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Date: Friday, 28 Mar 2008 15:54
Одна из моих любимых цитат
One of my favorite quotations
"What a queer gamble our existence is. We decide to do A instead of B and then the two roads diverge utterly and may lead in the end to heaven and to hell. Only later one sees how much and how awfully the fates differ. Yet what were the reasons for the choice? They may have been forgotten. Did one know what one was choosing? Certainly not. There are such chasms of might-have-beens in any human life"
Что за странную азартную игру являет собой наше существование!
Мы решаем
поступить не так, а иначе,
и вот уже обе дороги разошлись и могут привести
нас либо в ад, либо в рай.
Айрис Мердок "Море, море"
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Sea,_the_Sea
The Sea, the Sea is the 19th novel by Iris Murdoch.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Iris_Murdoch
It won the Booker Prize in 1978.
The Sea, the Sea is a tale of the strange obsessions that haunt a self-satisfied playwright and director as he begins to write his memoirs. Played out against a vividly rendered landscape and filled with allusions to myth and magic, Murdoch's novel exposes the jumble of motivations that drive her characters - the human vanity, jealousy, and lack of compassion behind the disguises they present to the world. Charles Arrowby, its central figure, decides to withdraw from the world and dwell in seclusion in a house by the sea. Whilst there, by an extraordinary coincidence he encounters his first love, Mary Hartley Fitch, whom he has not seen since his love affair with her as an adolescent. Although she is almost unrecognisable in old age, and totally outside his theatrical world, he becomes obsessed by her, idealizing his former relationship with her and attempting to persuade her to elope with him. His inability to recognise the egotism and selfishness of his own romantic ideals is at the heart of the novel. After the farcical and abortive kidnapping of Mrs. Fitch by Arrowby, he is left to mull over her rejection in an enjoyably self-obsessional and self-aggrandising manner over the space of several chapters. "How much, I see as I look back, I read into it all, reading my own dream text and not looking at the reality... Yes of course I was in love with my own youth... Who is one's first love?"
download fb2.zip ebook (subscription)
http://www.divshare.com/download/4122114-645
One of my favorite quotations
"What a queer gamble our existence is. We decide to do A instead of B and then the two roads diverge utterly and may lead in the end to heaven and to hell. Only later one sees how much and how awfully the fates differ. Yet what were the reasons for the choice? They may have been forgotten. Did one know what one was choosing? Certainly not. There are such chasms of might-have-beens in any human life"
Что за странную азартную игру являет собой наше существование!
Мы решаем
поступить не так, а иначе,
и вот уже обе дороги разошлись и могут привести
нас либо в ад, либо в рай.
Айрис Мердок "Море, море"
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Sea,_the_Sea
The Sea, the Sea is the 19th novel by Iris Murdoch.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Iris_Murdoch
It won the Booker Prize in 1978.
The Sea, the Sea is a tale of the strange obsessions that haunt a self-satisfied playwright and director as he begins to write his memoirs. Played out against a vividly rendered landscape and filled with allusions to myth and magic, Murdoch's novel exposes the jumble of motivations that drive her characters - the human vanity, jealousy, and lack of compassion behind the disguises they present to the world. Charles Arrowby, its central figure, decides to withdraw from the world and dwell in seclusion in a house by the sea. Whilst there, by an extraordinary coincidence he encounters his first love, Mary Hartley Fitch, whom he has not seen since his love affair with her as an adolescent. Although she is almost unrecognisable in old age, and totally outside his theatrical world, he becomes obsessed by her, idealizing his former relationship with her and attempting to persuade her to elope with him. His inability to recognise the egotism and selfishness of his own romantic ideals is at the heart of the novel. After the farcical and abortive kidnapping of Mrs. Fitch by Arrowby, he is left to mull over her rejection in an enjoyably self-obsessional and self-aggrandising manner over the space of several chapters. "How much, I see as I look back, I read into it all, reading my own dream text and not looking at the reality... Yes of course I was in love with my own youth... Who is one's first love?"
download fb2.zip ebook (subscription)
http://www.divshare.com/download/4122114-645
Author: "--" Tags: "philosophy, booker, english literature, ..."
Date: Friday, 28 Mar 2008 15:49
http://www.amazon.com/Dictionary-Literary-Symbols-Michael-Ferber/dp/0521000025
Review
"Rich in detail...students, in particular, and other serious readers of poetry, should find the work very useful." Frank Kermode
"This book, the first of its kind and long overdue, describes used over many years by many authors. The description are impressive....this scholarly work is highly recommended for all students of American and English literature faced with writing papers where they are expected to expound upon the symbolism found in a given poem or story. This work will also be a valuable resource for literary scholars and practicing writers." Lois Gilmer, Choice
"The volume's rich content, ranging from 'absinthe' and 'adder' to 'zephyr' and 'zodiac,' will prove useful and engaging to any student of literature and to general readers." Choice
"Ranging widely in classic and modern authors for examples, Ferber packages his information in brilliant, brief essays." Providence, RI Journal
"Readers, whether novice or erudite, who consult I^Dictionary of Literary Symbols for such symbols as rose, dolphin, labyrinth, swallow, or worm will come away with their understanding enriched by the judicious, informative, and readable explanations." Literary Research Guide
Book Description
This is the first dictionary of symbols to be based on literature, rather than "universal" pyschological archetypes, myths or esoterica. Michael Ferber has assembled nearly two hundred main entries clearly explaining and illustrating the literary symbols that we all encounter (such as swan, rose, moon, gold), along with hundreds of cross-references and quotations. The dictionary concentrates on English literature, but its entries range widely from the Bible and classical authors to the twentieth century, taking in American and European literatures. Its informed style and rich references will make this book an essential tool not only for literary and classical scholars, but for all students of literature.
download pdf
http://stream.ifolder.ru/5922745
Review
"Rich in detail...students, in particular, and other serious readers of poetry, should find the work very useful." Frank Kermode
"This book, the first of its kind and long overdue, describes used over many years by many authors. The description are impressive....this scholarly work is highly recommended for all students of American and English literature faced with writing papers where they are expected to expound upon the symbolism found in a given poem or story. This work will also be a valuable resource for literary scholars and practicing writers." Lois Gilmer, Choice
"The volume's rich content, ranging from 'absinthe' and 'adder' to 'zephyr' and 'zodiac,' will prove useful and engaging to any student of literature and to general readers." Choice
"Ranging widely in classic and modern authors for examples, Ferber packages his information in brilliant, brief essays." Providence, RI Journal
"Readers, whether novice or erudite, who consult I^Dictionary of Literary Symbols for such symbols as rose, dolphin, labyrinth, swallow, or worm will come away with their understanding enriched by the judicious, informative, and readable explanations." Literary Research Guide
Book Description
This is the first dictionary of symbols to be based on literature, rather than "universal" pyschological archetypes, myths or esoterica. Michael Ferber has assembled nearly two hundred main entries clearly explaining and illustrating the literary symbols that we all encounter (such as swan, rose, moon, gold), along with hundreds of cross-references and quotations. The dictionary concentrates on English literature, but its entries range widely from the Bible and classical authors to the twentieth century, taking in American and European literatures. Its informed style and rich references will make this book an essential tool not only for literary and classical scholars, but for all students of literature.
download pdf
http://stream.ifolder.ru/5922745
Author: "--" Tags: "poetry, symbols, essay, quotations, lite..."
Date: Friday, 28 Mar 2008 15:36
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/product-description/0231112904/ref=dp_proddesc_0?ie=UTF8&n;=283155&s;=books
On the most important occasions of our lives, we often find ourselves at a loss for words; when we want to console, celebrate, explain, inspire, or thank, we end up repeating such uninspiring, uninformative phrases as "Words cannot express how I feel." To help us find the right words, Catherine Frank has compiled this handy compendium of quotations that capture the mundane and the magnificent, the everyday and extraordinary moments of our lives.
The three sections of the book cover 150 occasions. "Every Year" offers quotations on all the special dates in the calendar from New Year's Day to New Year's Eve, including Martin Luther King Day, Valentine's Day, Ramadan, Mother's Day, Thanksgiving, Kwanzaa, and Christmas. "Occasionally" presents quotations on such occasions as giving a speech, having an interview, becoming a parent, getting engaged, welcoming someone, and saying goodbye. "Once in a Lifetime" provides quotations on such momentous events as confirmation, coming out, turning 16, graduation, and retirement.
