Archive for 'Culture'
The Russians Are Coming! Posted by josefina on Jun 23, 2008
[Sometimes I write witty articles about Russia for the biggest daily paper in my hometown of Gothenburg, Sweden. I thought I’d share a translation of my latest one with you.] In the middle of a hot June night I woke up from my innocent Swedish sleep to see the Ural Mountains on fire. Inhuman screaming…
Moscow, baby! Posted by josefina on Jun 19, 2008
Yesterday I got back from Moscow, after spending four turbulent days in the capitol of the Russian Federation, and I’m very sorry for not having blogged while being there. In general I’m sorry for not blogging lately, but I promise to redeem myself very soon. I wanted to blog while in Moscow, because it…
Russian Reading Tip: “The Icon And The Axe” Posted by josefina on Jun 14, 2008
One of you readers commented a couple of posts ago that one of the most helpful works when it comes to trying to understand Russia is Orlando Figes’ “Natasha’s Dance: A Cultural History of Russia” (1998). Clearly, I cannot argue with this, as I have not yet had the pleasure to read it, but I…
Две «Исходные» Беды России [Russia’s Two Initial Troubles] Posted by josefina on Jun 12, 2008
When I in my last post stated that, according to the vice-premier of Russia, this country has five problems getting in the way of its development, one reader (thank you, Stas!) brought it to my attention that, initially, Russia only had two problems. And initially they were called «беды» [trouble, singular form «беда»] instead of…
Book & Movie Tip: «Собачье сердце» [Heart of a Dog] Posted by josefina on Jun 7, 2008
Everyone who’s read «Мастер и Маргарита» [“The Master and Margarita”], or perhaps only seen one of the many movies or TV-shows based on this wonderful fantastic novel (published first only in 1967, in an English translation, despite it’s author finishing writing it before his early death in 1940), knows that Михаил Афанасьевич Булгаков [Mikhail Afanasevich…
Who Owns The Rights To Lenin’s Face? Posted by josefina on May 31, 2008
After his death in 1924, the face of Владимир Ильич Ленин was used for mainly religious purposes, as he became known as a sort of ‘icon’ for the Soviet Union. After the death of the Soviet Union, the face of Lenin, and even more so his profile, has been used for a wide array of…
Second Time’s A Charm: Дима Билан Wins Eurovision! Posted by josefina on May 25, 2008
Today the famous Nokia-beeping of an sms woke me up in the middle of the night with the following words from my mother in Sweden: “Congratulations Russia won! How does it feel? Hugs, mom”. Relieved as I am from owning a TV, it was only on an intuitive level that I understood that I…