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Articles by Michele A. Berdy
opinion
Michele A. Berdy
Cleaning House the Russian Way
All you need are four verbs to satisfy all your cleaning, washing, polishing and murderous needs.
long read
'Memories of Moscow' Brings the Late Soviet Era to Life
Lipman's memoir of the Soviet Union in the 1980s is an invaluable and fascinating resource.
opinion
Michele A. Berdy
My Sweet Little Buggie-Wuggie
When you see someone small and cute, start piling on the sibilants.
opinion
Michele A. Berdy
The Monster Under the Bed
How to talk about human monsters in Russian - or how to avoid hearing about them.
long awaited home
Mandelshtam Street Opens at the Moscow Literature Museum
The speakers joked, darkly, that this was the best apartment the Mandelshtams had ever had.
opinion
Michele A. Berdy
Singin' in the Rain the Russian Way
Prepositions. I know, I know. They're miserable. I try to make them a little bit more palatable.
opinion
Michele A. Berdy
Procrastinating the Russian Way
Russians have so many delightful ways to dawdle, dilly-dally and delay, you may never work again.
long read
Olga Grushin's 'The Charmed Wife' Breaks Literary Conventions
Do you wish you had a fairy godmother to wave a magic wand? Think again.
opinion
Michele A. Berdy
Watch What You Call That Old Woman
Why are there are more names in Russian for nasty old women than for nasty old men?
opinion
Michele A. Berdy
Of Men, Galoshes and Horseradish
There are lots of Russian words, nice and not, to describe the older gentlemen in our lives.
long read
Sergei Lebedev Spins a Dark Thriller in 'Untraceable'
Lebedev's novel is both a gripping thriller and an unflinching examination of Russia's past.
opinion
Michele A. Berdy
All That Glitters is Russian Gold
Lots of things glitter and glimmer with sparkles of gold and silver in Russian. For example - air.
opinion
Michele A. Berdy
The Language of UnFreedom from the Gulag
An exhibition at the Gulag History Museum and a new dictionary reveal the other reality of the USSR.
opinion
Michele A. Berdy
Two Hundred More Ways to Get Russian Wrong
Lock or castle, cotton or clapping - it's all a matter of where the stress falls. Russian is very stressful.
opinion
Michele A. Berdy
Insurrection and Sedition in Russian Translation
Rebellions can be good or bad. Depends on who's rebelling and who or what they are rebelling against.
opinion
Michele A. Berdy
How to Protest, From A to Zip Tie Cuffs
The weather might be cool, but people are hot to protest. Here's how to talk about it.
2021 look ahead
Moscow Arts Scene in 2021: A Spectacular Year Ahead
Cultural life came to a standstill last year, but this year arts lovers may get a double dose of culture.
opinion
Michele A. Berdy
'Twas the Night Before Christmas, Moscow 2020
A special column for a special day.
long read
'Of Politics and Pandemics: Songs of a Russian Immigrant'
A poetic reflection that is comical, lyrical, satirical and heart-breaking.
opinion
Michele A. Berdy
2020 Words of the Year
This is the Year That Was in words and phrases.
opinion
Michele A. Berdy
All in a Day's Work in Russian
Which Russian verb do you use to work badly? How do you ride into heaven? It's all in a day's work.
opinion
Michele A. Berdy
The Borshch Battles
Borshch - is it Russian, Ukrainian, or Polish? Will language tell us? I dive back in time to find out.
opinion
Michele A. Berdy
Confusing Coffee and Bountiful Behinds in Russian
Would you want to be урод? In 1254 you would have been happy to be урод. Now - not so much.
opinion
Michele A. Berdy
Getting the Electoral College Right in Russian
You know how you sometimes wish your language had a foreign word in it? I want выборщик.
opinion
Michele A. Berdy
What the Pundits Say: Following the U.S. Elections in Russian Media
Coverage is a strange mix of hard facts, informed commentary and biased reporting.