A sampling:
• Plato, John Donne, and Woody Allen give their words of wisdom on death.
• Betty Ford writes eloquently on recovery.
• Martina Navratilova ruminates on her first sexual encounter... and Holden Caufield on his.
• Ralph Waldo Emerson, Mark Twain, and Frederick Douglass ponder Independence Day.
• Amy Tan reflects on the meaning of the Chinese New Year.
• Samuel Taylor Coleridge and Susan Sontag offer poignant descriptions of pain and illness.
Whether you are offering consolation or congratulations, condolences or confessions, Quotations for All Occasions has the perfect words for every occasion.
download pdf
http://stream.ifolder.ru/5922218
On the most important occasions of our lives, we often find ourselves at a loss for words; when we want to console, celebrate, explain, inspire, or thank, we end up repeating such uninspiring, uninformative phrases as "Words cannot express how I feel." To help us find the right words, Catherine Frank has compiled this handy compendium of quotations that capture the mundane and the magnificent, the everyday and extraordinary moments of our lives.
The three sections of the book cover 150 occasions. "Every Year" offers quotations on all the special dates in the calendar from New Year's Day to New Year's Eve, including Martin Luther King Day, Valentine's Day, Ramadan, Mother's Day, Thanksgiving, Kwanzaa, and Christmas. "Occasionally" presents quotations on such occasions as giving a speech, having an interview, becoming a parent, getting engaged, welcoming someone, and saying goodbye. "Once in a Lifetime" provides quotations on such momentous events as confirmation, coming out, turning 16, graduation, and retirement.
A sampling:
• Plato, John Donne, and Woody Allen give their words of wisdom on death.
• Betty Ford writes eloquently on recovery.
• Martina Navratilova ruminates on her first sexual encounter... and Holden Caufield on his.
• Ralph Waldo Emerson, Mark Twain, and Frederick Douglass ponder Independence Day.
• Amy Tan reflects on the meaning of the Chinese New Year.
• Samuel Taylor Coleridge and Susan Sontag offer poignant descriptions of pain and illness.
Whether you are offering consolation or congratulations, condolences or confessions, Quotations for All Occasions has the perfect words for every occasion.
download pdf
http://stream.ifolder.ru/5922218
Author: "--" Tags: "presentation, speech, report, public spe..."
Date: Friday, 28 Mar 2008 14:41
http://www.amazon.com/Dictionary-Banking-Finance-Peter-Collin/dp/1904970206
http://www.tefl.net/reviews/dictionary-banking-finance.htm
revies
Having been written primarily to explain complex terms and jargon from the world of Finance and Economics to the layperson, many students would end up using these references with an ESL dictionary in their other hand. That said, I think they are an invaluable resource for students in higher level Business English classes and anyone lacking a strong Business/Finance background, who is thrown into teaching Business English or ESP.
I would recommend the Dictionary of Banking and Finance if I had to choose only one. First of all, it weighs in at 9,000+ terms for the same cost as the Dictionary of Economics with its 3,000+ terms. More importantly, it gives phonetic transcriptions of the pronunciations, identifies parts of speech, makes use of quotes from authentic texts to illustrate the definitions and usage in context, and covers language likely to be used in Financial publications like The Wall Street Journal or The Economist.
From simple but important things, such as distinguishing between a charge card and a credit card, to defining slang terms like chickenfeed and fat cat, these Peter Collin dictionaries do a good job of demystifying a jargon-laden sector of English. I appreciate the fact that this British publication more than makes a nod to differences in American usage. I feel this is important in a time when so much of the business sector is dominated by American interests, and so much of the most broadly disseminated reporting (CNN, The Wall Street Journal) uses American terminology.
Another valuable plus is the inclusion of phrasal verbs, especially those with a different or special meaning in the Financial world (e.g. put down: to make a deposit, put out: send something out for other people to work on). For teachers not fluent in "Bizspeak" these uses could cause bafflement, and none of us like that sinking feeling that comes when we know we really can't explain something satisfactorily. This naturally applies to complex financial terms as well, things like 'real-time gross settlement system' or 'demurrage' -- and to those pesky abbreviations liberally sprinkled throughout financial texts (FASIT: Financial Asset Securitisation Investment Trust or ECGD: Export Credit Guarantee Department). Especially when teaching English to top executives, whose command of the topic far outweighs your own, a reference such as this one can be a lifesaver.
Paula Swenson
download pdf
http://stream.ifolder.ru/5920541
download fb2.zip ebook (subscription)
http://www.divshare.com/download/4121692-14f
http://www.tefl.net/reviews/dictionary-banking-finance.htm
revies
Having been written primarily to explain complex terms and jargon from the world of Finance and Economics to the layperson, many students would end up using these references with an ESL dictionary in their other hand. That said, I think they are an invaluable resource for students in higher level Business English classes and anyone lacking a strong Business/Finance background, who is thrown into teaching Business English or ESP.
I would recommend the Dictionary of Banking and Finance if I had to choose only one. First of all, it weighs in at 9,000+ terms for the same cost as the Dictionary of Economics with its 3,000+ terms. More importantly, it gives phonetic transcriptions of the pronunciations, identifies parts of speech, makes use of quotes from authentic texts to illustrate the definitions and usage in context, and covers language likely to be used in Financial publications like The Wall Street Journal or The Economist.
From simple but important things, such as distinguishing between a charge card and a credit card, to defining slang terms like chickenfeed and fat cat, these Peter Collin dictionaries do a good job of demystifying a jargon-laden sector of English. I appreciate the fact that this British publication more than makes a nod to differences in American usage. I feel this is important in a time when so much of the business sector is dominated by American interests, and so much of the most broadly disseminated reporting (CNN, The Wall Street Journal) uses American terminology.
Another valuable plus is the inclusion of phrasal verbs, especially those with a different or special meaning in the Financial world (e.g. put down: to make a deposit, put out: send something out for other people to work on). For teachers not fluent in "Bizspeak" these uses could cause bafflement, and none of us like that sinking feeling that comes when we know we really can't explain something satisfactorily. This naturally applies to complex financial terms as well, things like 'real-time gross settlement system' or 'demurrage' -- and to those pesky abbreviations liberally sprinkled throughout financial texts (FASIT: Financial Asset Securitisation Investment Trust or ECGD: Export Credit Guarantee Department). Especially when teaching English to top executives, whose command of the topic far outweighs your own, a reference such as this one can be a lifesaver.
Paula Swenson
download pdf
http://stream.ifolder.ru/5920541
download fb2.zip ebook (subscription)
http://www.divshare.com/download/4121692-14f
Author: "--" Tags: "banking, business vocabulary, business e..."
Date: Friday, 28 Mar 2008 10:22
http://lingoes.net/
Обновилась бесплатная великолепная программа словарей и переводчиков, а также добавились словари
В одном интерфейсе можно читать статьи из разных учебных и переводных словарей, распечатывать, копировать результаты
В архиве
http://stream.ifolder.ru/5880125
программа и следующие словари
American Heritage Dictionary 4th edition
Collins Cobuild Advanced learner's dictionary 4th edition ( лучший учебный словарь для начинающих и продолжающих)
Longman Dictionary of Contemporary English 4th edition ( отличный учебный словарь для продолжающих )
Oxford Advanced Learner's dictionary 6th edition ( отличный учебный словарь для продолжающих )
Oxford Collocations Dictionary for Learners of English ( лучший словарь для продвинутых)
Vicon English Dictionary
Vicon English-Russian-English dictionary
WordNet English Dictionary
PS
еще добавился словарь
Merriam-Webster's Collegiate® Dictionary
http://lingoes.net/en/dictionary/dict_down.php?id=DD900E7D1A47994CB52F0BFC7C75D11E
Обновилась бесплатная великолепная программа словарей и переводчиков, а также добавились словари
В одном интерфейсе можно читать статьи из разных учебных и переводных словарей, распечатывать, копировать результаты
В архиве
http://stream.ifolder.ru/5880125
программа и следующие словари
American Heritage Dictionary 4th edition
Collins Cobuild Advanced learner's dictionary 4th edition ( лучший учебный словарь для начинающих и продолжающих)
Longman Dictionary of Contemporary English 4th edition ( отличный учебный словарь для продолжающих )
Oxford Advanced Learner's dictionary 6th edition ( отличный учебный словарь для продолжающих )
Oxford Collocations Dictionary for Learners of English ( лучший словарь для продвинутых)
Vicon English Dictionary
Vicon English-Russian-English dictionary
WordNet English Dictionary
PS
еще добавился словарь
Merriam-Webster's Collegiate® Dictionary
http://lingoes.net/en/dictionary/dict_down.php?id=DD900E7D1A47994CB52F0BFC7C75D11E
Author: "--" Tags: "active dictionary, dictionary, lingoes, ..."
