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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.

'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.

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.

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

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.

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.

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.

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.

'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?

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.

'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.

Austrian Embassy Unveils Vadim Kosmatschof Sculpture

This renowned Russian-Austrian artist sees his first outdoor work unveiled in Moscow.

'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.

'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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

'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.

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.

'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.

Discover Nikolai Meshcherin

What you could you see if you were in Moscow this weekend.