The Russian's World: Life and Language, Third Edition [Paperback]

Genevra Gerhart (Author)

Book Description

ISBN-10: 0893572934 | ISBN-13: 978-0893572938 | Publication Date: August 25, 2001 | Edition: 3

"THE RUSSIAN'S WORLD is a unique achievement, which presents carefully selected portions of the Russian lexicon within a broad cultural context. It explains aspects of Russian culture and of Russian life (in short, "the Russian's world") in a lively and engaging manner and contains information that is of value to students of Russian language, literature, history, and culture of all levels, from those just past the beginner stage to the most advanced, and with every interest, be it nineteenth-century literature or contemporary society."

Excerpt from the Special Achievement Award conferred upon the second edition of THE RUSSIAN'S WORLD by the Publications Committee of the American Association of Teachers of Slavic and East European Languages (AATSEEL) in December 1993.

Editorial Reviews

Review

"...gives the necessary ... cultural information within which the Russian language is set ... should be available in every Russian department..." -- Rusistika, 1999

"...irreplaceable resource for the non-native scholar ... invitation into the culture ... author deserves the title 'Hero(ine) of Scholastic Labor'..." -- Web page of the American Association of Teachers of Slavic and East European Languages

"a treasure trove ... what all Russians know just by being Russian, and what all students of Russian should know..." -- Slavic and East European Journal, vol. 46, no. 2 (Summer 1996)

Language Notes

Text: English, Russian

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Paperback: 420 pages
• Publisher: Slavica Pub; 3 edition (August 25, 2001)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0893572934
• ISBN-13: 978-0893572938
• Product Dimensions: 9.2 x 7.5 x 1.1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 2 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (6 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #183,589 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

21 of 21 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Prosto zamechatelnaya knizhka, August 8, 2003

By 

dittyesq (Noblesville, IN United States) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Russian's World: Life and Language, Third Edition (Paperback)

It cannot be easy to describe an entire country, its People, its culture and its customs, in 400-odd pages. Nonetheless, that is exactly what Ms. Gerhart has done here.

She covers not only the basics, the "everything you want to know about Russia" -- she delights her readers by covering several things they may not have realized they wanted to know. For instance, the intelligentsia ordinarily shies away from discussing slang and "mat", perhaps thinking it beneath them. Yet Ms. Gerhart recognizes that, as a practical matter, this is something that simply has to be covered for people visiting or living in real-world Russia. You may not want to use bad words yourself, but you certainly want to know when the gentlemen in the flat-top haircuts and leather coats, walking towards you outside the metro station, are using them towards you... So in a completely proper and not at all vulgar manner, she tells you everything you really need to know about cursing in Russian -- along with a clear injunction to "not try this at home" yourself.

Personally, my favorite part of the book was her discussion of tools used in woodworking, a hobby of mine. I found the translations of these words, not commonly needed by a tourist in Russia, invaluable when I went on a short shopping spree seeking locally forged axes and chisels in podmoskovia. This section may not be for everyone, but it is demonstrative of a point I wish to make about the book as a whole: While not everything in the book may interest everyone, everyone who reads the book will find something that interests them -- perhaps something they never expected to find there.

13 of 13 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars a really wonderful book!, November 5, 2000

By 

Chapulina R (Tovarischi Imports, USA/RUS) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Russian's World: Life and Language (Paperback)

I have the 1974 paperback edition, and I can't give it enough praise. It's simply awesome! It gives a unique insight into the customs of Russian people as related to their history, their land, and their language. In the preface, the author states that her goal is to "explain in what physical ways the Russian world differs from [the American], both the given world of nature and the world of objects the Russian and his forbears have created to cope with it." In this she has succeeded beautifully. In many ways, everyday Russian life is powerfully affected by environment and tradition. Here is everything you need to know before you go. One of my travel tourguide books claims that many American visitors are "ultimately disappointed" by Russia. This is because they do not experience the *real* Russia, nor even know what to expect. If you are planning a vacation trip, read this book first and your visit will be much enhanced. If you stay there with Russian friends and associates, this book will enable you to understand and appreciate their quite different customs. And if you are learning Russian, this book gives a fascinating insight into the relationship between the language and the people who speak it.

15 of 16 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars If you are going there, buy this book, July 5, 1998

By 

John Dabbar([e-mail] (Moscow, Russia) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Russian's World: Life and Language (Paperback)

Having lived in Russia for the last two years, and dealt with Russians and Russian life daily, I believe the author has accurately summarized everything you should know prior to arriving or doing business here. Useful for both the unstudied tourist and students of Russian language.