Product Overview
This book is an attempt at the impossible: to describe for non-Russians what Russian common knowledge might be. It is the Russian obvious—that is ob+via, in the road, in the way: what you might trip over if you ignore it or don’t see it. It is the information one Russian assumes another has when they are talking together. It is the background against which words take on meaning. If one knew all of common knowledge, then all humor would be comprehensible. The book was written because the Russian equivalent for Thomas, “Foma”, might share origin in language but certainly doesn’t share place in society. It was written because in translation the obvious often isn’t; and sometimes it’s hard to answer when you don’t know what your friend has in mind. The book was written for the traveler who might be happier or even healthier knowing what to expect; it was written for those in business who want to avoid pratfalls as much as they want to see possibilities; and it was written for those studying the language who are blessed with curiosity and (temporarily) tired of verb forms. The assumption is not that the readers know Russian, but that they do want to know about Russians and their language. (There are also a few hints on what to expect for Russians new to America.) This 4th edition is more than a revision: we are adding material on computer language and are returning Abbreviations to the fold; we are adding a brief section on where to go for more details. In many small and large ways we have brought the information up to date. “… one of those rare books that are both so original in concept that they seem to create their own genre and so remarkably useful that it soon becomes difficult to imagine how one ever got along without them.” — Barry P. Scherr, Mandel Family Professor of Russian, Dartmouth College For more about the Author or the book please visit: here
