Publications
Have you asked yourself how a person gets to know literature? The answer can be found in childhood. Mothers and grandmothers read us books, and sometimes even fathers. Then we read them ourselves, getting up on our tiptoes and reaching for books from the shelves of our home libraries. Then we go to school and, beginning in the first grade, we enter the world of Russian literature. We start with Pushkin and work our way up to the contemporary era. As for foreign literature, it’s generally more an elective than something required and it’s often limited to two or three authors who receive marginal attention by Russian literature...
The next tragic story concerning the presence of Russians in Greece is linked to the events of the First World War, the Revolution of 1917 and the ensuing Civil War in Russia. In the summer of 1916, under pressure from its allies, Russia sent an expeditionary corps to the Balkans. Two special infantry brigades totaling nearly 20,000 men arrived in Greek Thessaloniki. They immediately entered fighting on the Macedonian front, which produced the first victims of the campaign. In the winter of 1916-1917, many Russian soldiers had already died as a result of various epidemics and renewed fighting.
The remains of 400 Russian soldiers were buried...
In 2008, Russia and Greece marked the 180th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between the two countries. This modest number could lead to confusion, however, as the historical, cultural and political fates of Russia (as the heir of Kievan Rus, Muscovy, the Russian Empire and the Soviet Union) and Greece (in the broader sense – Byzantium) go deep into the centuries. They are so closely intertwined that a similar example in world history is unlikely to be found.
It is common knowledge that Orthodoxy came to Russia from Byzantium. Greek sources gave rise to Russian religious art, as well as philosophical and...
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...
