July 31, 2021

Travel the Motherland


Travel the Motherland
The real Maldives, not the Russian one. Wikimedia Commons user Gzzz

Move over Provence, France; Russia has lavender fields, too. Move over Maldives – Russia has turquoise water, too. Forget about Burning Man because Russia has its own cult art festival that involves burning effigies. Don't go to Stonehenge; Russia has the "Riddle of the Urals." Check out the "Venice of the North," St. Petersburg.

Russia is a big country, and it has everything from Arctic skiing to its own version of the Sahara Desert. A new feature article encourages Russians to bypass... the world... and accept the Russian versions of the world's most special natural and manmade places.

The Russian Grand Canyon is in the Caucasus. Russian Amsterdam is in the Mari El region. There is even a place called Russian Switzerland in Russia, though only the entry sign is probably worth seeing.

If these pandemic border closures keep going on much longer, this might be the future of travel. Luckily, Russia is the biggest country in the world, in terms of space, by far.

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How Russia Got That Way
September 20, 2025

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.

Russian Rules
November 16, 2011

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.

Life Stories
September 01, 2009

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.

Woe From Wit (bilingual)
June 20, 2017

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.

At the Circus
January 01, 2013

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.

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