Support The Moscow Times!
Contribute today

Articles by Michele A. Berdy

long read

'The Compatriots' by Andrei Soldatov and Irina Borogan

This highly compelling and deeply disturbing book is a must-read.
opinion
Michele A. Berdy

Is Your Language Sordid and Gross?

A heated debate about Russian language use is a great way to improve your vocabulary.
opinion
Michele A. Berdy

Making a Fuss in Russian

Almost false friends, half false friends, semi-false friends... they drive me a bit nuts.
at the movies

'The Frenchman' Premieres in Moscow

Brilliant acting, pitch-perfect casting, and visual authenticity make "The Frenchman" a must-see film.
opinion
Michele A. Berdy

Take a Mental Health Day in Russian

How to talk about talking about your problems.
opinion
Michele A. Berdy

Russian Newspeak 2019

From оч to хейтерство Russian is picking up new words from all over.
stage sensation

'The Worker and Kolkhoz Woman' Dance Off Their Pedestal

Pavel Kaplevich's funny, nutty, snarky opera buffa played the Zaryadye Concert hall Saturday night.
opinion
Michele A. Berdy

False Friends, Part 12

Фарт, фартить, фартовый don't mean what you think they do.
peak culture

Moscow On Stage in October and November

We've already got our tickets.
opinion
Michele A. Berdy

Breaking Wind the Russian Way

By popular demand, scatological reflections.
contemporary arts

When the 'Forest' Came to the Fringe

Can Russian physical theater based on Aristotle and Bibikhin be appreciated by Western audiences?
restored classic

Dziga Vertov’s ‘Anniversary of a Revolution’ Has its Second Moscow Premiere

100 years after it was made and lost, a restored version of the documentary was shown at the Oktyabr Theater.
opinion
Michele A. Berdy

How Low Can You Go in Russian?

Start September with a pop quiz and learn how to let go, let down, put down, and dip in.
opinion
Michele A. Berdy

On Russian Time

This may be my most boring column ever: the impossible grammar of time.
opinion
Michele A. Berdy

Ranting the Russian Way

Shooting sparks, pulling down thunder and lightning: Ranting as an art form.
long read

Dmitri Shostakovich, Football Fanatic

Inside this composer with an orderly mind beat the heart of a football fanatic.
opinion
Michele A. Berdy

If I Were Queen of Translation Reviews

Every once in a while I need to get something off my chest.
opinion
Michele A. Berdy

Those Nosy Russians

Some thoughts on acrobatic noses.
opinion
Michele A. Berdy

Russian Men in Black

The way things are going, I thought a primer in protest-talk might come in handy.
opinion
Michele A. Berdy

One Russian Blueberry or Two?

One of the cursed questions of Russian life: what's the difference between черника and голубика?
opinion
Michele A. Berdy

He Said, She Said Russian-Style

For hedging your bets, Russian is divine.
opinion
Michele A. Berdy

The Connotation Conundrum

The words are right but the connotation is totally wrong. A translator's lament.
art sensation

Markus Martinovich and the Art of Play

A solo exhibition of works by an award-winning artist who is still in grade school.
opinion
Michele A. Berdy

On Your Russian Feet

What do you call those things you stand on? Oh, so many options in Russian.
Stage and Screen

That Russian Bad Guy? He's English

He is the quintessential Russian hit-man. Except that he's really a middle-class English dad.
opinion
Michele A. Berdy

Hit the Road, Jack, and Don't Come Back

Here's a verb pair that lets you hit the road in more ways than one.
Art and literature

'Dead Souls': Gogol, Chagall, Zverev and Kosmatschof

If you love Russian literature, run, don't walk, to see interpretations of "Dead Souls" by three brilliant artists.
culture shorts

The City That Doesn't Slow Down for Summer

Ballet premieres and art openings - what you could have seen over the weekend in Moscow.
opinion
Michele A. Berdy

Russian Sense and Sensibility

The earth-shaking discovery of a new Russian conjunction got me thinking about sense in every sense of the word.
long read

'Chernobyl: History of a Tragedy' Wins Pushkin House Prize

Serghi Plokhy was awarded the Pushkin House Book Prize this week, the only author to be honored twice.
opinion
Michele A. Berdy

Happy Russia Day

On this day celebrating Russia, I decided to look into the origins of the name. Big mistake.
long read

The Tale of 'The Spy and the Traitor'

This in-depth Cold War history that reads like a thriller is nominated for the Pushkin House Book Prize.
opinion
Michele A. Berdy

Russian Magical Thinking

If someone is сказочный, is he magical, unbelievable, outrageous or all three? Read on.
long read

'To See Paris and Die: The Soviet Lives of Western Culture'

This Pushkin House Book Prize nomination is a radically different view of the Thaw period.
opinion
Michele A. Berdy

Getting Your Snark On in Russian

Mastering a little word with a serious punch.
Art night

Discover Nikolai Meshcherin

What you could you see if you were in Moscow this weekend.
opinion
Michele A. Berdy

