Publications
I live in the small suburb of Offenbach on the outskirts of Frankfurt am Main. The town suffered terribly during the bombings, with only a small center in the old town remaining. In this tiny historic center, there are two large bookstores and several other smaller stores.
These bookstores always have visitors. There are never crowds, but they are never empty like the stores selling cosmetics and textiles. Books in Germany are highly treasured. People love to buy them.
It’s obvious that publishers prefer mysteries, thrillers and, strangely enough, historical novels. Bookstores have sections devoted to African and Asian literature in...
Costa Rica, a small country in Central America, is known for its beautiful warm climate, abundance of natural resources, stable and democratic government and its friendly people. Spanish is the main language, and the population is mainly of European descent, with a slight mix of native Indians. People of African descent dominate the Caribbean coast.
The Russian-speaking community is comprised of approximately 3,000-4,000 people. There are also about 1,000 graduates of Soviet universities who have a great fondness for Russian language and culture. Many of them are married to Russians.
The first wave...
The mass relocation of the American film industry from east to west did not lead to a reduction in the role played by immigrants. On the contrary, the number of people from Russia in Hollywood only grew with time, and not because the film bosses preferred to hire their own countrymen over America’s native residents.
The emergence of the Dream Factory in California practically coincided with the Revolution and Civil War in Russia, and, consequently, with the exodus of our country's many artists. Of course, the Philosophy Steamer was not their only means of leaving, and many simply chose not to return to a Russia embroiled in chaos. The...
“You should bear firmly in mind that of all the arts, cinema is the most important to us.” Many of our compatriots – emigrants of the first wave whose contribution to the Dream Factory is difficult to overestimate – could bravely endorse this famous Leninist expression. According to the film historian Sergei Kudryavtsev, “the earliest meticulous study of various Western directories found no less startling information. It’s time to begin counting the few figures in film who have nothing to do with Russia at all.”
Nobody has yet succeeded in calculating the exact number of people from Russia who have...
On August 20, 1940, the Spanish communist Ram...
For Russians, Albania is one of the most mysterious countries in Europe. The country is often associated with the war in Kosovo, the Albanian mafia, and a strange language. None of this reflects the real Albania, however. In Russia, few people have a true idea of what this country is all about.
The Republic of Albania, located on the western Balkan Peninsula, is among the poorest countries in Europe. The Albanians are one of the oldest nations in Europe with a continuous history stretching back more than two millennia. They have lived on the same land and spoken the same language throughout their entire history. Long before the establishment...
