Russia may be a mysterious country, yet some people have been very proactive at popularizing Russian culture in the West. Today, I am pleased to host an interview with Paul Richardson, an editor of the popular Russian Life magazine.
Russian Life has been informing its audience about the vastest country in the world, Russia, for over half a century now. … Read the rest
Konstantin Makovsky [Public domain], via Wikimedia Commons
Natasha Perova, the founder of Glas publishing house
Firstly, I’d like to introduce you short story anthologies published by Glas.… Read the rest
In 2012 an unlikely book exploded bestseller charts in Russia, easily outselling its close competitors. It is a collection of stories about life of the Russian Orthodox Church called Everyday Saints and other stories. In some of these, the author, Arkhimandrit Tikhon, described his path of becoming a clergyman and his early life in the Pskov-Pechora monastery.… Read the rest
At the moment, the world is fascinated with the film adaptation of the penultimate sub-chapter of the Hunger Games trilogy, Mockingjay. The YA dystopia has gathered an unprecedented popularity amongst adults too. Its theme of oppression and totalitarianism reflects our modern history, the states of North Korea or the Soviet Union are two examples.… Read the rest
The Winners of 2014 ReadRussia Translation Prize (photo credit: Russian Institute of Translation)
War tears nations apart and it takes more than long negotiations and ultimate truce to mend broken peace, – magic glue, perhaps. Literature like any other form of art can be this mending glue.… Read the rest
The ReadRussia stand at the London Book Fair 2014
Last week I visited London Book Fair and helped running the Russian stand called ReadRussia. This year Moscow was a guest city at the fair, and a big part of the exhibition at the stand were books about Moscow.… Read the rest
Victor Pelelin is probably the most influential modern Russian writer. In his post-modernist stories Pelevin eclectically combines elements of esoterics, theology, philosophy, pop culture, psychology and politics. His writing is multilayered, rich in symbolism and references to the world culture and history. … Read the rest