If You Can't Beat 'Em, Join 'Em

If братство is a group of united men, what do you call a group of united women?
obituary

Sergei Dorenko Dead at 59

Victory Day in Moscow ended with news of a prominent Russian journalist's death.
on the town

Moscow's Russian Romani Theater

If you want to see something you'll never see anywhere else, head "out of town" to see "Grushenka" at the Romen Theater.
opinion
Michele A. Berdy

Becoming Oblomov

My greatest aspiration is to master Oblomov's ability to laze about guilt-free. Here are some linguistic pointers.
opinion
Michele A. Berdy

Take a Vacation, Russian Style

The May holidays are beginning, so you ought to be able to talk about taking a break, right?
must reads

Pushkin House Book Prize Short List

Pushkin House has announced their short list of the best non-fiction about Russia published last year.
opinion
Michele A. Berdy

Happily Suffering While Worrying and Ignoring Insults

Sometimes the simplest verbs in Russian can give you a headache.
opinion
Michele A. Berdy

Don't Call Me That!

A cranky cab driver led me to write a cranky column about what not to call your fare — me.
opinion
Michele A. Berdy

The Nerd's Guide to Russian Prepositions In and On

Russian language learners complain about prepositions. I heard you.
opinion
Michele A. Berdy

Let's Talk About Ukraine

I watched hours of Russian talk shows about Ukraine so you don't have to.
Moscow music

Rock Opera to the Rescue

When Moscow's historic Anglican church is at risk, Russian rock musicians come to help save it.
opinion
Michele A. Berdy

Meet the Pupkins!

Russian can be fun, if it involves a verb (писать), a family (Пупкины) and lots of prefixes.
obituary

Director Marlen Khutsiev Has Died

One of the country's most beloved film directors passed away in Moscow.
opinion
Michele A. Berdy

A Russian Boyfriend

What do you call the guy bringing you flowers and serenading you? In Russian it's tricky.
opinion
Michele A. Berdy

Russian Boys Just Want to Have Fun

I finally figured out why Russian words for young men are so confusing. We think of age differently.
opinion
Michele A. Berdy

Stand By Your Russian What?

What you call your male Significant Other in Russian is a linguistic mine-field.
opinion
Michele A. Berdy

Pulling Strings for Fun and Profit

Oh the tangled webs we weave, when first we practice to deceive. In Russian, too.
opinion
Michele A. Berdy

Baby, It's Cold Outside

By popular demand — and knowing Moscow weather — here's a short primer on how to chill in Russian.
Big Screen

'DAU': A Preview

Russia's most genre-breaking, revolutionary film project may never be shown in Russia.
opinion
Michele A. Berdy

The Secret of Russian Mysteries

I love a good Russian language question. Keep those cards and letters coming, folks!
Heist of Century

A Daring Theft in a Moscow Museum

A man walked into the Tretyakov Gallery and walked out with a million-dollar painting.
Father of Futurism

David Burliuk Comes Back to Moscow

If you haven't seen this amazing show of avant-garde Russian art, poetry and culture, run and see it before it closes on Sunday.
opinion
Michele A. Berdy

Ode to a Preposition

I started thinking about the preposition при and stopped thinking about it three days later. Here's why.
news

Pushkin House Book Prize: Let the Reading Begin

If you want to read the very best new books about Russia, keep your eye on this space.
opinion
Michele A. Berdy

No Brexit For Russia

Rumors of a new Russian verb flew around the interwebs -- but are the rumors true?
Contemporary art

Hopes and Fears in the Arts

Before last year ended, we asked a variety of people in Russian culture and the arts about the year ahead. Are they nervous or excited? Or both?
opinion
Michele A. Berdy

Catastrophes, Geopolitical and Otherwise

What did Vladimir Putin mean about that geopolitical catastrophe? It's still being argued over 14 years later.
opinion
Michele A. Berdy

Happy New Year From Your Leader

What will you be doing at 11:55 p.m. on Dec. 31 in Russia? Listening to the presidential address, of course!
opinion
Michele A. Berdy

Russian Words of the Dreary Year

Want to know what words and expressions a panel of linguists chose as Russian words of the year? Pour a stiff one before reading.
opinion
Michele A. Berdy

How To Dress Your Russian Holiday Tree

A Russian primer on holiday tree decoration from an expert. No, really.
opinion
Michele A. Berdy

The Year of Living Toxically

What's a toxic relationship? A toxic crowd? A toxic person? Who knows? But it sounds bad.
opinion
Michele A. Berdy

Eat Your Grammar Spinach

A simple query led to grammatical confusion -- among experts! If grammarians are confused, what's a poor foreigner to do?
opinion
Michele A. Berdy

Russian Wisdom and Wiseguys

In Russian being wise is good and being a wiseguy is bad. The hard part is figuring out which is which.
opinion
Michele A. Berdy

How Sweet It Is in Russian

On Moscow baristas, polite cliches, and the mysteries of ancient Russian taste buds. Happy Friday.
news

The Women's Century: Five Russian Writers to Watch

Today, Russia has no dearth of successful, celebrated women writers.
opinion
Michele A. Berdy

How Good is a Russian Not Bad?

