His War – in His Letters
Blog
In the 1950s Sasha was still a kid, and his father, Lyonya, didn’t tell him much about fighting the Nazis...
LOST BREAD
Tanya
I grew up during an era of eternal Soviet Military parades and lengthy, recurrent bread lines. I remember playing in...
To Siberia.
Kharkov, 1953 It was a chilly spring morning with a cloudy sky, when Sasha and his nanny, Galina, went out...
The New Artistic Director
Novosibirsk, 1960. Without even taking the time to knock, poet and writer Yury Magalif burst through the door of the...
Bigos
Home is where my kitchen is. For me, cooking is an emotional and relaxing activity. And my kitchen is a...
Who loves lentils?
For centuries, lentils were considered to be “poor man’s meat”. These days they are called vegan’s heaven. It makes a...
Leg of Lamb
If there’s a leg of lamb cooking in your oven chances are you’re in for a good night with friends...
Goulash
Every time I visit the Neue Gallery in New York, I make sure to compliment my experience by stopping for...
Hamantaschen
Drink until you don’t know the difference between Cursed Haman (boo) and Blessed Mordechai (or Esther and Sarah). Have you...
Maria and Alexander
Gorno-Altaysk, 1924. Alexander Yermolaev, Tanya’s grandfather, armed with the Executive Mandate of the Central Committee of the Bolshevik Party, started...
Maslenitsa
Have you ever heard of Maslenitsa? This is a week-long festival when the Russians traditionally make and eat blini (Russian...