The Best of Russian Life

the long version

We culled through 15 years of Russian Life to select readers' and editors' favorite stories for inclusion in a special two-volume collection. Totalling over 1100 pages, these two tomes encompass some of the best writing we have published over the last two decades, and include the most timeless stories -- those that can be read again and again. Indeed, the over 150 stories and biographies in this unique two-volume collection combine to offer a rich, multifaceted portrait of Russian culture, history and society. Volume 1: History and Culture, includes 76 feature stories on history and culture, from banyas to vodka, from Tsarism to the Bolshevik Revolution, from cultural traditions to social upheavals. Volume 2 includes 78 timeless biographies of Russians who have shaped the country's history and culture, from Akhmatova to Zabolotsky. - Publisher.