Why oh why can't Russians just say "good"? Why do they say "very even not bad"?
opinion
Michele A. Berdy

What's the Story, Morning Glory?

When a story is history, and when it's, like, you know, a thing.
news

The Russia Buzz

Is it a movie, a critique of Russia, or a code for living?
opinion
Michele A. Berdy

Extreme Russian Grammar

The spelling of fried - жареНый or жареННый - depends on when you add ingredients. Really, Russian?
opinion
Michele A. Berdy

Russian Autumn Fun

Что такое осень? (What's autumn?) A song by DDT? Well yes, but much more.
opinion
Michele A. Berdy

Of Meat and Men

To understand Russian politics, sometimes you need a culinary education. I'm on it.
opinion
Michele A. Berdy

Seventeen Moments, Seventeen Thousand Jokes

In all the spy talk this week, you'll be hearing about the greatest spy of all: Stierlitz.
Art

The Russian Path: Through Impressionism to the Avant-Garde

See this fascinating show at the Museum of Russian Impressionism to prepare for their upcoming David Burliuk exhibition, or just because it's gorgeous...
opinion
Michele A. Berdy

What Do They Say About Moscow?

In honor of Moscow's birthday bash, I look at Moscow's image in words over the last 871 years, give or take a decade.
opinion
Michele A. Berdy

Russian Chickens Get a Bad Rap

Why do you only count rubles in the fall? I have no idea, but there are chickens involved.
news

Come See the Biggest Battle of 1812

This weekend get out of town - in fact, get out of this century - to see the biggest battle reenactment in Europe.
opinion
Michele A. Berdy

Russian Horseradish With a Real Kick

A root, a sauce and an all-purpose euphemism. Хрен is a great little word.
opinion
Michele A. Berdy

Falling For Cheburashka

Prices fall, kids do belly-flops, tired workers plunk themselves down on the couch. What did Cheburashka do?
opinion
Michele A. Berdy

What’s in a Russian Word? Just About Everything

You know you're in trouble with a Russian word that means everything from a piece of equipment to mentality.
opinion
Michele A. Berdy

Blowing Your Top the Russian Way

Feeling a little testy? Experiencing some rage? Losing it? Great. Here are some ways to say that in Russian.
opinion
Michele A. Berdy

Let's Play in Russian

"So how about those Mets?" sounds different in Russian.
opinion
Michele A. Berdy

Muddling the Masses, Russian Style

What do you call that unpopular new law? Oh, something good. Something really good.
news

Celebrate Life and Art with Anatoly Zverev

The AZ (Anatoly Zverev) Museum is celebrating its third anniversary with a gift for us: three floors of Zverev's joyful, playful, masterful works. Don't...
opinion
Michele A. Berdy

Thanks For the (Linguistic) Memories

Foreigners leave Russia with kokoshniki and happy memories. What do they leave behind? Words, of course!
Contemporary art

Vadim Kosmatschof’s Revolution in Art

The solo exhibition of works by Vadim Kosmatschof at the New Tretyakov Gallery will change your understanding of sculpture if you let it.
opinion
Michele A. Berdy

Moscow's Merchants, Malls, and Walls

The names of Moscow's most important landmarks might not mean what you think.
opinion
Michele A. Berdy

Russia's Summer Folk Head Out to the Dacha

It's a summer Saturday afternoon in Moscow - and the city is empty. Where did everyone go? Where you should be - at the dacha!
opinion
Michele A. Berdy

The Cranky Tourist's Russian Phrasebook

Do not believe Russian phrasebooks. They lie. Believe me instead.
news

Pushkin House Celebrates Russia on the Page

This year the Pushkin House Prize was awarded to books that are witnesses to Russian history, past and present.
opinion
Michele A. Berdy

A Butterfly on the Football Field

Butterflies, roses, mouse-traps... say what? In honor of the World Cup, I unlock some of the mysteries of Russian football fan slang.
opinion
Michele A. Berdy

Russian Grammar? Really?

Do you mutter and slur and cough to hide uncertain grammatical forms? There's no shame in that. Admit it. The Grammar Doctor will see you now.
opinion
Michele A. Berdy

The Strange Case of a Russian Provocation

How can a murder be a provocation? Oh, easy, if it's being discussed in Russian.
opinion
Michele A. Berdy

Why Is Russia Bombing Its Own City?

How to be spiteful in Russian and how the laws of karma will get you.
opinion
Michele A. Berdy

Putin's Bad Russian Conservatism

How five words in Vladimir Putin's inaugural address can take two days to translate.