Date: Thursday, 27 Mar 2008 21:57
Description: Brown and Hayes have written a wonderful, well structured and easy to read page turner about a fascinating idea that should affect the way every thinking marketer should see the world. Christoph Kaderli, Vice President EMEA Marketing, Performance Management & Alliances at Cognos Ltd & CMO Council Europe Advisory Board Member.
"Today's market is truly 'always on'. This is having a dramatic impact on the way that we market and sell to our existing customers and prospects.
Influencer Marketing provides an excellent reference on how you can drive and achieve significant change in your traditional mindset to ensure that you can address the new and dynamic challenges that now appear every day'.
Ask yourself, 'Do I change or do more of the same? There is only one correct answer" . Jim Cassidy VP Marketing EMEA, BEA Systems
A thought provoking book that challenges the way we think and who we target. A must for any skilled marketer wishing to beat his competitor." Dr Anthony Marsella, Chief Marketing Officer Samsung Electronics and co-author "Marketing Revolution".
"Cutting Edge Marketing at its best. This is a must read for any Technology Marketer" James Hart, Marketing Director, EMEA, Research In Motion
(Blackberry)
"If you think you know about marketing in the 21st century, press & analyst relations, the value of conferences, the buying cycle - think again.
Influencer Marketing will make you question even your basic understanding of marketing, and who really wields power in the market place." Joe Barrett, Director, Strategic Marketing, Qualcomm Europe
"This book explains why today's marketing model is a very different playing field. ROI is high on the agenda. The power of the network enables emphasis on 1:1 conversations and choice, dialogues and communities, which in turn leads to honesty and transparency in messaging." Jon Tutcher Head of Marketing, Sun Microsystems UK & Ireland
"Influencer Marketing brings together common sense with some insightful ideas in a book that provides marketers with useful tips for extending their own influence." Ruth Mortimer, Editor, Brand Strategy Magazine
It is rare to find a marketing book which is useful from page one. Most provide useful maxims to include in presentations, but few back this up with practical approaches to use in anger in the workplace. Influencer Marketing has been invaluable in focusing my organisation on the invisible influencer". Robert Posner, European Marketing Director, Harte-Hanks --Robert Posner, European Marketing Director, Harte-Hanks
download pdf
http://stream.ifolder.ru/5912713
"Today's market is truly 'always on'. This is having a dramatic impact on the way that we market and sell to our existing customers and prospects.
Influencer Marketing provides an excellent reference on how you can drive and achieve significant change in your traditional mindset to ensure that you can address the new and dynamic challenges that now appear every day'.
Ask yourself, 'Do I change or do more of the same? There is only one correct answer" . Jim Cassidy VP Marketing EMEA, BEA Systems
A thought provoking book that challenges the way we think and who we target. A must for any skilled marketer wishing to beat his competitor." Dr Anthony Marsella, Chief Marketing Officer Samsung Electronics and co-author "Marketing Revolution".
"Cutting Edge Marketing at its best. This is a must read for any Technology Marketer" James Hart, Marketing Director, EMEA, Research In Motion
(Blackberry)
"If you think you know about marketing in the 21st century, press & analyst relations, the value of conferences, the buying cycle - think again.
Influencer Marketing will make you question even your basic understanding of marketing, and who really wields power in the market place." Joe Barrett, Director, Strategic Marketing, Qualcomm Europe
"This book explains why today's marketing model is a very different playing field. ROI is high on the agenda. The power of the network enables emphasis on 1:1 conversations and choice, dialogues and communities, which in turn leads to honesty and transparency in messaging." Jon Tutcher Head of Marketing, Sun Microsystems UK & Ireland
"Influencer Marketing brings together common sense with some insightful ideas in a book that provides marketers with useful tips for extending their own influence." Ruth Mortimer, Editor, Brand Strategy Magazine
It is rare to find a marketing book which is useful from page one. Most provide useful maxims to include in presentations, but few back this up with practical approaches to use in anger in the workplace. Influencer Marketing has been invaluable in focusing my organisation on the invisible influencer". Robert Posner, European Marketing Director, Harte-Hanks --Robert Posner, European Marketing Director, Harte-Hanks
download pdf
http://stream.ifolder.ru/5912713
Author: "--" Tags: "marketing"
Date: Thursday, 27 Mar 2008 14:55
Anyone who wants to write clear and accurate English, using the correct word in a particular context, will find this book helpful, and a useful companion to the Easier English Basic Dictionary.
Groups of similar words are arranged alphabetically under the main word for the particular meaning being illustrated, so words meaning ‘big’ are given at big. The ways in which these similar words are used in different situations are compared. Words with an opposite meaning to the main meaning being illustrated (known as ‘antonyms’) are also given.
http://www.zshare.net/download/962435123fedb3/
download fb2.zip ebook (subscription)
http://www.divshare.com/download/4113750-38b
Groups of similar words are arranged alphabetically under the main word for the particular meaning being illustrated, so words meaning ‘big’ are given at big. The ways in which these similar words are used in different situations are compared. Words with an opposite meaning to the main meaning being illustrated (known as ‘antonyms’) are also given.
http://www.zshare.net/download/962435123fedb3/
download fb2.zip ebook (subscription)
http://www.divshare.com/download/4113750-38b
Author: "--" Tags: "synonyms, vocabulary, active vocabulary"
Date: Thursday, 27 Mar 2008 13:07
о проекте
http://career-english.ru/mobile-films.htm
DISC 22
27 dresses
8 women in french with english subtitles
Alatriste in spanish with english subtitles
American Gigolo
Angels and insects
Casablanca
Charlie Wilson's war
Cold mountain
Gladiator
Goodfellas
Jumper
Legends of the fall
Lions for lambs
Lost season 4, episodes 7,8
Must love dogs
Northanger Abbey
Sleuth
Stargate : the Ark of truth
What women want
http://career-english.ru/mobile-films.htm
DISC 22
27 dresses
8 women in french with english subtitles
Alatriste in spanish with english subtitles
American Gigolo
Angels and insects
Casablanca
Charlie Wilson's war
Cold mountain
Gladiator
Goodfellas
Jumper
Legends of the fall
Lions for lambs
Lost season 4, episodes 7,8
Must love dogs
Northanger Abbey
Sleuth
Stargate : the Ark of truth
What women want
Author: "--" Tags: "mobile films"
Date: Thursday, 27 Mar 2008 11:55
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0880011459/ref=cm_cr_pr_product_top
A Glimmer of Insight into the Master of the Short Story, April 16, 2002 By "botatoe" (Albany, NY)
the book I review here, "Notebook of Anton Chekhov," translated by S. S. Koteliansky and Leonard Woolf
Chekhov regularly recorded seemingly mundane daily incidents in notebooks and diaries and later referred to them in writing his stories. It is from this material that Koteliansky and Woolf have drawn in compiling the short (146 pages) collection of materials titled "Notebook of Anton Chekhov." While hardly an exhaustive collection of these materials, it is a useful little volume that illustrates some of Chekhov's writing habits.
The diary excerpts are a mere twelve pages from Chekhov's 1896 diary. The notebook excerpts are 130 pages from the notebooks written between 1894 and 1896. As the translators note in their short introduction to this collection, "[the] volume consists of notes, themes and sketches for works which Anton Chekhov intended to write, and are characteristic of the methods of his artistic production. If he used any material, he used to strike it out in the note-book."
