Russian Life
Encyclopedia
Russian Life, previously known as The USSR and Soviet Life, is a 64-page color bimonthly magazine of Russian culture
. It celebrated its 50th birthday in October 2006. The magazine is written and edited by American and Russian staffers and freelancers. While its distant heritage is as a propaganda tool of the Soviet and Russian government, since 1995 it has been privately owned and published by a US company, Russian Information Services.
The publication was edited by Enver Mamedov (born 1923), a polyglot native of Baku
, who had the distinction of being one of the youngest Soviet diplomats when he was appointed the press secretary of the Soviet Embassy in Italy in 1943, and who had been the handler of the Soviet prosecutors' star witness, Friedrich Paulus
, at the Nuremberg Trials
.
Meanwhile, at newsstands in Moscow, Leningrad, Kiev and other Soviet cities, Amerika
magazine made its second debut. Amerika had been inaugurated in 1944, but was shuttered in 1952 due to Soviet suppression of circulation and US State Department mismanagement.
The simultaneous appearance of these magazines was the result of an intergovernmental agreement, one among several cross-cultural agreements designed to sow trust amidst the rancor of international politics. Still, there was never any question in anyone's mind that each magazine was intended as a propaganda tool for the government issuing it.
A few years later, The USSR changed its name to Soviet Life. While never a blatant "red propaganda" tool, Soviet Life did hew to the government line. Yet it sought to present an informed view of Russian culture, history, scientific achievements and the various peoples inhabiting the biggest country on earth.
Under the terms of the inter-governmental agreement, the subscription levels of both magazines were restricted for many years to around 30,000.
In the late 1980s, with political and economic reform in the Soviet Union, there was a surge of interest in Soviet Life -- readership rose to over 50,000.
In December of 1991 the Soviet Union signed itself out of existence and, subsequently, the Russian government could not find the money to finance production of Soviet Life. The last issue of Soviet Life was published in December of 1991.
Just over one year later, in the spring of 1993, through an agreement between Novosti (the government press Agency) and Rich Frontier Publishing, Soviet Life was reborn as Russian Life. The magazine was re-initiated as a bimonthly (whereas previously Soviet Life had been a monthly magazine) and continued in that fashion, albeit with a sporadic publishing timetable, due to funding difficulties.
In July 1995, a few months after the Russian government again decided to opt out of the magazine, the privately-owned Vermont company, Russian Information Services, Inc., purchased all rights to Russian Life. Initially published as a monthly, the magazine soon settled into a more realistic publishing schedule, coming out every other month, six times per year. RIS has published well over 100 issues of Russian Life since 1995. Today the magazine is a 64-page color bimonthly magazine, full of stories of Russian culture, history and life in the world's largest country. It celebrated its 55th anniversary in October 2011.
Russian culture
Russian culture is associated with the country of Russia and, sometimes, specifically with ethnic Russians. It has a rich history and can boast a long tradition of excellence in every aspect of the arts, especially when it comes to literature and philosophy, classical music and ballet, architecture...
. It celebrated its 50th birthday in October 2006. The magazine is written and edited by American and Russian staffers and freelancers. While its distant heritage is as a propaganda tool of the Soviet and Russian government, since 1995 it has been privately owned and published by a US company, Russian Information Services.
History
In October 1956, a new English language magazine, The USSR, appeared on newsstands in major US cities. Given the level of anti-communist sentiment at the time, it would hardly have seemed an auspicious name under which to launch such a magazine title.The publication was edited by Enver Mamedov (born 1923), a polyglot native of Baku
Baku
Baku , sometimes spelled as Baki or Bakou, is the capital and largest city of Azerbaijan, as well as the largest city on the Caspian Sea and of the Caucasus region. It is located on the southern shore of the Absheron Peninsula, which projects into the Caspian Sea. The city consists of two principal...
, who had the distinction of being one of the youngest Soviet diplomats when he was appointed the press secretary of the Soviet Embassy in Italy in 1943, and who had been the handler of the Soviet prosecutors' star witness, Friedrich Paulus
Friedrich Paulus
Friedrich Wilhelm Ernst Paulus was an officer in the German military from 1910 to 1945. He attained the rank of Generalfeldmarschall during World War II, and is best known for having commanded the Sixth Army's assault on Stalingrad during Operation Blue in 1942...
, at the Nuremberg Trials
Nuremberg Trials
The Nuremberg Trials were a series of military tribunals, held by the victorious Allied forces of World War II, most notable for the prosecution of prominent members of the political, military, and economic leadership of the defeated Nazi Germany....
.
Meanwhile, at newsstands in Moscow, Leningrad, Kiev and other Soviet cities, Amerika
Amerika (magazine)
Amerika was a Russian language magazine published by the United States Department of State during the Cold War for distribution in the Soviet Union. It was intended to inform Soviet citizens about American life. Amerika was distinguished among other Soviet publications by its high-grade paper,...
magazine made its second debut. Amerika had been inaugurated in 1944, but was shuttered in 1952 due to Soviet suppression of circulation and US State Department mismanagement.
The simultaneous appearance of these magazines was the result of an intergovernmental agreement, one among several cross-cultural agreements designed to sow trust amidst the rancor of international politics. Still, there was never any question in anyone's mind that each magazine was intended as a propaganda tool for the government issuing it.
A few years later, The USSR changed its name to Soviet Life. While never a blatant "red propaganda" tool, Soviet Life did hew to the government line. Yet it sought to present an informed view of Russian culture, history, scientific achievements and the various peoples inhabiting the biggest country on earth.
Under the terms of the inter-governmental agreement, the subscription levels of both magazines were restricted for many years to around 30,000.
In the late 1980s, with political and economic reform in the Soviet Union, there was a surge of interest in Soviet Life -- readership rose to over 50,000.
In December of 1991 the Soviet Union signed itself out of existence and, subsequently, the Russian government could not find the money to finance production of Soviet Life. The last issue of Soviet Life was published in December of 1991.
Just over one year later, in the spring of 1993, through an agreement between Novosti (the government press Agency) and Rich Frontier Publishing, Soviet Life was reborn as Russian Life. The magazine was re-initiated as a bimonthly (whereas previously Soviet Life had been a monthly magazine) and continued in that fashion, albeit with a sporadic publishing timetable, due to funding difficulties.
In July 1995, a few months after the Russian government again decided to opt out of the magazine, the privately-owned Vermont company, Russian Information Services, Inc., purchased all rights to Russian Life. Initially published as a monthly, the magazine soon settled into a more realistic publishing schedule, coming out every other month, six times per year. RIS has published well over 100 issues of Russian Life since 1995. Today the magazine is a 64-page color bimonthly magazine, full of stories of Russian culture, history and life in the world's largest country. It celebrated its 55th anniversary in October 2011.