opinion
Michele A. Berdy
It's Time to Take a Stand in Russian
What do стоить and стоять have in common? Not much - oh, except for one very important thing.
book award
Sergei Medvedev's "The Return of the Russian Leviathan" Wins 2020 Pushkin House Book Prize
Sergei Medvedev is the first author based in Russia to win the prestigious award.
opinion
Michele A. Berdy
Everything Has a Price in Russian
Is it worth reading? How much does it cost? It's nothing. All this for the price of one word: стоить.
opinion
Michele A. Berdy
The With, By, From, Per, About Preposition
Getting Russian prepositions and cases right is my life's goal. Judging by "c" I've got a long way to go.
opinion
Michele A. Berdy
Fast as a Russian Fly
Russians not only like to go fast, they like to talk about going fast.
opinion
Michele A. Berdy
The Fruit of Our Language Labor
Whoever names fruit cultivars in Russia should get a lifetime achievement award.
opinion
Michele A. Berdy
The Giant Saber-Toothed Grasshopper and Other Endangered Species
Watch День Радио, learn Russian, and laugh your head off. Win-win-win.
opinion
Michele A. Berdy
Muttering and Grousing the Russian Way
Russians didn't invent griping, but they have terrific words to describe it.
opinion
Michele A. Berdy
Autumn Leaves Are Not Yet Falling
Take a deep dive into months, calendars, years and other joys of Russian autumn.
opinion
Michele A. Berdy
Deciphering Russia's August Holidays
Why do Russians panic in August? What did they do 150 years ago? Hint: involves churches and food.
long read
Viсtoria Lomasko Reports on Belarus and Russian Vote
Victoria Lomasko shares her art and her response to events in Russia and Belarus.
opinion
Michele A. Berdy
Please Don't Hurt My Feelings
Is hurting someone's feelings illegal? Well, sort of. But maybe it shouldn't be. Read on...
opinion
Michele A. Berdy
You Gotta Have Heart
For Russians, a heart is way more than a pump in your chest.
saving russian art
'Costakis' Choice' at Moscow's AZ Museum
The AZ Museum is celebrating the life and work of the man who saved Russian 20th century art.
opinion
Michele A. Berdy
When Not Enough is Way Too Much
You can never have too much money or shashlyk.
opinion
Michele A. Berdy
Getting Out the Vote the Russian Way
People were voting by rules set in the Constitution they were voting on. How's that again?
opinion
Michele A. Berdy
Ten Ways to Be Tired in Russian
Being tired is just so exhausting I feel like a squeezed out lemon. Really.
opinion
Michele A. Berdy
When Time and Place Meet in Russian
Тут is such a simple, sweet-sounding word... and if you believe that, I've got a bridge to sell you.
Russia against ALS
Russia Takes on ALS With a Marathon
Russia's only group to help patients with ALS is getting a jump on the ice bucket challenge.
opinion
Michele A. Berdy
Flying Objects and Other Horrors of Russian
Russian paronyms - летучий, летящий, летательный, летающий and лётный - are horrible.
opinion
Michele A. Berdy
When a Russian Bum Is Not a Bum
Answering a question in my mailbag sent me down the rabbit hole of Russian abbreviations - great fun!
opinion
Michele A. Berdy
The Russian Dos of Don'ts
When the command нельзя means don't, and when it means something else entirely.
quarantine culture
Night in the (Online) Museum and (Online) Movie Night
Celebrate night in the museum 2020 at home, and be sure to watch a remarkable film free online.
opinion
Michele A. Berdy
Shall We Zoom? I Zoom, Do You?
A very silly update on the language of our new normal in Russia.
opinion
Michele A. Berdy
Russian Patience is a Virtue
We start today with a pop quiz about a curious word. Tune in.
reading list
Pushkin House Announces 2020 Book Prize Short List
The Pushkin House short list is made of some of the very best books about Russia published in English.
opinion
Michele A. Berdy
Say, Where's That Quote From?
