Russia is the largest country in the world. And its culture is dominated by larger-than-life historical figures, giants of literature, and sweeping landscapes. Both intentionally and inadvertently, Russia has had a massive impact on the rest of the world.

For centuries, the capital city of Moscow and former capital of St. Petersburg (a.k.a., Leningrad) have been fodder for stories of entitled tsars, idealistic revolutionaries, murderous dictators, Cold War spies, and modern political machinations.

But this Slavic nation is also known for the warmth and grit of its people, its comfort food (pickles and vodka and caviar and sausages and potatoes and borscht and buttery Chicken Kiev), and the darkly moralistic fairytales of its folklore.

In this episode, we discuss books that gave us a peek inside life in Russia: a threaded short story collection that spans history, two tales of WWII (during the Siege of Leningrad and a posh hotel in Moscow), a contemporary coming-of-age story, and a retelling of the legend of Koschei the Deathless, Russia's answer to Western fairytale villains.

For more on the books we recommend, plus the other cool stuff we talk about and info about our guest, visit show notes at http://strongsenseofplace.com/podcasts/2020-03-16-russia

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