While unfortunately out of print, "Notebook of Anton Chekhov" is a fascinating companion to Chekhov's stories, a little glimmer of insight into how Chekhov created the remarkably drawn pictures of nineteenth century Russian life that still enchant readers today.
download fb2.zip ebook
http://www.divshare.com/download/4112850-f8a
A Glimmer of Insight into the Master of the Short Story, April 16, 2002 By "botatoe" (Albany, NY)
the book I review here, "Notebook of Anton Chekhov," translated by S. S. Koteliansky and Leonard Woolf
Chekhov regularly recorded seemingly mundane daily incidents in notebooks and diaries and later referred to them in writing his stories. It is from this material that Koteliansky and Woolf have drawn in compiling the short (146 pages) collection of materials titled "Notebook of Anton Chekhov." While hardly an exhaustive collection of these materials, it is a useful little volume that illustrates some of Chekhov's writing habits.
The diary excerpts are a mere twelve pages from Chekhov's 1896 diary. The notebook excerpts are 130 pages from the notebooks written between 1894 and 1896. As the translators note in their short introduction to this collection, "[the] volume consists of notes, themes and sketches for works which Anton Chekhov intended to write, and are characteristic of the methods of his artistic production. If he used any material, he used to strike it out in the note-book."
While unfortunately out of print, "Notebook of Anton Chekhov" is a fascinating companion to Chekhov's stories, a little glimmer of insight into how Chekhov created the remarkably drawn pictures of nineteenth century Russian life that still enchant readers today.
download fb2.zip ebook
http://www.divshare.com/download/4112850-f8a
Author: "--" Tags: "chekhov"
Date: Thursday, 27 Mar 2008 11:30
http://www.amazon.com/Oxford-Book-American-Detective-Stories/dp/0195117921
From Publishers Weekly
Hillerman, author of the Joe Leaphorn mysteries, and Herbert, editor of The Oxford Companion to Crime and Mystery Writing, trace this short-story genre from its beginnings in the hands of Edgar Allen Poe through its development by the likes of Erle Stanley Gardner, Mary Roberts Rinehart and Anthony Boucher to its current practice by such masters as Marcia Muller. Poe's "The Murders in the Rue Morgue," which established a great many of the whodunit conventions, is indispensable to such an overview. Raymond Chandler's "I'll be Waiting" emits a doom-laden atmosphere right from the first line; William Faulkner shows unexpected economy of language?and a transparent plot?in "An Error in Chemistry." Ed McBain scores high marks in "Small Homicide," in which the tiny details of a baby's untimely death resonate uncomfortably. As represented in this competent, unstartling collection, Linda Barnes ("Lucky Penny") easily outsasses Sue Grafton ("The Parker Shotgun"). Hillerman makes a solid appearance with "Chee's Witch," and in "Benny's Space" Muller captures the full subtle force of her novel-length vision.
Copyright 1996 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.
From Kirkus Reviews
Though Hillerman's introduction notes his impatience with ``the rules'' of the detective story's Golden Age, this magisterial selection of 34 stories is remarkably evenhanded, proceeding from Poe to Ross Macdonald and Rex Stout with scarcely a notable omission (except for Dashiell Hammett, for copyright reasons). The emphasis here is on familiar items, though work by less well-known writers like Richard Sale and Robert Leslie Bellem provide welcome variety. The problem comes in the last hundred pages--all the room the editors leave for the past 30 years. The stories by Bill Pronzini, Edward D. Hoch, Linda Barnes, Sue Grafton, Marcia Muller, and editor Hillerman are mostly exemplary; but other recent masters of the short story- -like Loren D. Estleman and Ed Gorman and Lawrence Block--must wonder why they weren't included when historical curios by Anna Katherine Green and Arthur B. Reeve were. The anthology as museum, with Hillerman and Herbert as suave a pair of curators as you could wish.
download fb2.zip ebook (subscription)
http://www.divshare.com/download/4112763-e49
From Publishers Weekly
Hillerman, author of the Joe Leaphorn mysteries, and Herbert, editor of The Oxford Companion to Crime and Mystery Writing, trace this short-story genre from its beginnings in the hands of Edgar Allen Poe through its development by the likes of Erle Stanley Gardner, Mary Roberts Rinehart and Anthony Boucher to its current practice by such masters as Marcia Muller. Poe's "The Murders in the Rue Morgue," which established a great many of the whodunit conventions, is indispensable to such an overview. Raymond Chandler's "I'll be Waiting" emits a doom-laden atmosphere right from the first line; William Faulkner shows unexpected economy of language?and a transparent plot?in "An Error in Chemistry." Ed McBain scores high marks in "Small Homicide," in which the tiny details of a baby's untimely death resonate uncomfortably. As represented in this competent, unstartling collection, Linda Barnes ("Lucky Penny") easily outsasses Sue Grafton ("The Parker Shotgun"). Hillerman makes a solid appearance with "Chee's Witch," and in "Benny's Space" Muller captures the full subtle force of her novel-length vision.
Copyright 1996 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.
From Kirkus Reviews
Though Hillerman's introduction notes his impatience with ``the rules'' of the detective story's Golden Age, this magisterial selection of 34 stories is remarkably evenhanded, proceeding from Poe to Ross Macdonald and Rex Stout with scarcely a notable omission (except for Dashiell Hammett, for copyright reasons). The emphasis here is on familiar items, though work by less well-known writers like Richard Sale and Robert Leslie Bellem provide welcome variety. The problem comes in the last hundred pages--all the room the editors leave for the past 30 years. The stories by Bill Pronzini, Edward D. Hoch, Linda Barnes, Sue Grafton, Marcia Muller, and editor Hillerman are mostly exemplary; but other recent masters of the short story- -like Loren D. Estleman and Ed Gorman and Lawrence Block--must wonder why they weren't included when historical curios by Anna Katherine Green and Arthur B. Reeve were. The anthology as museum, with Hillerman and Herbert as suave a pair of curators as you could wish.
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Author: "--" Tags: "american literature, detective stories"
Date: Thursday, 27 Mar 2008 11:26
http://www.amazon.com/Oxford-Book-American-Poetry/dp/019516251X
Review
"An extremely gregarious book, in which the good get to mingle with the great, from Emily Dickinson to John Ashbury."--The Daily Telegraph
"It can't get much better than this."--Rochelle Moore, Associated Content
"The book is not only a sound historical survey, but also gives the reader a powerful taste of poetry's impact upon the wider world."--The Economist
"Indeed, for the reader otherwise disinclined to pick up a volume of poetry, you may also find yourself enjoying the selections in this collection. It will be a purchase that will stay with you far longer than any meal at a fancy restaurant upon which you might spend the money. And it will be better for you as well."--The Washington Times
"There is no one more qualified to undertake such a project...a brilliant updating of the previous edition."--James Tate, a member of the Academy of American Arts and Letters and winner of the 1992 Pulitzer Prize in poetry
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Review
"An extremely gregarious book, in which the good get to mingle with the great, from Emily Dickinson to John Ashbury."--The Daily Telegraph
"It can't get much better than this."--Rochelle Moore, Associated Content
"The book is not only a sound historical survey, but also gives the reader a powerful taste of poetry's impact upon the wider world."--The Economist
"Indeed, for the reader otherwise disinclined to pick up a volume of poetry, you may also find yourself enjoying the selections in this collection. It will be a purchase that will stay with you far longer than any meal at a fancy restaurant upon which you might spend the money. And it will be better for you as well."--The Washington Times
"There is no one more qualified to undertake such a project...a brilliant updating of the previous edition."--James Tate, a member of the Academy of American Arts and Letters and winner of the 1992 Pulitzer Prize in poetry
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Author: "--" Tags: "poetry, american literature, american po..."
Date: Thursday, 27 Mar 2008 11:16
http://www.amazon.com/Tolstoy-Blooms-Modern-Critical-Views/dp/0877547270
Book Description
Tolstoy's quest for truth transcended his roles as a philosopher, soldier, proprietor, and devoted family man. He approached his writing with a conviction that truth can be found and must be embraced. The volume studies Tolstoy extensively, including his War and Peace, Resurrection, and Family Happiness.
