“There won’t be litter in the apartments’ courtyard if the apartments have no courtyard!”
—One of the suggestions for an ironic anti-littering slogan to accompany the photograph of a man sardonically pointing at his temple as an appeal to Novosibirsk residents to pick up after themselves.

In Odder News
  • Historians unearthed more than a billion Soviet rubles in abandoned missile silos. There’s no treasure like moldy, obsolete banknotes.
  • What would Jesus do? Accept a pricey new Land Cruiser as a gift, according to Russian Orthodox bishop who, coincidentally, just accepted a pricey new Land Cruiser as a gift. 
  • A bear helps plant potatoes, and it’s pretty adorable. Yep, that’s the whole story.
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Some of our Books

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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 Little Humpbacked Horse
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The Little Humpbacked Horse

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.

At the Circus
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At the Circus

This wonderful novella by Alexander Kuprin tells the story of the wrestler Arbuzov and his battle against a renowned American wrestler. Rich in detail and characterization, At the Circus brims with excitement and life. You can smell the sawdust in the big top, see the vivid and colorful characters, sense the tension build as Arbuzov readies to face off against the American.

White Magic
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White Magic

The thirteen tales in this volume – all written by Russian émigrés, writers who fled their native country in the early twentieth century – contain a fair dose of magic and mysticism, of terror and the supernatural. There are Petersburg revenants, grief-stricken avengers, Lithuanian vampires, flying skeletons, murders and duels, and even a ghostly Edgar Allen Poe.

The Pet Hawk of the House of Abbas
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The Pet Hawk of the House of Abbas

This exciting new trilogy by a Russian author – who has been compared to Orhan Pamuk and Umberto Eco – vividly recreates a lost world, yet its passions and characters are entirely relevant to the present day. Full of mystery, memorable characters, and non-stop adventure, The Pet Hawk of the House of Abbas is a must read for lovers of historical fiction and international thrillers.

 
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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.

Jews in Service to the Tsar
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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.

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How Russia Got That Way

A fast-paced crash course in Russian history, from Norsemen to Navalny, that explores the ways the Kremlin uses history to achieve its ends.

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