Publications

The Moscow tour of Hamburg Ballet was a stunning triumph. Fights for extra tickets, a full house at the Stanislavsky Music Theater, standing ovations after the performances… this is certainly the right way to greet one of the world’s strongest troupes. The hype and stir were caused not only by the magic of John Neumeier’s name and to the top level of his danseurs but also by the aptly compiled program. Besides choreographies on the symphonies by Gustav Mahler, Hamburg artistes also brought Nijinsky. And the power of this artiste’s tragic destiny always excites a great interest, regardless of the number of books...

Pursuant to the law On Presidential Elections in the Russian Federation, the inauguration is held on the 30th day after the Central Election Committee announces official voting results. The ceremony of the president-elect’s inauguration was developed by the Heraldic Union under the Russian President. Tradition The ceremony is not detailed in the law on presidential elections, but there is certain tradition. The ceremony should be attended by: • Members of the Federation Council, • State Duma deputies (MPs), • Judges of the Constitution Court, • Heads of diplomatic missions,...

In May 1862, 150 years ago, Vladimir Dahl arrived at the session of Russian Philology Society of Moscow University, to present his dictionary, a work of many years, for the consideration of his colleagues. It is not that nobody had heard about that dictionary, lovingly compiled by Vladimir Dahl, prior to its presentation. A year earlier, Mr Dahl was awarded the Gold Constantine Medal – the highest award of the Imperial Geographic Society – for his lifetime work. And yet only partial records saw the light in 1861 and only the members of Philology Society were given the chance to be the first to see the Explanatory Dictionary of...

Two hundred years ago Napoleon unleashed a war on Russia that ended in his demise, which was quite unexpected for many. What was the main reason behind his defeat: the Russian people, Russian winter or Russian God?Numerous books telling about Napoleon’s campaign against Russia that ended in the crushing defeat of Grande Armee are being published in Germany in the bicentennial year, including the monographs by German historians, translations, repeated editions, multipage academic works and popular publications. What caused the crush and shame of Napoleon’s Army? Nobody gives an unequivocal answer. Some blame the poor preparation...

On April 26 the Alexander Solzhenitsyn Prize was awarded to writer Oleg Pavlov “for confessionary prose permeated with poetic power and compassion; for the artistic and philosophic quest of the meaning of human life under border circumstances.”Oleg Pavlov has authored The Diary of a Hospital Security Guard, Asystolia, At Godless Lanes, A Perfunctory Fairy-Tale and Ninth-Day Requiem in Karaganda or The Story of the Last Days (Russian Booker 2002). He is described as a “brutal realist,” but the writer is confident: if you are eager to know the full truth about a person, be prepared for any pain and discomfort. –...

It’s hard to believe but according to the Russian monitoring of economic standing and human health conducted together with the Higher School of Economics, the people of Russia are more loaded with work than the Japanese nowadays. However, the labor productivity remains at previous levels in spite of growing employment, and protest moods are on the rise. Given such an environment, it has been rumored that on April 28, International Labor Protection Day, or on May 1, the tandem of Dmitry Medvedev and Vladimir Putin may lead the Give Us Justice! march in Moscow. Even if the rumor proves to be a gossip the society has begun rethinking the...