This series is edited by Harold Bloom, Sterling Professor of the Humanities, Yale University; Henry W. and Albert A. Berg Professor of English, New York University Graduate School. These texts presents critical essays that reflect a variety of schools of criticism on the most important 20th-century criticism on major works from The Odyssey through modern literature. Each volume also contains an introductory essay by Harold Bloom, critical biographies, notes on the contributing critics, a chronology of the author's life, and an index.
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Book Description
Tolstoy's quest for truth transcended his roles as a philosopher, soldier, proprietor, and devoted family man. He approached his writing with a conviction that truth can be found and must be embraced. The volume studies Tolstoy extensively, including his War and Peace, Resurrection, and Family Happiness.
This series is edited by Harold Bloom, Sterling Professor of the Humanities, Yale University; Henry W. and Albert A. Berg Professor of English, New York University Graduate School. These texts presents critical essays that reflect a variety of schools of criticism on the most important 20th-century criticism on major works from The Odyssey through modern literature. Each volume also contains an introductory essay by Harold Bloom, critical biographies, notes on the contributing critics, a chronology of the author's life, and an index.
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Author: "--" Tags: "russian literature, literary criticism, ..."
Date: Wednesday, 26 Mar 2008 12:55
Questions and answers
Banking Officer
Financial Analyst
General Accountant
Research Associate
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Banking Officer
Financial Analyst
General Accountant
Research Associate
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Author: "--" Tags: "banking, job interview, accounting, audi..."
Date: Tuesday, 25 Mar 2008 16:52
Interview transcript: Dmitry Medvedev
Published: March 24 2008 21:54 | Last updated: March 24 2008 21:54
Lionel Barber, editor of the Financial Times, Neil Buckley, Moscow bureau chief, and Catherine Belton, Moscow correspondent, interviewed Dmitry Medvedev, president-elect of the Russian Federation, in the Kremlin, Moscow, on March 21 2008. Below is an edited transcript
FINANCIAL TIMES: Mr President Elect, what will be your top three priorities when you take office?
DMITRY MEDVEDEV: I think these priorities are completely obvious. The main one is to continue the social and economic course which has emerged and evolved in our country in recent years. The goal of this course is to improve the quality of life for all Russian citizens.
We have managed to turn around the economic situation - we have become a much stronger state in this regard. Russia has joined the seven biggest economies in terms of purchasing power, but that’s not all. The main challenge now is to translate these economic successes into social programmes to show that developing the economy improves the lives of every Russian citizen. In recent times we have begun to implement some social programmes in the areas of education and healthcare and I believe that it’s very important to maintain and develop these programmes, getting on with the full-scale modernising of work in healthcare and education, as well as making it possible for the majority of Russian citizens to improve their housing conditions, which is also very important. And finally, Russia has pursued and will be pursuing a well-balanced foreign policy, aiming to defend its own interests in a non-confrontational way, so that Russia’s positions will contribute towards strengthening world security. Thus there are several priorities – to maintain economic stability, to develop economic freedoms, to promote social programmes and to ensure that Russia sustains its position in the world.
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Published: March 24 2008 21:54 | Last updated: March 24 2008 21:54
Lionel Barber, editor of the Financial Times, Neil Buckley, Moscow bureau chief, and Catherine Belton, Moscow correspondent, interviewed Dmitry Medvedev, president-elect of the Russian Federation, in the Kremlin, Moscow, on March 21 2008. Below is an edited transcript
FINANCIAL TIMES: Mr President Elect, what will be your top three priorities when you take office?
DMITRY MEDVEDEV: I think these priorities are completely obvious. The main one is to continue the social and economic course which has emerged and evolved in our country in recent years. The goal of this course is to improve the quality of life for all Russian citizens.
We have managed to turn around the economic situation - we have become a much stronger state in this regard. Russia has joined the seven biggest economies in terms of purchasing power, but that’s not all. The main challenge now is to translate these economic successes into social programmes to show that developing the economy improves the lives of every Russian citizen. In recent times we have begun to implement some social programmes in the areas of education and healthcare and I believe that it’s very important to maintain and develop these programmes, getting on with the full-scale modernising of work in healthcare and education, as well as making it possible for the majority of Russian citizens to improve their housing conditions, which is also very important. And finally, Russia has pursued and will be pursuing a well-balanced foreign policy, aiming to defend its own interests in a non-confrontational way, so that Russia’s positions will contribute towards strengthening world security. Thus there are several priorities – to maintain economic stability, to develop economic freedoms, to promote social programmes and to ensure that Russia sustains its position in the world.
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Author: "--" Tags: "russian-english parallel text, parallel ..."
Date: Monday, 24 Mar 2008 16:17
http://www.amazon.com/Angels-Fall-Nora-Roberts/dp/0399153721
36 of 42 people found the following review helpful:
A HIGH CALIBER ROMANCE THRILLER, July 17, 2006 By Gail Cooke (TX, USA)
Angels Fall is one more romance/thriller by an acknowledged master of the genre, Nora Roberts. This story of a woman striving to overcome a traumatic past is expertly read by Joyce Bean who captures readers by vocally embodying the fears and challenges experienced by the protagonist. No over the top drama for this reader, only a pitch perfect, authentic performance.
Reece Gilmore is literally hanging on with her fingernails. She witnessed brutal killings in the Boston diner where she worked and was wounded herself. Realizing the state she was in she sought help as a patient in a psychiatric hospital. Eventually, she felt well enough to leave and our story takes place primarily in Angel's Fist, Wyoming where she has sought peace and hopefully a stabilized mental condition, free of nightmares and panic attacks.
Once settled in, she hikes up into the mountains and surveys the beautiful surroundings with her binoculars. What she sees is not beautiful at all - it is a couple struggling on the opposite bank of the Snake River. The man has the woman in a stranglehold, and Reece is sure he is killing her.
However, once she reaches another person on the trail, Brody, and asks for help, they return to the scene she described and find absolutely nothing. She knows what she saw, but with her history who will believe her?
http://www.readersread.com/cgi-bin/bookblog.pl?bblog=1023071
Nora Roberts' Angels Fall was named Book of the Year by readers (as well as winner in the Romance category) at the 2007 Quill Book Awards, held October 22 in New York City at the spectacular Jazz at Lincoln Center theater.
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36 of 42 people found the following review helpful:
A HIGH CALIBER ROMANCE THRILLER, July 17, 2006 By Gail Cooke (TX, USA)
Angels Fall is one more romance/thriller by an acknowledged master of the genre, Nora Roberts. This story of a woman striving to overcome a traumatic past is expertly read by Joyce Bean who captures readers by vocally embodying the fears and challenges experienced by the protagonist. No over the top drama for this reader, only a pitch perfect, authentic performance.
Reece Gilmore is literally hanging on with her fingernails. She witnessed brutal killings in the Boston diner where she worked and was wounded herself. Realizing the state she was in she sought help as a patient in a psychiatric hospital. Eventually, she felt well enough to leave and our story takes place primarily in Angel's Fist, Wyoming where she has sought peace and hopefully a stabilized mental condition, free of nightmares and panic attacks.
Once settled in, she hikes up into the mountains and surveys the beautiful surroundings with her binoculars. What she sees is not beautiful at all - it is a couple struggling on the opposite bank of the Snake River. The man has the woman in a stranglehold, and Reece is sure he is killing her.
However, once she reaches another person on the trail, Brody, and asks for help, they return to the scene she described and find absolutely nothing. She knows what she saw, but with her history who will believe her?
http://www.readersread.com/cgi-bin/bookblog.pl?bblog=1023071
Nora Roberts' Angels Fall was named Book of the Year by readers (as well as winner in the Romance category) at the 2007 Quill Book Awards, held October 22 in New York City at the spectacular Jazz at Lincoln Center theater.
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http://www.divshare.com/download/4092349-116
Author: "--" Tags: "romance, bestseller, thriller"
Date: Monday, 24 Mar 2008 15:47
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Name_of_the_Wind
The Name of the Wind (The Kingkiller Chronicle: Day One) is a fantasy book by Patrick Rothfuss, the first book in a series called The Kingkiller Chronicles. It was published in 2007 by DAW books and features two possible hardcovers. The novel has received a notable amount of acclaim, specifically among fantasy authors, with Orson Scott Card comparing it favorably to the Harry Potter series.
