Davai! The Russians and Their Vodka - Softcover

Trommelen, Edwin

Softcover

ISBN 10: 188010072X ISBN 13: 9781880100721

Publisher: Russian Information Services, 2012

Synopsis

You cannot separate Russians from their vodka or vodka from Russia. For over 600 years, this proud Slavic culture has – for good or ill – been inextricably bound up with their national drink. This has been expressed in literature, song, politics, history and every aspect of popular culture. In this comprehensive, quixotic and addictive book, Edwin Trommelen explores all facets of the Russian obsession with vodka. Peering chiefly through the lenses of history and literature, Trommelen offers up an appropriately complex and rich portrait. In addition, most all of the hundreds of wonderful quotes from literature, theater and poetry are presented in both their Russian original and English translation, making this also a useful guide to improving one’s Russian through the lens of this ancient drink.

About this title

About the Author

After high school, Edwin Trommelen began studying Russian language and literature, first at the University of Utrecht and later at the University of Amsterdam. In 1986, he spent a half a year in Moscow as part of his studies, before completing his studies in Amsterdam, with minors in Czech and Film Studies. After college, he worked at various jobs: as an intpreter and translator, as a tour guide, and as an editor for the Dutch television company AVRO. In 1989, he translated the novella Street of Freedom and poems by Nizametdin Akhmetov into Dutch. Russia is a common thread in most all of Trommelen’s work. In the late 1990s, he decided to concentrate on documentaries, with a good part of his work focused on Russia or the former Soviet Union. He worked on John Appel’s "Ilya Repin, Painter of the Russian Soul," Marjoleine Boonstra’s "Bela Bela – What Keeps Mankind Alive," and Jan Bosdriesz’s "Black Eyes." As director, his credits include "Back to the Camp" (about an Amsterdam woman who was imprisoned in Russia) and "Behind the Black Mountains" (about the Amsterdam Jewish boy Anton Devier, who traveled to Russia with Peter the Great and became the first Police Chief of St. Petersburg).

Edition details

• Publisher: Russian Information Services
• Publication date: 2012
• Language: English
• ISBN 10: 188010072X
• ISBN 13: 9781880100721
• Binding: Paperback
• Number of pages: 330