July 14, 2023

Unwritten Resolution


Unwritten Resolution
Pixabay, Pexels.

Due to a statute of limitations, the Avtozavodsky District Court of Nizhny Novgorod has terminated an administrative case against Novy Knizhny ("New Books") M LLC regarding alleged "LGBT propaganda" among minors (Part 2 of Article 6.21 of the Code of Administrative Offenses). 

The case stemmed from an incident reported by NewsNN, where a teenager was sold a book that allegedly "promoted non-traditional sexual values" at the Chitai-Gorod ("Read the City") bookstore in Nizhny Novgorod on November 28, 2022.

The book in question was not named, although an anonymous source told NewsNN, “I can only say that the book was very famous for teenagers at the time.”

Last winter, Novaya Gazeta Europe reported that the Chitai-Gorod store chain withdrew certain books that were suspected of falling under the law on LGBT propaganda signed by Vladimir Putin on December 5. However, a NewsNN correspondent confirmed that some bookstores in Nizhny Novgorod, including Chitai-gorod, continued to sell books of a similar nature.

NewsNN reported that at Chitai-Gorod “some books by the infamous Popcorn publishing house are on the shelves, as well as works by Tunxu, Buckman, Medina Mirai, and Emma Scot – appearing on the lists of LGBT literature in recent years on the web.” Although the store withdrew Summer in a Pioneer Necktie and What the Swallow is Silent About in response to legislative orders, “There was no order to touch the classics,” Chitai-Gorod said.

You Might Also Like

AI Will Watch You
  • February 13, 2023

AI Will Watch You

Russian authorities plan to use artificial intelligence to scour the interwebs for undesirable political information.
Anti-LGBTQ Law Has Broad Ripples
  • December 11, 2022

Anti-LGBTQ Law Has Broad Ripples

President Vladimir Putin signed a law against LGBTQ "propaganda." Is this only a homophobic act? Or is it part of something bigger?
Homophobia Codified
  • August 30, 2022

Homophobia Codified

The Russian state is preparing to pass new laws banning "gay propaganda" after a recent book led to public outrage.
Like this post? Get a weekly email digest + member-only deals

Some of Our Books

How Russia Got That Way

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.
Murder at the Dacha

Murder at the Dacha

Senior Lieutenant Pavel Matyushkin has a problem. Several, actually. Not the least of them is the fact that a powerful Soviet boss has been murdered, and Matyushkin's surly commander has given him an unreasonably short time frame to close the case.
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.
Okudzhava Bilingual

Okudzhava Bilingual

Poems, songs and autobiographical sketches by Bulat Okudzhava, the king of the Russian bards. 
Bears in the Caviar

Bears in the Caviar

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.
Dostoyevsky Bilingual

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. 
Turgenev Bilingual

Turgenev Bilingual

A sampling of Ivan Turgenev's masterful short stories, plays, novellas and novels. Bilingual, with English and accented Russian texts running side by side on adjoining pages.
A Taste of Chekhov

A Taste of Chekhov

This compact volume is an introduction to the works of Chekhov the master storyteller, via nine stories spanning the last twenty years of his life.
The Little Humpbacked Horse (bilingual)

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.
At the Circus (bilingual)

At the Circus (bilingual)

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.

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.

Latest Posts

Our Contacts

Russian Life
73 Main Street, Suite 402
Montpelier VT 05602

802-223-4955