The series is essentially the biography of a famous musician, wizard, and adventurer named Kvothe. After gaining notoriety at a young age, he disappears from public life and is eventually tracked down to a backwater inn by Devan Lochees, who goes by the name 'Chronicler'. After some persuasion, Chronicler convinces Kvothe to tell him his life story. However, the story is occasionally punctuated by interludes, during which it becomes clear that someone is looking for Kvothe. Meanwhile Kvothe's friend and first (and only) apprentice Bast is unwilling to let Chronicler tell all of Kvothe's story. The story thus proceeds on two levels, as we learn how Kvothe came to be the man he is now, whilst other events take place in the present hinting at a greater story to follow.
Awards
Quill Award (2007) - Science Fiction/Fantasy/Horror
Best Books of the Year (2007) - Publishers Weekly - Science Fiction/Fantasy/Horror [2
download fb2.zip ebook( subscription)
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The Name of the Wind (The Kingkiller Chronicle: Day One) is a fantasy book by Patrick Rothfuss, the first book in a series called The Kingkiller Chronicles. It was published in 2007 by DAW books and features two possible hardcovers. The novel has received a notable amount of acclaim, specifically among fantasy authors, with Orson Scott Card comparing it favorably to the Harry Potter series.
The series is essentially the biography of a famous musician, wizard, and adventurer named Kvothe. After gaining notoriety at a young age, he disappears from public life and is eventually tracked down to a backwater inn by Devan Lochees, who goes by the name 'Chronicler'. After some persuasion, Chronicler convinces Kvothe to tell him his life story. However, the story is occasionally punctuated by interludes, during which it becomes clear that someone is looking for Kvothe. Meanwhile Kvothe's friend and first (and only) apprentice Bast is unwilling to let Chronicler tell all of Kvothe's story. The story thus proceeds on two levels, as we learn how Kvothe came to be the man he is now, whilst other events take place in the present hinting at a greater story to follow.
Awards
Quill Award (2007) - Science Fiction/Fantasy/Horror
Best Books of the Year (2007) - Publishers Weekly - Science Fiction/Fantasy/Horror [2
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http://www.divshare.com/download/4092238-b8c
Author: "--" Tags: "fantasy"
Date: Monday, 24 Mar 2008 14:57
Routledge | 1997-11-01 | ISBN: 1884964303 | 1000 pages | PDF | 11,2 MB
Essays on more than 400 writers from around the world are included, along with geographical surveys that provide an historical framework, entries on types of essays, and entries on important single essays. Entries on closely-related genres such as letters, journals, treatises, sermons and reviews expand and explore the fluid boundaries of the essay as genre.
http://www.filefactory.com/file/a76a40/
Essays on more than 400 writers from around the world are included, along with geographical surveys that provide an historical framework, entries on types of essays, and entries on important single essays. Entries on closely-related genres such as letters, journals, treatises, sermons and reviews expand and explore the fluid boundaries of the essay as genre.
http://www.filefactory.com/file/a76a40/
Author: "--" Tags: "essay, encyclopedia"
Date: Monday, 24 Mar 2008 14:46
A new, up-to-date course where students learn what they need to know for a career in commerce.
Overview
Oxford English for Careers is a series which prepares pre-work students for starting their career. Everything in each Student's Book is vocation-specific, which means students get the language, information, and skills they need to help them get a job in their chosen career.
Key features
Focuses on the functional language needed to succeed in the job. Grammar, vocabulary, and skills are all contextualized in real work situations.
An aspirational approach includes It's my job profiles of real professionals, and specialist facts, figures, and quotations on every page.
Writing bank or Reading bank gives practice in working with specialist texts.
Contemporary, easy-to-navigate design with an In this unit learning menu and an end-of-unit Checklist with CEF Can-do tick boxes.
Revision and extension with Projects and Webquests, a student's website with consolidation exercises from the unit, and a handy Key words list at the end of every unit with the essential vocabulary.
http://rapidshare.com/files/101849433/cosb.rar
Overview
Oxford English for Careers is a series which prepares pre-work students for starting their career. Everything in each Student's Book is vocation-specific, which means students get the language, information, and skills they need to help them get a job in their chosen career.
Key features
Focuses on the functional language needed to succeed in the job. Grammar, vocabulary, and skills are all contextualized in real work situations.
An aspirational approach includes It's my job profiles of real professionals, and specialist facts, figures, and quotations on every page.
Writing bank or Reading bank gives practice in working with specialist texts.
Contemporary, easy-to-navigate design with an In this unit learning menu and an end-of-unit Checklist with CEF Can-do tick boxes.
Revision and extension with Projects and Webquests, a student's website with consolidation exercises from the unit, and a handy Key words list at the end of every unit with the essential vocabulary.
http://rapidshare.com/files/101849433/cosb.rar
Author: "--" Tags: "business vocabulary, business english, c..."
Date: Sunday, 23 Mar 2008 19:28
http://www.newsweek.com/id/128417/output/print
Dumbing Russia Down
The Kremlin has largely marginalized Russia's intelligentsia. But 'Girls of the Military' is a hit.
Owen Matthews and Anna Nemtsova
NEWSWEEK
Updated: 10:39 AM ET Mar 22, 2008
Is Russian intellectual life thriving or dying? Sometimes, it's hard to tell. This week culture mavens will flock to the Golden Mask theater festival, which will showcase the best of Russia's lively underground drama scene. Highlights include a satirical play by the Presniakov brothers featuring a surreal debate between George W. Bush, Tony Blair and Vladimir Putin. Guests of the Moscow Photo Biennale have received stacks of invitations to two dozen openings—and those will be just a fraction of the art shows, performances and readings scheduled for this week. Among them: a new play about Lenin by writer Victor Pelevin and a cutting-edge exhibit at a new-media gallery called the Electroboutique ViewStation.
But that's not typical. The 99.9 percent of Russians who are not on Moscow's high-culture circuit will have a very different set of cultural experiences: they can enjoy a television gala called "Girls of the Military," a novel kind of beauty-and-talent show that promises to add tanks and aircraft to the usual mix of bikini parades and contestants' mini-biopics. There's also the Russian version of the game show "Who Wants to Be a Millionaire" and a selection of shows featuring washed-out old Soviet-era singers, interspersed with news reports that feature endless coverage of President-elect Dmitry Medvedev's daily visits and speeches.
So which is it? Cultural boom or bust? Without question, high culture is a minority pursuit in every country—and popular television is anything but highbrow. But in Russia, there is a breathtaking disconnect between an artsy fringe culture and the rigidly conformist state-controlled mainstream. On one level, Russia's oil-fueled economy has generated a lively arts scene, on par with any in Europe. But at the same time, the Kremlin's near-stranglehold of Russian media means that any kind of free political debate has disappeared completely from popular culture. That has left journalists, creative artists and academics in Russia feeling embattled, argues Catherine Nepomnyashchy, director of the Harriman Institute at Columbia University. "The government has effectively consolidated control over the mass media, while a popular entertainment culture of soap operas and game shows, detective novels and astrology has flourished, marginalizing the once respected and influential voices of the creative intelligentsia," she notes.
How did this happen? Russia's intelligentsia was once the arbiter of the nation's cultural values, says Masha Lipman of the Moscow Carnegie Center. Years ago a small group of educated, urban professionals had cultural values that were emphatically anti-Soviet. Thanks to glasnost, they were able push their radical ideas into the very heart of political debate, and for a few heady years, dissident culture became mainstream culture in all its chaotic glory. Leading cultural figures like writer Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn and historian Yuri Afanasiyev held marathon televised debates about the state of the nation, and were watched by millions. As recently as a decade ago, Russia's top-rated television programs included punchy and controversial political magazine shows, like Yevgeny Kisilev's "Itogi."