You can take the Bible out of society, but you can't take it out of the Russian language.
opinion
Michele A. Berdy
Easter and Eggs, Naughty and Nice
All you need to know about celebrating Easter and how to talk - and not talk - about eggs.
opinion
Michele A. Berdy
Black Swans and Russian Bird Lore
A column in which I explain the difference between ворон and ворона once and for all. I think.
opinion
Michele A. Berdy
Cabin Fever in Russia? Never!
Feeling a bit down? Cooped up inside getting to you? Here's how to say it in Russian.
opinion
Michele A. Berdy
A Guide to Russian Stance Verbs
In Russian dresses sit, money lies, plates stand and shelves hang. Какой кошмар.
quarantine culture
Watch a Prophetic Film
A disease from China ravages a country headed by a nationalist, militaristic leader...
opinion
Michele A. Berdy
Telecommuting and Fist Bumps Russian Style
Pandemic vocabulary building for everyone. Just in case.
obituary
Remembering Writer Eduard Limonov
Russians argue about the man, the writer, and the political activist Eduard Limonov.
opinion
Michele A. Berdy
Starting the Presidency All Over Again
Russian wits had so much fun with the nullification of presidential term limits.
garage art
'Sekretiki' at the Garage Museum of Contemporary Art
A show of underground art secrets and a talk with the senior curator on what unites four exhibitions.
opinion
Michele A. Berdy
The Expat Russian Language Guide to Coronavirus
Are you panicked about coronavirus! Без паники! I walk you through Russian instructions.
garage art week
Monika Sosnowska Shares 'Exercises in Construction, Bending'
This week we highlight four extraordinary new exhibitions at the Garage Museum of Contemporary Art.
opinion
Michele A. Berdy
I'm All For It!
What do you say to a bit of grammar? A preposition, say? Вы - за?
long read
From Wales to Dzerzhinsk 'In the Footsteps of Ghosts'
A hauntingly beautiful short film about the past of a country, an industry, a family and the scars left behind.
opinion
Michele A. Berdy
Breathing Out and Breathing In
All about being in love, breathing, and time flying.
opinion
Michele A. Berdy
The Russian Blahs
Feeling off? Not great, but not awful? No problem! Russian has a word for it.
long read
'The Experiment: Georgia's Forgotten Revolution 1918-1921'
Eric Lee's fascinating book in English about Georgian history is avidly read in Tbilisi and Moscow.
opinion
Michele A. Berdy
Fixing It Up the Russian Way
Today I write about a Russian word I want to import into English: ремонт.
opinion
Michele A. Berdy
Shame On You!
Do I feel more shame in Russian or do I just talk about it more?
opinion
Michele A. Berdy
50 Ways to Leave Your Government
The resignation of the Russian government produced a great crop of humor.
opinion
Michele A. Berdy
The Key Words of 2019
What were the words of the year for 2019? And am I Cassandra?
holiday shopping
Miniature Miracles: Russian Painted Lacquer Boxes
Everything you need to know about those iconic — literally! — lacquer boxes.
opinion
Michele A. Berdy
Terms, Prerogatives and Matters of Taste
The interesting bits from Mr. Putin's press conference.
remembering 2019
Notable Deaths in Russia in 2019
We mark the passing of many beloved public figures.
opinion
Michele A. Berdy
A Russian Holiday Party Primer
A (mostly comic) guide to holiday partying: where to go, what to wear, and what to bring.
opinion
Michele A. Berdy
Merry Happy Holiday to You
It's beginning to look a lot like Holiday Central.
opinion
Michele A. Berdy
Stand on the Right, Pass on the Left
The grammatical lessons of the Moscow metro.
art news
Austrian Embassy Unveils Vadim Kosmatschof Sculpture
This renowned Russian-Austrian artist sees his first outdoor work unveiled in Moscow.
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.