Russian Life
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 July/Aug 2006 issue |
 Nov/Dec 2006 issue |
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.
[edit] Soviet Life
During the Cold War, the United States and Union of Soviet Socialist Republics agreed on a cultural exchange beginning in 1956 allowing each other to distribute magazines in the opposite country. The Soviet magazine was originally called The USSR, but shortly changed its name to Soviet Life. The U.S. magazine was called Amerika. The Soviet government information agency Novosti was the magazine's publisher.
Circulation was long limited on both sides to approximately 30,000. Many subscriptions went directly to libraries or cultural institutions, although some were available on newsstands in major cities. Both countries treated their magazines as propaganda[1], presenting a positive view of their own culture, industry, economy, and politics.
Typical issues of Soviet Life would highlight harvest season on a collective farm, Soyuz rocket launches, or local soviet elections. Lavish funding allowed for deep-tone color photography on high-quality paper. Cover photos were invariably happy, attractive Russians engaged in work or play, and ethnic diversity was often in evidence. As a general interest magazine, stories often focused on the human element, often highlighting a particular region or city. Coverage of literature and the arts was included, and an editorial section allowed for politically correct criticism of the U.S. or international relations.
During the 1980s period of glasnost, the circulation rules were relaxed and as many as 50,000 Americans subscribed. At the dissolution of the Soviet Union in 1991, the Russian Federation closed the magazine on budgetary grounds, and the final issue was December 1991.
[edit] Russian Life
In 1993, the magazine was briefly revived by Rich Frontier Publishing in cooperation with Novosti, but soon shut down after a sporadic bimonthly schedule. In 1995, the magazine assets were purchased by Russian Information Services, Inc. which continues to publish it today.
Typical issues include features on regions, cities and ethnic minorities, social issues, historical personalities and events, literature, art, travel and everyday life. Regular columns include: Travel Notes, Survival Russian, Notes from a Russian Village, Cuisine, Russia-related Events going on around the world, Russian Calendar (historical anniversaries), Under Review (book reviews), and Post Script (opinion).