Now in the putatively free Putin era, a new kind of censorship has taken hold, with the mainstream of Russian culture and ideas firmly controlled by the state. Cultural figures and thinkers who play by the rules are showered with money and acclaim while mavericks are marginalized. For instance, veteran rocker Andrei Makarevich, of the group Mashina Vremeni, was once a mainstay of the Leningrad underground scene. Recently he played a concert in support of President-elect Medvedev, and now hosts a popular TV cooking show. Rock musician Yuri Shevchuk, from the same late-era Soviet music scene, joined in opposition protests last year in St. Petersburg and told the crowds that "Putin's stability is the grave of creativity." He is now denied access to television and to sponsorships, says music critic Artem Troitsky, because "no bank or business wants to risk getting on the Kremlin's blacklist."
To many, it is an insidious system that rewards conformity. "Our nation's horizons have narrowed; the Russian mind has closed," says former TV anchor Sergei Dorenko, persona non grata on Russian TV ever since he worked for an anti-Moscow candidate in Ukraine's 2004 elections. "Intellectuals feel lost. Our current leaders seek to inspire bourgeois values, but Russian bourgeois culture seems flat and faceless." There are signs, too, that even the limited space allowed for speech is shrinking, as current informal systems of control are replaced by an ever-tightening web of legislation. A 2007 law restricting hate speech and extremism has already been used to silence Kremlin critics. Now deeply conservative church groups have proposed a new set of laws to clean up the "immoral" content of television programming.
Mikhail Prokopenko, spokesman for the Russian Orthodox Church Moscow Patriarchate, said last week that it intended to use its "influence and good relations" with the state to "protect children from the negative influence" of certain TV programs that "corrupt moral values." "The state intends to turn young Russians into zombies so that they do not have any independent political thoughts," complains Anna Tikhomirova, director of a Moscow-based center for the study of teenage development.
Still, pockets of free speech and creativity remain—just as long as artists don't attract too wide an audience. Dmitry Bykov, one of Russia's best-known writers, denounces state-controlled television for creating "imbeciles" out of Russians. Yet his "Novoe Vremechko" cultural TV show is tolerated by the authorities, largely because of its low ratings. The same goes for the often passionately anti-Kremlin Ekho Moskvy radio broadcasts. In a nation of 140 million people, it attracts just 848,000 listeners at its peak. Meanwhile, a new generation of writers is starting to emerge, like Chechen war veteran Zakhar Prilepin, who writes brutal novels and short stories about day-to-day life in modern Russia. The question, though, is whether writers like Prilepin will shape Russia's intellectual future—or if it will be determined by a highly conformist mainstream.
download pdf: english-russian parallel text
http://www.divshare.com/download/4088181-6a9
Dumbing Russia Down
The Kremlin has largely marginalized Russia's intelligentsia. But 'Girls of the Military' is a hit.
Owen Matthews and Anna Nemtsova
NEWSWEEK
Updated: 10:39 AM ET Mar 22, 2008
Is Russian intellectual life thriving or dying? Sometimes, it's hard to tell. This week culture mavens will flock to the Golden Mask theater festival, which will showcase the best of Russia's lively underground drama scene. Highlights include a satirical play by the Presniakov brothers featuring a surreal debate between George W. Bush, Tony Blair and Vladimir Putin. Guests of the Moscow Photo Biennale have received stacks of invitations to two dozen openings—and those will be just a fraction of the art shows, performances and readings scheduled for this week. Among them: a new play about Lenin by writer Victor Pelevin and a cutting-edge exhibit at a new-media gallery called the Electroboutique ViewStation.
But that's not typical. The 99.9 percent of Russians who are not on Moscow's high-culture circuit will have a very different set of cultural experiences: they can enjoy a television gala called "Girls of the Military," a novel kind of beauty-and-talent show that promises to add tanks and aircraft to the usual mix of bikini parades and contestants' mini-biopics. There's also the Russian version of the game show "Who Wants to Be a Millionaire" and a selection of shows featuring washed-out old Soviet-era singers, interspersed with news reports that feature endless coverage of President-elect Dmitry Medvedev's daily visits and speeches.
So which is it? Cultural boom or bust? Without question, high culture is a minority pursuit in every country—and popular television is anything but highbrow. But in Russia, there is a breathtaking disconnect between an artsy fringe culture and the rigidly conformist state-controlled mainstream. On one level, Russia's oil-fueled economy has generated a lively arts scene, on par with any in Europe. But at the same time, the Kremlin's near-stranglehold of Russian media means that any kind of free political debate has disappeared completely from popular culture. That has left journalists, creative artists and academics in Russia feeling embattled, argues Catherine Nepomnyashchy, director of the Harriman Institute at Columbia University. "The government has effectively consolidated control over the mass media, while a popular entertainment culture of soap operas and game shows, detective novels and astrology has flourished, marginalizing the once respected and influential voices of the creative intelligentsia," she notes.
How did this happen? Russia's intelligentsia was once the arbiter of the nation's cultural values, says Masha Lipman of the Moscow Carnegie Center. Years ago a small group of educated, urban professionals had cultural values that were emphatically anti-Soviet. Thanks to glasnost, they were able push their radical ideas into the very heart of political debate, and for a few heady years, dissident culture became mainstream culture in all its chaotic glory. Leading cultural figures like writer Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn and historian Yuri Afanasiyev held marathon televised debates about the state of the nation, and were watched by millions. As recently as a decade ago, Russia's top-rated television programs included punchy and controversial political magazine shows, like Yevgeny Kisilev's "Itogi."
Now in the putatively free Putin era, a new kind of censorship has taken hold, with the mainstream of Russian culture and ideas firmly controlled by the state. Cultural figures and thinkers who play by the rules are showered with money and acclaim while mavericks are marginalized. For instance, veteran rocker Andrei Makarevich, of the group Mashina Vremeni, was once a mainstay of the Leningrad underground scene. Recently he played a concert in support of President-elect Medvedev, and now hosts a popular TV cooking show. Rock musician Yuri Shevchuk, from the same late-era Soviet music scene, joined in opposition protests last year in St. Petersburg and told the crowds that "Putin's stability is the grave of creativity." He is now denied access to television and to sponsorships, says music critic Artem Troitsky, because "no bank or business wants to risk getting on the Kremlin's blacklist."
To many, it is an insidious system that rewards conformity. "Our nation's horizons have narrowed; the Russian mind has closed," says former TV anchor Sergei Dorenko, persona non grata on Russian TV ever since he worked for an anti-Moscow candidate in Ukraine's 2004 elections. "Intellectuals feel lost. Our current leaders seek to inspire bourgeois values, but Russian bourgeois culture seems flat and faceless." There are signs, too, that even the limited space allowed for speech is shrinking, as current informal systems of control are replaced by an ever-tightening web of legislation. A 2007 law restricting hate speech and extremism has already been used to silence Kremlin critics. Now deeply conservative church groups have proposed a new set of laws to clean up the "immoral" content of television programming.
Mikhail Prokopenko, spokesman for the Russian Orthodox Church Moscow Patriarchate, said last week that it intended to use its "influence and good relations" with the state to "protect children from the negative influence" of certain TV programs that "corrupt moral values." "The state intends to turn young Russians into zombies so that they do not have any independent political thoughts," complains Anna Tikhomirova, director of a Moscow-based center for the study of teenage development.
Still, pockets of free speech and creativity remain—just as long as artists don't attract too wide an audience. Dmitry Bykov, one of Russia's best-known writers, denounces state-controlled television for creating "imbeciles" out of Russians. Yet his "Novoe Vremechko" cultural TV show is tolerated by the authorities, largely because of its low ratings. The same goes for the often passionately anti-Kremlin Ekho Moskvy radio broadcasts. In a nation of 140 million people, it attracts just 848,000 listeners at its peak. Meanwhile, a new generation of writers is starting to emerge, like Chechen war veteran Zakhar Prilepin, who writes brutal novels and short stories about day-to-day life in modern Russia. The question, though, is whether writers like Prilepin will shape Russia's intellectual future—or if it will be determined by a highly conformist mainstream.
download pdf: english-russian parallel text
http://www.divshare.com/download/4088181-6a9
Author: "--" Tags: "intelligentsia, russia, parallel reading"
Date: Sunday, 23 Mar 2008 12:58
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/A_Hero_of_Our_Time
Quotations
My whole life has been merely a succession of miserable and unsuccessful denials of feelings or reason.
...I am not capable of close friendship: of two close friends, one is always the slave of the other, although frequently neither of them will admit it. I cannot be a slave, and to command in such circumstances is a tiresome business, because one must deceive at the same time.
Afraid of decision, I buried my finer feelings in the depths of my heart and they died there.
It is difficult to convince women of something; one must lead them to believe that they have convinced themselves.
What of it? If I die, I die. It will be no great loss to the world, and I am thoroughly bored with life. I am like a man yawning at a ball; the only reason he does not go home to bed is that his carriage has not arrived yet.
When I think about near and probable death, I think only of me: other people don't do this. Friends who'll forget me tomorrow-or worse, ascribe God knows what cock and bull stories to me; women who'll laugh at me while they are embracing another man, so as not to make him jealous of the deceased-the devil take the lot of them!
Women! Women! Who will understand them? Their smiles contradict their glances, their words promise and lure, while the sound of their voices drives us away. One minute they comprehend and divine our most secret thoughts, and the next, they do not understand the clearest hints.
There are two men within me - one lives in the full sense of the word, the other reflects and judges him. In an hour's time the first may be leaving you and the world for ever, and the second? ... the second? ...
To cause another person suffering or joy, having no right to so-- isn't that the sweetest food of our pride? What is happiness but gratified pride?
I'll hazard my life, even my honor, twenty times, but I will not sell my freedom. Why do I value it so much? What am I preparing myself for? What do I expect from the future? in fact, nothing at all.
Grushnitski (to Pechorin): "Mon cher, je hais les hommes pour ne pas les mepriser, car autrement la vie serait une farce trop degoutante." ("My friend, I hate people to avoid despising them because otherwise, life would become too disgusting a farce.")
Pechorin (replying to Grushnitski): "Mon cher, je meprise les femmes, pour ne pas les aimer, car autrement la vie serait un melodrame trop ridicule." ("My friend, I despise women to avoid loving them because otherwise, life would become too ridiculous a melodrama.")
"Passions are merely ideas in their initial stage."
http://www.amazon.com/Hero-Martin-Mikhail-Lermontov-Parker/dp/0714721034/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s;=books&qid;=1206276221&sr;=1-1
39 of 40 people found the following review helpful:
The beauty of a poet's prose, May 24, 2001 By Knut Oyangen (Oslo, Norway)
Mikhail Lermontov was a poet by genius, a romantic at heart, yet by the time of his death at 26, he had already become something of a disillusioned realist. This tension between streaks in his personality is expressed openly in "A Hero of Our Time": the novel starts out as a romantic adventure beautified with most exquisite imagery, but is later transformed into a disquieting tale of manipulation and dark deeds.
The setting for this novel (which is really a loosely connected string of short stories) is the wild Caucasian mountains, to which Lermontov himself had been "exiled" to fight against the fierce Chechens. After the death of Pushkin, Lermontov took it upon himself to keep the great poet's legacy alive. The authorities did not take kindly to Lermontov's endeavour, and transferred the young officer to the war zone.
To 19th centrury Russian writers, the experience of the Caucasus and of 'Asiatics' in general was of tremendous value as a gauge of the value of Russian civilization. Juxtaposing Russian high society with the people of the steppes and the mountains became a familiar device in Russian literature, just like American Indians were used to symbolize the natural/unadulterated or the uncivilized/savage in American literature.
However, in "A Hero of Our Time" the officer Pechorin transcends the boundaries between culture and nature. In the early chapters of the book, Pechorin's adventures are described from outside, and seem extraordinary, bizzare, yet captivating. Later on, other stories are recounted in Pechorin's diary, and they draw a different picture of the modern hero: disillusioned, hateful, and profoundly unhappy. Life is a game which he has long mastered, he knows exactly how to play into people's pride, vanity and passion. Yet, at unlikely moments, a stir of long-forgotten emotion briefly produces a vulnerable, human hero with whom we, despite ourselves, are forced to identify...
download fb2.zip ebook
http://www.divshare.com/download/4086518-f86
Quotations
My whole life has been merely a succession of miserable and unsuccessful denials of feelings or reason.
...I am not capable of close friendship: of two close friends, one is always the slave of the other, although frequently neither of them will admit it. I cannot be a slave, and to command in such circumstances is a tiresome business, because one must deceive at the same time.
Afraid of decision, I buried my finer feelings in the depths of my heart and they died there.
It is difficult to convince women of something; one must lead them to believe that they have convinced themselves.
What of it? If I die, I die. It will be no great loss to the world, and I am thoroughly bored with life. I am like a man yawning at a ball; the only reason he does not go home to bed is that his carriage has not arrived yet.
When I think about near and probable death, I think only of me: other people don't do this. Friends who'll forget me tomorrow-or worse, ascribe God knows what cock and bull stories to me; women who'll laugh at me while they are embracing another man, so as not to make him jealous of the deceased-the devil take the lot of them!
Women! Women! Who will understand them? Their smiles contradict their glances, their words promise and lure, while the sound of their voices drives us away. One minute they comprehend and divine our most secret thoughts, and the next, they do not understand the clearest hints.
There are two men within me - one lives in the full sense of the word, the other reflects and judges him. In an hour's time the first may be leaving you and the world for ever, and the second? ... the second? ...
To cause another person suffering or joy, having no right to so-- isn't that the sweetest food of our pride? What is happiness but gratified pride?
I'll hazard my life, even my honor, twenty times, but I will not sell my freedom. Why do I value it so much? What am I preparing myself for? What do I expect from the future? in fact, nothing at all.
Grushnitski (to Pechorin): "Mon cher, je hais les hommes pour ne pas les mepriser, car autrement la vie serait une farce trop degoutante." ("My friend, I hate people to avoid despising them because otherwise, life would become too disgusting a farce.")
Pechorin (replying to Grushnitski): "Mon cher, je meprise les femmes, pour ne pas les aimer, car autrement la vie serait un melodrame trop ridicule." ("My friend, I despise women to avoid loving them because otherwise, life would become too ridiculous a melodrama.")
"Passions are merely ideas in their initial stage."
http://www.amazon.com/Hero-Martin-Mikhail-Lermontov-Parker/dp/0714721034/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s;=books&qid;=1206276221&sr;=1-1
39 of 40 people found the following review helpful:
The beauty of a poet's prose, May 24, 2001 By Knut Oyangen (Oslo, Norway)
Mikhail Lermontov was a poet by genius, a romantic at heart, yet by the time of his death at 26, he had already become something of a disillusioned realist. This tension between streaks in his personality is expressed openly in "A Hero of Our Time": the novel starts out as a romantic adventure beautified with most exquisite imagery, but is later transformed into a disquieting tale of manipulation and dark deeds.
The setting for this novel (which is really a loosely connected string of short stories) is the wild Caucasian mountains, to which Lermontov himself had been "exiled" to fight against the fierce Chechens. After the death of Pushkin, Lermontov took it upon himself to keep the great poet's legacy alive. The authorities did not take kindly to Lermontov's endeavour, and transferred the young officer to the war zone.
To 19th centrury Russian writers, the experience of the Caucasus and of 'Asiatics' in general was of tremendous value as a gauge of the value of Russian civilization. Juxtaposing Russian high society with the people of the steppes and the mountains became a familiar device in Russian literature, just like American Indians were used to symbolize the natural/unadulterated or the uncivilized/savage in American literature.
However, in "A Hero of Our Time" the officer Pechorin transcends the boundaries between culture and nature. In the early chapters of the book, Pechorin's adventures are described from outside, and seem extraordinary, bizzare, yet captivating. Later on, other stories are recounted in Pechorin's diary, and they draw a different picture of the modern hero: disillusioned, hateful, and profoundly unhappy. Life is a game which he has long mastered, he knows exactly how to play into people's pride, vanity and passion. Yet, at unlikely moments, a stir of long-forgotten emotion briefly produces a vulnerable, human hero with whom we, despite ourselves, are forced to identify...
download fb2.zip ebook
http://www.divshare.com/download/4086518-f86
Author: "--" Tags: "russian literature"
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